There are two ways to look at the Calgary Flames’ three-game road trip this week.
There’s the glass-half-full approach, which would focus on the Flames getting four out of six points on the road. You’ve got to be happy with that. It’s a solid return.
The glass-half-empty view would be that the Flames did, in the end, lose two of three games. They got points in defeats at the hands of the Boston Bruins in overtime and the Buffalo Sabres in the shootout, and points are points however you get them, but those games still ultimately felt like losses.
When they spoke with the media in Buffalo after Saturday’s game, even the Flames themselves seemed a little conflicted on how to view the trip as a whole.
“You got four of six points, not great, not just OK, but good road trip,” said Flames defenceman MacKenzie Weegar. “Battled back in a few games to get points, but we (have to) come back next road trip and we want to win these games, not just get one point.”
There was good and bad throughout the Flames’ week in the east.
Matt Coronato had three goals in three games and the 21-year-old has surely solidified himself as an NHL regular. That’s good.
The way the Flames are starting games is bad. They’ve fallen behind in the first periods of their games against both the Bruins and the Sabres and have been outscored 17-8 in the first 20 minutes of games this season.
“We’ve got to start on time,” Flames goaltender Dan Vladar told reporters in Buffalo. “I think everyone is aware and we’ve got to be better.”
Conversely, the Flames continue to show that they’re a resilient group and will fight back when they’re down. That’s certainly good, even if they wish they didn’t have to do it quite so often.
Against the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday, Matt Coronato was the hero, scoring late in the third period to send the game to overtime and then ending things with another goal just seven seconds into the three-on-three frame.
Yegor Sharangovich and Nazem Kadri lit the lamp in the game against the Bruins, forcing overtime after the Flames had trailed by two at the second intermission.
And it was Coronato and captain Mikael Backlund who earned the Flames the chance to play in OT against the Sabres after their calamitous first period.
Fixing their starts is a priority, but at least the Flames know they don’t give up when things don’t go their way. Again, how you interpret that likely depends on whether you’re taking a glass half-full or half-empty approach. There’s good and bad there.
It’s hard to complain about the entertainment value, though, and if you enjoy three-on-three hockey you’re getting your money’s worth from the Flames.
After all three of their games went to OT this week, they’ve now gone to overtime six times this season. That’s 33 per cent of their 15 games, and no team in the NHL has gone past 60 minutes in more games than the Flames this season.
They’re 3-3 in those games. Two of them ended in shootouts, where they’ve won one and lost one.
Whether that’s good or bad is all in the eye of the beholder, but Backlund made it abundantly clear that the team isn’t satisfied with picking up a point at a time in OT. Start games better, and he believes the Flames will be leaving the rink with two points in regulation more often than not.
And that, more than anything, is the biggest takeaway from this three-game road trip.
“It’s great that we come back and show character and resilience to stay in every game and fight back and get points, but if we want to win games we need better first periods and play with the lead,” Backlund told reporters in Buffalo. “It’s a good trip, but we can’t be satisfied with just getting loser points.”