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Fatigue Shows as Flames Fall 4–1 to Bruins
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- Fatigue Shows as Flames Fall 4–1 to Bruins
The Calgary Flames faced the Boston Bruins on Monday night but couldn't slow down a rested opponent, falling 4–1 and extending their losing streak to four games.
Yegor Sharangovich appeared in his 400th career NHL game, while Dustin Wolf made his eighth consecutive start with Devin Cooley still unavailable due to illness.
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Boston set the tone early, outshooting and outplaying a fatigued Flames group in the opening period. Sean Kuraly opened the scoring after stepping into the high slot and snapping a shot past Wolf. Former Flame Elias Lindholm followed later in the frame, finishing off a crisp three-way passing sequence with a one-timer to give the Bruins a 2–0 lead after 20 minutes.
© Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images
The second period saw chances at both ends, but Bruins goaltender Joonas Korpisalo came up with several highlight-reel saves. Late in the frame, Mason Lohrei held the puck at the blue line, waited out two sliding Flames defenders, and fired a shot through traffic and past a screened Wolf to make it 3–0.
Boston added another early in the third when Casey Mittelstadt pounced on a rebound and lifted it over Wolf to extend the lead to four.
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Connor Zary responded moments later with a strong individual effort, circling out from behind the net, cutting to the net, and finishing backhand to forehand for his seventh goal of the season. That would be the lone bright spot offensively, as Calgary was unable to mount a comeback.
© Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images
Three Takeaways
1. Fatigue showed early and often
After arriving at the team hotel around 3:00 a.m. following a game in Montreal , the Flames struggled to establish consistency on the second night of the back-to-back. Boston capitalized on Calgary's lack of jump, controlling play early and building a lead the Flames couldn't recover from.
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2. Wolf's workload continues to climb
Dustin Wolf made back-to-back starts and has now started eight straight games, tied for the most starts by any NHL goaltender this season (34). While he battled, Wolf didn't appear to have his usual explosiveness and looked unsettled after contact around the crease. A breather may be beneficial as the Flames manage his workload.
3. Coleman's early exit raises concern
Blake Coleman was forced to leave the game after suffering an injury and was unable to finish despite attempting to return. Head coach Ryan Huska indicated postgame the decision was largely precautionary, but his status will be worth monitoring moving forward
