Coleman Reassessment of Calgary Flames After their first regulation loss of the season With Surprising Statement
The Calgary Flames experienced their first regulation loss of the season on Thursday, falling 4-2 to the Carolina Hurricanes.
After trailing 3-0 within the first 22 minutes, the Flames fought hard in the third period but couldn’t fully recover.
“We were a bit flat for the first 25 or 30 minutes,” said Flames forward Blake Coleman, according to him “We allowed a strong team a few power-play opportunities, and they capitalized. However, I thought we responded well. We were never out of the game, closing the gap to one goal with a chance to tie it late.”
Coleman noted that the team has flirted with danger by falling behind in games, emphasizing that they can’t always expect to make comebacks. “It’s a lesson to start strong and go from there.”
The Flames (5-1-1) had previously overcome one-goal deficits to win 4-3 in a shootout against the Pittsburgh Penguins and pulled off a memorable comeback from 3-0 and 4-1 down to beat the Vancouver Canucks 6-5 in overtime in their season opener.
Goaltender Dan Vladar’s record now stands at 2-1-1 after Thursday’s loss, during which he allowed three goals on 42 shots, bringing his save percentage to .904 and his goals-against average to 2.73 as he splits time with Dustin Wolf (3-0-0).
“We know the talent we have in this locker room,” Vladar remarked after the game. “We have strong leaders and a close-knit group, almost like a family. We believe in ourselves and know we’re capable; we just need to play like we did in the last 30 minutes.”
The Flames will aim to rebound on Saturday against the undefeated Winnipeg Jets, who currently hold a record of 7-0-0.