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Circle's 2 cents (or 5) this game:

A tough first 2 periods
- From the get go, it felt like one of those games where nothing was going the Flames way. The game started with a flurry of shots by the Blues where Smith looked sharp. It wasn't until Neal scored off a good play by both Dube and Bennett for an easy tap-in where the Flames finally got a break. But this break lasted only 12 second when suddenly all the momentum was sucked out of the team when Steen ripped a wrist-shot through Smith's arm to tie it up. From there, things continued to go downhill. Andersson made a very poor decision deciding to carry the puck back into the d-zone instead of making the safe and simple play which led to an easy tap-in for Perron. Flames did have their chances in the first couple of periods including a penalty shot from Mony, many chances on the 5-on-3.

Thoughts on Smith's performance
- Although Smith started the game strong, he had a weak game overall eventually having his night ended after the 2nd. The big blunder came from the mishandled puck behind the net for Perron's easy tap-in to make it 4-1. I love Smith's ability to play the puck but knowing when to play the puck is something Smith has to focus on going forward. Although the other 4 goals were by no means solely on Smith, there were chances for Smith to save a couple of them and that may have made the difference. Rittich looked solid in relief tonight, especially on the sequence where he had 4 consecutive saves in about a 4 second timespan. If Rittich does play in Colorado on the weekend, hopefully this 3rd period performance gives him confidence.

PP breakout continues to adapt
- The Flames were 0/4 on the PP tonight but I saw a lot of positives from the PP tonight. The breakout in particular I really liked. I probably touched on this on my last long post, but having someone skating alongside Gaudreau (Lindholm in this case) on the breakout gives him options whether that be pass off, give and go, or maybe it forces a defensive break where Gaudreau can skate in scot-free. I am of the mindset that when you have multiple players with speed going through the neutral zone on the PP, it forces the clogged neutral zone to back up more quickly allowing a more controlled zone entry. As well, in the case of a dump-in, you'll have Lindholm in on the forecheck which once again gives better options. As well, I liked the 2nd PP unit tonight but I think Bennett deserves a shot. More on this down below.

Bennett continues to play solid
- Bennett looked great again tonight. Started with a nice assist on Neal's first and followed this up with a handful of chances and good, smart plays (apart from his penalty). I especially liked Bennett's play where he almost jammed it into the net on a wraparound. Although no goals as of yet, Bennett is creating chances by making smarter decisions this year IMO. It will all come together if he keeps it up. Good to see Bennett is earning his increased ice-time.

The 3rd period pushback
- A never give-up attitude is what I saw from the Flames in the 3rd, just like in the home opener against Vancouver. Yes, it is a lofty goal to tie the game back up when down 4 going into the last 20 minutes of the game, but if the Flames show this kind of push when trailing in the 3rd for the rest of the season, we will steal many points along an 82 game season.