Fresh off their first game with the Calgary Flames, newcomers Joel Farabee and Morgan Frost set to suit up again on Sunday in Seattle
Fresh off their first game with the Calgary Flames, newcomers Joel Farabee and Morgan Frost set to suit up again on Sunday in Seattle
The whirlwind continues for new Calgary Flames forwards Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee. Following a manic 48 hours that saw them get packaged by the Philadelphia Flyers in a late-breaking NHL trade on Thursday, packed up for a lengthy flight to their new city on Friday, take in a single morning skate with their new franchise, Frost and Farabee created some buzz on the ice on Saturday, too.
Neither got points on the board in the 3-1 loss to the Detroit Red Wings, but both showed promise — glimpses of the offensive touch that made them both first-round draft picks for the Flyers.
Farabee was a fixture on the Flames' first line on the Hockey Night in Canada debut, playing alongside Jonathan Huberdeau and Nazem Kadri. He was also on the second powerplay unit.
Frost joined the top powerplay and centered the third line between Martin Pospisil and Yegor Sharangovich, who Flames head coach Ryan Huska bumped to the wing after suiting up in the middle following the injury to Connor Zary a few weeks ago.
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Things looked promising early when Farabee collected a long pass from MacKenzie Weegar and looked like he might get in alone on former Flames goalie Cam Talbot before Wings blueliner Moritz Seider checked the puck off Farabee's blade to kill the rush.
"I was maybe a little too excited," Farabee (wearing No. 89) told Flames reporters post-game when asked about the early opportunity. "I think I could have probably held on to it. It was a really good play by Weegar to find me there and I have to help him out and try to get something on net there."
Maybe next time, although the challenging start to their Calgary Flames careers continues with yet another flight before their second game (in Seattle) less than 24 hours after their first one in Calgary.
Frost had a decent debut, too. He made a skilled move to get a backhand opportunity against Talbot on a third-period powerplay but couldn't beat the Wings backstop.
Farabee played more than 18 minutes — all at even strength — but had no points or shots on goal. He did have one shot attempt blocked and two misses. Frost finished with 17:37 minutes played, including 2:25 on the man-advantage. He had three shots on goal, with two more blocked and one missed attempt. But there were also two giveaways on his ledger along with a minus-two rating.
“I probably turned the puck over a few too many times and gave them some scoring chances,” Frost said afterward. “But I think for me to be effective, I kind of have to be playing that way and play with confidence.”
Confidence may come with some more time with his new teammates and a few practices. Sunday's game should also feature plenty more of the new guys, who will be given every opportunity to mesh with their new linemates ahead of the upcoming 4-Nations break.
