The Calgary Flames were due for a clunker.
And on that front, they delivered.
After going 9-1-1 and winning five of six on the road, the Flames ran out of third period miracles in Dallas, dropping a 2-0 decision to the Stars.
The high-powered Flames posed very little threat to break Ben Bishop’s shutout in a game the Flames were outplayed and out-shot 28-24.
In the Flames’ third road game in four nights, Sean Monahan’s top line wasn’t permitted to enter the zone well or buzz around the Stars’ zone much — it was almost as if Ken Hitchcock still coached Dallas.
The Flames certainly controlled more of the play in the third, a period in which they’ve outscored opponents by 28 goals this year.
In a scene eerily similar to the team’s most dramatic comeback last week against Philadelphia, in which a Rasmus Andersson point blast with 68 seconds left got the Flames within one, an Andersson blast with one minute left Tuesday rang off the crossbar.
Alas, Bishop continued his recent mastery over a team he has long dominated.
One trend remained for the Flames, which was their month-long string of alternating between high-scoring shootouts one night and tight games the next.
Some takeaways from the night:
HATHAWAY IN HOT WATER
Flames winger Garnet Hathaway may face disciplinary action after he prompted Bishop to leave the game with a possible concussion.
Bishop was playing the puck behind his net when Hathaway clipped the unsuspecting netminder as he skated by. One of the principle points of contact made by Hathaway’s shoulder was Bishop’s head, which is what prompted concussion spotters from the league to pull Bishop from the game with six minutes left in the second period. Hathaway was whistled for interference.
Bishop came back to start the third, spelling off Anton Khudobin (who stopped three of three shots), which will be taken into account as the league delves into the hit.
Already unpopular with the Stars for the hit, Hathaway was jumped by Roman Polak late in the second after a mid-ice collision with Tyler Seguin that seemed accidental.
Polak was assessed a roughing penalty for it, which the Flames obviously didn’t capitalize on.
We’ll find out Wednesday how the league feels about the hit.
LINE DANCING
James Neal was scratched due to the puck he took in the face late in Saturday’s win.
He joined Sam Bennett (upper-body injury suffered Saturday) in the press box, prompting Bill Peters to ice a lineup with seven blue liners, including Dalton Prout.
Up front they played one forward short, which mattered little in the third when Peters went to his traditional three lines anyway.
With Neal and Bennett out, Austin Czarnik drew the coveted second-line job alongside Mikael Backlund and Matthew Tkachuk, but was quiet all night as the free-agent signing is still struggling to find his way in Calgary.
Czarnik was on the ice for a Jamie Benn goal and another by Radek Faksa.
The lines were put in a blender late, to no avail.
Speaking of playing hurt, Sportsnet play-by-play veteran Rick Ball lost his voice and wasn’t able to do the broadcast, prompting a call from the radio bullpen for Derek Wills.
Wills and analyst Kelly Hrudey did the broadcast seamlessly, leaving Sportsnet Fan 960 colour man Peter Loubardias to do the radio broadcast solo, which he too handled brilliantly.
GREAT GOALIE DEBATE CONTINUES
So, who do you start in Thursday’s top-gun showdown at the ‘Dome against the Tampa Bay Lightning?
Rittich is (still) red-hot as one of the NHL’s most dependable goalies this year and carried the mail admirably for all three games on the Flames’ road trip through Minnesota (W 2-1), St. Louis (W 7-2) and Dallas.
Rittich stopped 13 of 14 shots in the first period, beaten only by a redirect into the net by Benn’s skate. All told, he made 26 saves as the Flames best player all night. (The most animated too, as he was seen rubbing the post as a thanks for one of two close calls off the iron by the Stars.)
He’s played lots of hockey, which is new to him, but has responded well.
Yet, the coach wants to make sure Mike Smith gets in right away, as he was 6-0 in his last six decisions before getting hurt late in his last start and missing one game.
Smith was on the bench the last two games and needs to get in soon to continue his momentum, but is Thursday the time to get him his first game action in more than a week? Peters rewarded his troops for back-to-back road wins on the weekend with the day off in Dallas Monday, meaning Smith was denied a chance to get some rust off in practice.
The Flames also aren’t practicing Wednesday, making it hard to believe they’d stray from Rittich for their first meeting with the NHL’s eastern juggernaut. Perhaps the best way to ease Smith back, following a rest for “general soreness,” is Saturday afternoon at home against St. Louis.
The optimal situation is (obviously) that both goalies remain hot, which means both have to split the net.
UP NEXT: Thursday night at the ‘Dome against Tampa Bay.
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