"It's an empty feeling"

Let the second guessing and post-mortem begin.

With their season on the line, the Calgary Flames served up the kind of game that has plagued them all season, and the end result was Monday’s 3-2 shootout loss to the Nashville Predators that officially eliminated Calgary’s playoff hopes.

“It’s an empty feeling,” centre Mikael Backlund told reporters after the loss. “We pushed for a long time, it’s a long season and we fought all the way to the end, but it’s an empty, hard feeling.”

First, will be the second guessing, with coach Darryl Sutter certainly in the breach for the decision to use Nick Ritchie in the shootout’s third round. A goal by Ritchie would have sealed a victory, but he did not convert and the Flames eventually lost in the fourth round.

The question remains: Why Ritchie? Certainly the team’s top goal-scorer Tyler Toffoli makes a more obvious choice. Or Elias Lindholm. Or Dillon Dube. Or Andrew Mangiapane. Or even Rasmus Andersson.

Yes, Ritchie scored on his lone shootout attempt this season — against Juuse Saros of the Predators — and went into the game 2-for-5 in shootouts in his career, but not leaning on your top guns is a call that will bring about deserved scrutiny.

For the record, Mikael Backlund, who was denied in the fourth round, has a career mark of 1-for-13, while Toffoli is 2-for-17 (although 1-for-2 this season) and Lindholm is 2-for-13.

The post-mortem is to come, but the review will be like living the same day over and over. The Flames fell behind early, pushed to tie the game, couldn’t drum up a winning goal despite outshooting their opposition by double digits and lost in extra time for the 17th time this season.

“We felt like we were in almost every game this year and just didn’t manage to get that goal when we needed a goal,” defenseman Rasmus Andersson said.

Here are three more thoughts after the buzzer.

MARKSTROM NOT ON THE MARK: Markstrom has put this team behind far too often with ill-timed miscues or early goals. To his credit, Markstrom has often regrouped and shaken off those goals, but the Flames had best hope he regains his form of last season. Sure, the Flames have been guilty of surrendering far too many high-danger chances, but Markstrom’s sub-.900 save percentage won’t cut it.

EMOTIONAL HUBERDEAU: The image of Jonathan Huberdeau upset on the bench was curious. We may never know the reason for his outrage, but the fact it came during one of his best games of the season begs the question: Where was that all season? Huberdeau has been better down the stretch, but the 115-point producer last season can not be a 55-point scorer when he’s the team’s highest-paid player next season.

CORONATO TIME?: It has been two weeks since Matt Coronato signed upon the conclusion of his college career and is yet to suit up for a game. Does Calgary’s elimination from playoff contention bring him into the lineup for his big-league debut Wednesday against the San Jose Sharks? At this point, may as well insert Coronato, and Jakob Pelletier for the finale.