Huska says Flames owe great effort to best fans in league
Calgary Flames defenceman MacKenzie Weegar had zero issue taking the blame after his turnover late in the second period helped spark a come-from-behind win by the St. Louis Blues.
“That’s a bullsh*t play. I said it before, as an older guy, as a leader, even as a young guy, it’s so unacceptable that I make a play like that on the power play with not a lot of time left on the clock,” Weegar told reporters last night. “Like I said, it’d be a completely different game going into that third period.”
Goaltender Jacob Markström, who was making his first start after missing the prior four games due to injury, also took a fair share of blame after allowing four goals on the night.
“Tonight was a tough one. We’re up going into the third. I’ve got to come up with a few more saves,” Markström said. “We [would be] sitting here with two points and a happy group.”
Weegar and Markström have been two of the Flames’ best players this season, making their accountability immediately after last night’s affair all the more impressive. Mikael Backlund admitted at this morning’s practice that he hadn’t heard either player’s comments but wasn’t surprised by them whatsoever.
“Everyone wants to play their best. I didn’t hear the comments yesterday, so I haven’t talked to them about it,” Backlund said. “They’re both very competitive players. They want to be leaders on this team and play the right way, do the right things, and be difference-makers. I thought they both had good games. Two players [aren’t the] reason why we lost. It’s all of us. We’ve got to be better as a team.”
So, how do they play better as a team? According to the Flames captain, it all starts with playing for the guy beside you.
“You do whatever you can for you your teammate. It’s like a brother,” Backlund explained. “You sacrifice whatever can to get the puck in or block a shot or whatever it can be.”
In each of the Flames past three losses, there have been breakdowns throughout that have hurt the team in different ways. That said, head coach Ryan Huska believes that while they may look different to those watching, it all boils down to execution.
“They are very similar in regards to how we lost those games,” Huska said. “There’s little plays at certain times of the games where maybe we try to do something that we shouldn’t do that comes back to hurt us. It shifts momentum a little bit in a game.”
As for what can be done to improve that, Huska believes pride for the team, city, and fans, all play a big role.
“We have, we think, the greatest fans in the league. They want to come and watch the team play hard, which I think for most nights they do. They want to see a team that’s passionate and playing hard as a team, because that’s really what this city is all about. It’s important that we come out here and put on that type of effort every time we step on the ice.”
While the results haven’t been there as hoped this season, it seems that the Flames are still a closely unified team. That was a point of concern often in their 2022-23 season, as frustrations in the dressing room were well reported. Though it remains to be seen as to whether or not this team can capture a playoff spot by season’s end, one thing fans can be sure of is that they’ll be putting their best effort forward each and every night.
#Flames head coach Ryan Huska talks about the team's upcoming match-ups ahead of the #NHLAllStar break. pic.twitter.com/eQjA8EXsRr
— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) January 24, 2024
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