On Sunday against Vancouver, the Calgary Flames weren’t great early and dug themselves a hole they couldn’t climb out of. It was deja vu all over again on New Year’s Eve, as the Flames spotted the Chicago Blackhawks three goals in the first period and couldn’t come all the way back en route to a 5-3 home loss.
The Rundown
The Flames looked rusty early on. Four minutes into the first period, Olli Maatta was able to walk in from the left point and uncork a wrist shot that beat David Rittich top corner to give Chicago a 1-0 lead.