Calgary Flames

Flames fall short of history, have winning streak snapped by Bruins
March 16, 2017, 8:54 AM ET [39 Comments]
Todd Cordell
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They say all good things come to an end and last night the Calgary Flames' winning streak did just that as they fell, 5-2, at the hands of the Boston Bruins.

A few thoughts:

1) Chad Johnson made his first appearance since February 23rd and it definitely showed as he allowed several weak goals, bobbled pucks, and looked completely unsure of himself even when making simple saves.

Goaltenders are all about routine so being thrown into the net unexpectedly isn't exactly ideal, especially against a good team like Boston, but Johnson is paid to stop pucks and he didn't do a very good job at it.

I would think he'll get another start or two prior to the end of the season -- you don't want Brian Elliott playing, say, 20 of the final 22 games heading into the playoffs -- but the Flames don't have another set of back-to-backs so it's possible they ride Elliott the rest of the way.

2) Johnson certainly didn't help the Flames' cause but the loss isn't entirely on his shoulders. He didn't exactly get much help.

From start to finish the Flames struggled to generate offense and they were one-and-done for much of the night. Although the Bruins didn't light up the shot clock, they did a much better job of sustaining pressure in the offensive zone and that showed in the numbers.



The Bruins entered play scorching hot and they're the NHL's 2nd best team in possession so being out-played by them at 5v5 is nothing to be ashamed of. It was simply a rough game for a team due for one. It happens. The Flames have to forget about it and focus on getting back on track against a struggling team in the Dallas Stars.

3) I'm beating a dead horse at this point but I can't understand why Brouwer continues to get reps, and a lot of them, on the power play. Micheal Ferland is younger, faster, stronger and generates more goals, assists, points, shots and shot attempts than Brouwer on a per minute basis. Brouwer played three minutes on the PP last night, Ferland didn't get a second. Unless the Flames are low-key trying to keep the price on Ferland's next deal down, I don't get it. Even then, that'd be ridiculous considering they're fighting for home ice.

4) It's a good thing Michael Stone is close to returning because Deryk Engelland getting big minutes is a recipe for disaster. He is a decent depth option but when he's forced to play 20+ minutes against good teams it's hard for him not to get exposed (like last night).

5) I don't want to be too hard on a 20-year-old who is going to average at least 15 goals per season over his first two years but it'd be nice to get some sort of contributions from him on a regular basis. He just isn't noticeable a lot of the time (unless he is taking a bad penalty) and Kris Versteeg is the only guy creating on the 3rd line. Get that man some help.