The Calgary Flames, as they often do, made things interesting on Saturday afternoon versus the Buffalo Sabres. While they fought hard over the second half of the game, it wasn’t enough, as they wound up falling by a 3-2 shootout final.
With the loss, the Flames fall to 7-5-3 on the season. The Sabres are a team you would have liked to see the Flames grab two points against, though they deserve some credit for battling back in what was yet another game they trailed early. With that said, here are the three main takeaways from this one.
Slow Start Proves Costly
The Flames have been getting a ton of credit for battling back in games, and rightfully so. Their belief that they are never out of a game is inspiring, as is their relentless work ethic. That said, they need to figure out a way to put together a full 60, as there have been far too many games this season where they’ve started slow out of the gate.
Related: 4 Flames Exceeding Expectations So Far This Season
That was the case once again today, as the Flames were completely dominated by the Sabres in the first period, and were trailing 2-0 after 20 minutes as a result. Had it not been for Dan Vladar, this one could have been a lot uglier and turned into a blowout rather than a shootout final.
Coronato Continues to Impress
With the Flames up against the ropes, it wasn’t one of their veterans who stepped up and brought them back into the fight, but 21-year-old Matt Coronato. He has been superb as of late with a recent two-goal outing versus the Montreal Canadiens, and kept it going today with a nice finish on a superb pass from MacKenzie Weegar.
Coronato has now found the back of the net five times in 10 games this season, a phenomenal improvement from the three he scored in 34 in 2023-24. There are sure to still be some growing pains moving forward, but it’s becoming quite evident that he won’t be spending any more time in the American Hockey League (AHL).
Vladar Steady Again
While plenty of things have gone right for the Flames this season, there has arguably been nothing as impressive as their goaltending. There weren’t many with much confidence going into the season with a Dustin Wolf/Dan Vladar tandem, but so far, the two have both been exceptional.
Related: 3 Reasons Flames Are Having Success After First Month of Season
Vladar had to really battle…
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