Flames' Huberdeau displaying team-first approach despite benching

Calgary Flames forward Jonathan Huberdeau isn’t about to complain after being benched last night versus the Nashville Predators.

Despite being down a goal at the time, Huberdeau didn’t see the ice in the third period of last night’s game, one in which the Flames scored three unanswered to win 4-2. While Huberdeau was standing up, giving his teammates fist bumps on all three goals, he was visibly dejected by his benching. The 30-year-old appeared to be in a better mood when speaking with reporters on Wednesday but admitted that the message sent to him by head coach Ryan Huska wasn’t easy.

“It was difficult. As a player, you want to be out there and help your team, but at the end of the day, I sat on the bench,” Huberdeau said. “It’s 20 minutes of my career. I’ve just got to move on, and we got a win.

“It wasn’t easy, I’m not going to lie. There’s no pointing fingers. You’ve got to look in the mirror. I’ve got to be a better player. I know I’ve got it in me; I still believe in myself. I just have to show it on the ice.”

Huska refrained from blasting Huberdeau when asked about his benching last night, instead saying that his star forward simply wasn’t at his best. Prior to being sat, he had played just over 14 minutes on the night.

As mentioned by Huberdeau, the Flames were able to pick up their second straight win to help improve their record to 4-7-1 on the season. Despite the slow start, they are picking things up as of late and will look to improve their winning streak to three on Friday night in a game versus the Toronto Maple Leafs. Being able to get Huberdeau back to his former-elite self would go a long way in helping them not only defeat the Leafs but get them back on the right path to being a playoff team.

You might also like:

Flames' Huberdeau appears lost after Tuesday night's benching