The look on Ryan Lomberg’s face after the Calgary Flames’ disastrous outing pretty much sums up what happened during a four game winless streak away from home. The Flames winger already had a black eye on his face and a huge lump on his head after a brutal 5-2 loss in Friday’s matinee.
Adding insult to injury, the Flames dropped another stinker in Pittsburgh on Saturday, falling 6-2 to the Penguins to finish on the losing streak.
Friday’s loss to the Blue Jackets was an emotionally charged contest in which Calgary came out on the wrong side in every way — even three turnovers with Martin Pospíšil dropping his gloves twice and Lomberg taking a lick in the return game. he seemed completely emotionless.
“Win or lose, you go down for each other, and I’m that type of teammate,” Lomberg said after Friday’s loss.
That nastiness didn’t work in their favor, and they looked exhausted on Saturday when Jonathan Huberdeau and Nazem Kadri scored third-period goals long after the Penguins had done enough damage on the coast. The Pens went up 5-0 on goals from Anthony Beauvillier, Michael Bunting, Philip Tomasin, Rickard Rakell and Kris Letang. Blake Lizotte rounded out the scoring in the final minutes of the contest.
“We’re just a team to play against,” Huberdeau told reporters in Pittsburgh after Saturday’s loss dropped the Flames’ record to 12-9-4. They wake up Sunday in fourth place in the Pacific Division and in danger of slipping to fifth after briefly sitting in first place last week during a four-game home winning streak.
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“It’s tough for us when we give up a lot of goals and we have to come back; we have to come out harder and play harder. We still have to stick together. We come home, we know, we’re better at home, but we still have to figure out the game on the road.”
Kadri was a bit more positive, holding a decent amount of pressure early in the game, but scoring continues to be an issue for the Flames, who are now on a 22-game streak of three or fewer goals.
“Just in shambles. That’s the standard for the season,” Kadri said. “It’s a roller coaster ride; you have to be able to handle those highs and lows like we talked about.
“We’re going to approach it the same way as if we’re on a four-game winning streak. Obviously we’ve got to come out of it, it’s a good way to do it at home.”
The Flames host the Blue Jackets again at the Saddledome on Tuesday and Gaudreau’s night should be emotional.