Takeaways: Wild’s 12-game point streak ends with rough third period in 4-1 loss to Flames

CALGARY, ALBERTA – The Wild keep finding themselves in tight games, but they’re not all flattering.

After blowing the chance to run up the score during four first-period power plays, including a four-minute look, the Wild were dumped 4-1 by the Flames on Thursday night at Scotiabank Saddledome to end their 12-game point streak.

“We got outplayed,” coach John Hynes said.

This was the Wild’s first regulation loss in nearly a month: They last went pointless Nov. 6 at Carolina when they fell 4-3.

Calgary ran away in the third period, scoring three times beginning with Matt Coronato’s 1-1 tiebreaker after he got loose behind the Wild at 3 minutes, 33 seconds to wire the puck by goaltender Filip Gustavsson, who finished with 26 saves.

Connor Zary buried a 2-on-1 at 6:18 to sink the Wild into their first two-goal hole in five games, and Rasmus Anderson added an empty-netter with a minute remaining.

Flames goalie Dustin Wolf was impressive, stopping 26 shots, with a few highlight-reel blocks.

“We had a lot of looks in the first, and maybe if we score those goals it would be a different game,” Trenin said. “But I think after that we didn’t work hard enough to get rewarded with a goal. We tried east-west plays.

“Lazy, flat game.”

The Wild made only one change from the 1-0 victory at Edmonton on Tuesday, subbing Gustavsson in for Jesper Wallstedt after Wallstedt’s 33-save shutout.

Danila Yurov remained out because of a lower-body injury, but the center’s return is “imminent,” Hynes said. Yurov is the only reinforcement on the way: Marco Rossi won’t be joining the team on this road trip, with his lower-body injury keeping him out longer than the Wild originally thought, and Marcus Foligno (lower body) hasn’t started skating.

Despite a depleted offense, the Wild have been managing, but they sputtered early against the Flames.

“We gotta try to find a way to at least get one on those power plays,” Mats Zuccarello said.

Once the Flames finally got a fresh start with the second period, they took advantage when Jonathan Huberdeau backhanded in a rebound at 4:21.

Wolf preserved that lead with a jaw-dropping stop against Marcus Johansson, whose redirect stayed out after Wolf stopped it with his back.

The Wild did get back to square one with 3:09 to go in the period on a Trenin deflection off a Zach Bogosian shot, a puck that bounced off the post and in to sabotage Wolf’s shutout bid.

With the game up for grabs in the third period, Calgary pounced twice in 2:45 to seize control.

“They played a better long game,” Bogosian said. “They capitalized on their chances.”

Those whiffs by the Wild on the power play in the first period gave the Flames all the momentum they needed to flip what could have been a disastrous start into a prosperous ending.

Had the Wild converted once or even twice, the uphill climb for Calgary in its return home from a long (and meh) road trip could have easily been insurmountable.

Instead, the Flames took a page out of the Wild’s book, getting galvanized by their penalty kill and subsequently never trailing en route to a feel-good victory.

“A bit of a weird start to the game,” Bogosian said. “Obviously, not a lot of rhythm just because we had so many power plays. Obviously, you’d love to capitalize on one of those, but that’s the way it goes sometimes.

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Calgary didn’t receive a power play until the third period and although the Wild denied it, the special-teams battle was a wash because of their 0-for-5 showing on the power play; they had a very abbreviated opportunity in the third period.

Faceoffs were an issue: The Wild won only one draw on the power play, which has now gone 0-for-11 over the past four games.

Close-checking games are usually right up the Wild’s alley, but they were off vs. the Flames.

They weren’t as decisive in their playmaking, and what chances they did get lacked the edge that made them go on their streak. The Wild also got a taste of their own medicine, as Wolf was almost unbeatable – the caliber of goaltending the Wild have become accustomed to while they were picking up points.

Hynes juggled the Wild lines, but a spark never materialized; as a result, the Wild skated off the ice emptyhanded for the first time in weeks.

“It’s hard to win when your compete level, your engagement isn’t close to what it needs to be,” Hynes said, “and that was the case.”