Flames have heart but lack of star power shows in painful loss to Oilers

There are only four members remaining from the Calgary Flames team that got eliminated from the second round of the NHL playoffs by their provincial rival back in 2022, but the entire current roster felt some of that similar sting on Saturday night as they were took another dagger in their post-season hunt. 

Connor McDavid dealt the death blow in overtime in Game 5 nearly three years ago. In the latest Battle of Alberta, it was their other Edmonton Oilers superstar who crushed the Flames’ hopes of keeping pace with the St. Louis Blues in the Western Conference wildcard race. 

The Flames had the lead late in the finale of their season series against the Oilers, but they couldn’t keep Leon Draisaitl from being the difference-maker in a 3-2 overtime loss on a night the Flames desperately needed that crucial second point. Draisaitl scored his 50th goal of the season with 3:12 left in regulation then netted the winner 2:25 into extra time. 

"You’ve got to give him credit, he’s a good player. You could tell he was fresh coming back from his injury,” Calgary captain Mikael Backlund, who had a tough second game back from injury himself, told Flames writers post-game. “He made some good plays, and that was unfortunately the difference tonight."

Unfortunately, the Flames have struggled to find enough difference-makers all season. Nazem Kadri has been their most clutch performer, but he’s not at the same level as Draisaitl, who was the best player on the ice for either team all night but eventually got the best of Flames goalie Dustin Wolf. 

Draisaitl assisted on Viktor Arvidsson’s second-period goal after Yegor Sharangovich opened the scoring for the Flames in the first. Brayden Pachal gave the Flames their second lead just before the midway point of the final frame but Draisaitl wouldn’t be denied as he took every inch of space offered him up the right wing and snapped a perfect shot far side on Wolf to send the game to overtime. 

In OT, he outmuscled Kadri in a race for a loose puck and kicked off a three-on-two rush. He took a drop pass from Jeff Skinner and made no mistake with another accurate shot inside the post to end things. 

Will it end the Flames’ hopes of a playoff spot? 

Sitting seven games behind both the Minnesota Wild and the red-hot Blues, things may no longer be in their control. Even with three games in hand over the Blues, they’ll need some help. At this rate, they may have a better shot at catching the Wild. 

It doesn’t get much easier from here with back-to-back road games against the Colorado Avalanche and Utah Hockey Club on Monday and Tuesday before hosting the Anaheim Ducks and Vegas Golden Knights later in the week.