Flames Rally in Third, Torch Penguins (and our Flickering Playoff Hopes) 4-3
We had this one. Had it in our hip pockets.
Then we let it slip away.
Like sands through the hourglass, as the intro from the old soap opera went.
Perhaps an all-too-appropriate metaphor for our season as well. Indeed, last night’s 4-3 loss to the Flames in come-from-in-front fashion seemed to sum up our season…and team…in a nutshell. A group that, for whatever reasons, just couldn’t (and can’t) get it together. At least not for any length of time.
Win three in a row. Lose the next two. Up and down. Like a yo-yo.
Last night’s defeat was the latest in a seemingly endless string of last-gasp opportunities to climb back into playoff contention. Most ending in failure.
As if to atone for a weak third period against the Kraken, we were dominant right out of the chute, piling up a commanding 14-3 edge in first-period shots on goal and, better still, a 2-0 lead. At 16:42 rookie Jonathan Gruden stole the puck from Dennis Gilbert on a hustling play following a neutral-zone turnover and fired off a shot from a sharp angle.