Since the All-Star break, the Calgary Flames haven’t had much success and that’s largely down to the performance of their goaltenders.
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The club has maintained a 3-4-3 record since Feb. 6 and their pair of masked men are posting a mediocre .847 save percentage.
Saturday, in a 4-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche, Jacob Markstrom gave in on his rivals’ first two shots. It was already the seventh time in 39 starts that the Swede was foiled on the first pitch he received.
“Obviously it’s frustrating,” said Markstrom, whose comments were reported by Sportsnet.
“You would like to receive a shot that comes from afar. There are no practice shots in a game.”
“I have to be ready when there is a chance to score. I have to make saves to allow my teammates to stay in the game.
Asked about his goalkeeper’s performance, head coach Darryl Sutter decided not to throw Markstrom under the bus and criticized his team’s overall defensive play.
“I think they [les joueurs de l’Avalanche] have scored goals on the chances of scoring very high qualities,” replied the driver.
Nikita Zadorov’s Mea Culpa
Sutter wasn’t the only Flames representative to try to deflect attention from his goalie’s performance. Defender Nikita Zadorov claimed that the loss against the “Avs” was his fault.
“I take responsibility, this defeat is mine,” he said after the game.
“I was on the ice for three of their goals and that’s unacceptable.”
“On the first goal, I was badly positioned. On the second, I should have blocked the puck and on the third, I just got bypassed.
“It was one of the worst times to have the worst game of my career,” added the back.
It is indeed a very bad time to experience failures among the Flames, who are trying to find a place among the teams that will participate in the playoffs in the West. Heading into Sunday’s National League matchup, Alberta was four points behind the Minnesota Wild, the last-place playoff team in their conference.
The Flames return to action on Tuesday night when the mighty Bruins visit the Scotiabank Saddledome. The Boston club leads the overall Bettman Tour standings with a 45-8-5 record.