SNAPSHOTS: Markstrom shines, but Flames lose in shootout in Montreal
Markstrom #Markstrom
MONTREAL — One of his pals failed to convert on a must-have attempt at the opposite end of the rink and Jacob Markstrom made a hasty beeline toward the visiting locker-room.
Can you blame him?
The starting puck-stopper deserved a better outcome — a victory, to be specific — after his stellar performance in Monday’s 2-1 shootout loss to the Montreal Canadiens at Bell Centre.
And, like the rest of his Calgary Flames teammates, he probably couldn’t wait to get back home.
The Flames have now dropped six in a row on the road, although they collected the so-called ‘loser point’ in half of those. They wrapped this three-game sojourn at 0-1-2.
“It’s a loss, so it’s tough,” Markstrom said after his 37-save show-off in Montreal, including six stops as the Flames killed off a double-minor in the sudden-death session. “We wanted to end the road-trip on a good note.”
The good news is that Chris Tanev was on the flight home.
The 32-year-old defenceman was struck in the side of the head on a second-period shot-block, initially appearing motionless as teammates and medical-staffers rushed to his side and ultimately needing help to skate off the ice.
The Flames announced post-game that Tanev had visited a hospital in Montreal but “all tests have shown negative and he has been cleared to travel with the team back to Calgary.”
“I told the players, ‘The toughest guy in the building is Chris Tanev, so let’s go do it for him,’ ” said head coach Darryl Sutter.
In the end, Sutter’s shorthanded squad — the Flames were missing first-line centre Elias Lindholm due to injury and top-four blue-liner MacKenzie Weegar to illness — couldn’t quite finish that mission.
“Tough one,” Sutter groaned. “You’d like to get rewarded with the other point.”
“Obviously, it sucks that we lost in a shootout,” echoed workhorse rearguard Rasmus Andersson, who logged a career-high 31:30 of ice time. “Because when you kill four out of five minutes in overtime, you almost deserve the win.”
Markstrom deserved the win.
Among his best work, he delivered three straight denials — two on Christian Dvorak, another on Joel Armia — during the same sprawling sequence and twice turned aside Mike Hoffman on another.
With Tyler Toffoli serving a four-minute sentence for high-sticking in overtime, he stuffed Cole Caufield on a dangerous give-and-go and robbed Armia on a redirect.
You’re certainly not blaming the backstop on the Habs’ lone goal. Josh Anderson was left alone at the edge of the blue paint in the early stages of the third, and first-overall pick Juraj Slafkovksy spotted him there with a sweet feed. That spoiled Markstrom’s shutout bid after he’d racked up 25 saves through 41 minutes and change.
Trouble is, Jonathan Huberdeau is the only guy who could solve Jake Allen. Huberdeau, who was raised in nearby Saint-Jerome — his childhood home is about a 45-minute drive from Bell Centre — and rooted for the Habs as a kid, delighted his family and friends when he roofed a rebound on the power-play. He also buried in the shootout, but both Andersson and Nazem Kadri were stopped.
Nick Suzuki and Kirby Dach fooled Markstrom with glove-side strikes in the breakaway competition.
“Marky was really, really, really good,” Andersson said. “He deserved to win this one, for sure.”
“He made some huge saves,” Huberdeau agreed. “I’m sure he was disappointed in the shootout. But at the end of the day, he gave us a big chance to win that game. He played a hell of a game.”
AROUND THE BOARDS
Markstrom on Tanev, a longtime teammate: “I mean, he doesn’t stay down very often. So when he stayed down, you’re worried. I haven’t talked to him after but I hope he’s OK.” … Lindholm was a surprise scratch in Montreal, a no-go because of an upper-body injury. Mikael Backlund was plugged into Lindholm’s usual top-line perch and the Flames rolled out an intriguing, albeit inexperienced, third unit — Adam Ruzicka with recent call-ups Matthew Phillips and Radim Zohorna. Brett Ritchie, initially pegged as one of two extra forwards, suited up on the fourth line and Milan Lucic was a spectator for a second consecutive contest … The Flames were also short one of their regular rearguards, with Weegar unavailable due to a non-COVID illness. Seldom-used spare Connor Mackey, in his first game appearance in exactly a month, tried to spark his squad with a first-period scrap but was on the receiving end of a few heavy punches … Old friend Sean Monahan, who spent nine seasons in Calgary and then notched a pair of points in his Dec. 1 return to the Saddledome, missed Monday’s rematch. He’s on the shelf with a lower-body injury.
OFF THE GLASS
Toffoli, back at Bell Centre for the first time since being traded to Calgary midway through last winter, was treated to a video tribute and a warm ovation. He waved to the crowd to say merci. “Teams are always so excited to come here,” Toffoli said after Monday’s morning skate. “The fans are extremely passionate, and it kind of goes both ways. So we’re looking forward to tonight and I’m looking forward to being back.” … Phillips, who has filled the net in the minors and is now looking for his first NHL goal, plunked the post on the power-play. So close … The Flames, with a 3-6-4 record in their road dates, are now headed home for a two-game stay at the Saddledome, starting with Wednesday’s divisional date against the Vancouver Canucks (8 p.m. MT, Sportsnet West/Sportsnet 960 The Fan).
wgilbertson@postmedia.com
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