WA-WJC-TalentGapClosing_ The Calgary Flames welcomed the Utah Hockey Club on Thursday night for their first visit to the Scotiabank Saddledome. Unfortunately, for the second time this season, the new club got the best of the Flames, defeating them 5-3 with two goals from Lawson Crouse. Meanwhile, the Flames coming off a great game on Tuesday against the Vancouver Canucks, got goals from Blake Coleman, Connor Zary, and Brayden Pachel, with Coleman finishing the night with two points. Calgary's loss, paired with a Canucks victory, bumped the Flames back a spot in the standings, leaving them one point out of the playoff position. FLAMES LATEST LOSS CAN'T BE PINNED ON VLADAR The Flames lost in regulation on home ice for only the fifth time on Thursday night, with Dan Vladar responsible for four defeats. He may not have been as sharp against Utah as in previous outings, but Calgary chased the game for a good portion, and with a lead to start the third, they didn't defend it. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2SGQxnT4LA[/embed] It seemed like the synergy and momentum from the previous game didn't carry over. The game's early stages featured many faceoffs disrupting the Flames' ability to find their flow. Unable to duplicate the little things that got them a win on Tuesday, Calgary seems to trip over themselves, allowing frustrations and sloppy play to throw them off their game. Ultimately, it resulted in a second loss to Utah this season. KADRI HAS AN UNCHARACTERISTIC GAME Nazem Kadri picked up an assist on Coleman's first-period goal. Still, after the officials failed to call a high-sticking penalty in the second period, the Flames' second-leading scorer unraveled. Following the missed call, he took an interference penalty and continued to hound the officials about the play upon returning to the ice. At 12:41, he and Utah's Liam O'Brien received a ten-minute misconduct. In a close game, Kadri, a passionate hockey player, let the missed call affect his game. Halfway through the second period, his aggressiveness took him out of the game for ten minutes. Even though Kadri picked up a couple of shots upon his return and did what he could to help the Flames get back into the game, his absence disrupted their ability to hold Utah in check in the middle portion of the contest. FLAMES DEVELOPING A NEW RIVALRY WITH UTAH Hockey fans understand that the Utah Hockey Club is last year's Arizona Coyotes with some new additions like Mikhail Sergachev. Many could say that the Flames never had a "rivalry" with the Coyotes. Yet, after two games against Utah in 2024-25, this new team is vaulting to the top of Calgary's list of rivalries. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQsCCRWfdkw[/embed] So far, Utah has taken both meetings against the Flames, scoring five goals in each contest. No other team except Utah has yet to score more than nine goals against Calgary this season. However, fans will not get four meetings between the Flames and Utah Hockey Club because the latter is in the Central Division, but rest assured, when they meet again on Apr. 1, Calgary will have this game circled on their calendar. There was some pushback on Thursday night, but in the season's final weeks, with a possible playoff spot on the line, everyone should expect Calgary to bring one of their best games in a budding rivalry. Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjExNDI4NzY0NzEyNzA3MjMx/thncgybanner-bookmark.png]
