Takeaways from Flames' road loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets

OK is not OK. That was a saying often heard by former Calgary Flames head coach Darryl Sutter.

The Flames were OK against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday, and it was not enough in a 3-1 loss.

Sure, the Flames managed nearly 40 shots on goal and had enough scoring chances to beat the Blue Jackets, plus they received very strong goaltending of their own from Jacob Markstrom, but when the final buzzer sounded, it was not a strong enough performance.

“So far, probably, our worst game of the trip,” captain Mikael Backlund told the media after. “We know we have to play better and we have to find a way to turn this around for Sunday to make it a good trip.”

The Flames (2-2-1) finish their five-game road swing against a resurgent Detroit Red Wings and need a win to make it a respectable journey.

Here are other takeaways from the loss to the Blue Jackets.

1. Suspension? A Fine?: Be ready for the Department of Players Safety’s wheel of justice to take a spin after Rasmus Andersson’s final second hit on Patrik Laine. Andersson was assessed an elbowing major, and the automatic game misconduct that comes with it, after he hit the Blue Jackets forward. Andersson appeared to jump into the hit and made high contact. Who knows what the result will be, but beating the Red Wings will be even tougher without Andersson, who leads Calgary in average ice time at 23:39 per game.

2. Time to step it up: Between the two of them, Elias Lindholm and Jonathan Huberdeau have collected four goals and 10 points over the club’s first five games. On the surface, that looks respectable, but the club’s highest-paid player (Huberdeau: $10.5 million) and the center looking for a payday in the $9 million range are simply not providing enough on a regular basis, especially during five-on-five play. In fact, their line was abysmal in their own zone on what ended up the game-winning goal in Columbus. It is hard to understand why two skilled and smart players just can not click — other than the lack of speed — but it may be time to figure out new combinations if things don’t change soon.

3. Is Kadri ready to break out?: Nazem Kadri’s start to the season has been sub-par, with just one assist through four games. His first-period fight with Cole Sillinger appeared to be as much about attempting to fire up himself (and possibly his not-ready-to-go teammates) as it was in reaction to Sillinger’s hit. It didn’t result in much-needed offence, but Kadri did a better job attacking the net, and recorded nearly as many shots on goal (six) as he had in the first four games combined (seven).

C-NOTES: Markstrom’s sprawling glove save on Blue Jackets rookie Adam Fantilli was an example of how far his game has bounced back so far this season. Markstrom’s positioning is closer to what we saw two seasons ago compared to his struggles last season. It’s high time his teammates find the same consistency … Calgary’s penalty killers have scored more goals while shorthanded (two) than surrendered (one), in posting a 94.1 percent kill rate (15 of 16).

Click here for a view of the game from the Columbus side.