Weegar, Flames ready to move on as loss to Senators caps brutal first month

OTTAWA – A few hours before the puck dropped, Mackenzie Weegarchuckling at his luck when a roadside confrontation with an Ottawa police officer turned into a cautionary tale about keeping paperwork in the glove box in order.

“It's been a little bit of confusion – I need to figure out and update my insurance,” the Ottawa native chuckled Wednesday afternoon as his errands were interrupted by police sirens behind him.

“Gotta meet a good cop, he gave me a warning. Great guy. I don't even think he knew who I was. I got a good run in yesterday.”

It may have been his only goal this season.

Fast forward to the Flames' 4-3 shootout loss to the Senators at the Canadian Tire Center on Thursday night, when an increasingly desperate Flames led on three separate occasions but trailed on each occasion.

The home team's final goal came with just three minutes remaining when Jake Sanderson fired in a point shot just as Weegar went down during a battle on the top court, right next to Flames goalie Devin Cooley.

Somehow the puck bounced off Weegar's back, bounced off the underside of the crossbar and bounced right off the goal line, tying the game at 3-3.

“I don't know if I hit the stick or hit the stick, I honestly wasn't looking at it,” Weegar said, shaking his head after the team's 10th loss in its last 11 games.

“I didn't even feel the puck hit me. It was a fluke play. It's a bad bounce, and that's what happened to me this month.”

“This month has been a bit of a test for me mentally.”

Two days earlier, Weegar was the victim of his team's failed clearance attempt in Toronto in the final minutes, leading to Max Domi's stunning victory.

In a month in which the reeling Flames finish last in the league at 2-8-2, Weegar has no goals, just three assists and ranks among the league leaders at minus-11.

This first month's bar is a team effort that saw the Flames come up with different ways to lose games every night.

But for a guy who entered the season with high hopes of making Canada's Olympic team, what happened in Calgary in the first dirty dozen games is as discouraging as it is devastating.

However, as a veteran who proudly wears the “A” on his jersey, he has succeeded in maintaining a positive atmosphere, which is not easy considering the nightmare he and his team have endured.

“Cooley played great for us today, looked very solid,” Weegar said of the reserve, who made six stellar saves in extra time and was the game's early star until he went clean on the first two attempts of the shootout.

“Special teams looked great for us today too, got us into the shootout, gave us another chance. There are some good things to take away from this game.”

“But I think the most important thing now is that there's a new month here. You know, we can get rid of October for a long time. I don't need to see this month here for a long time.

“Go into November and make it a positive and successful month. I will come out the other side a better person and a better player.”

The bounce off his back, which was a disaster for the team, was as horribly unfortunate as it was unlikely.

But even the Flames are no longer bemoaning their failures this season, as their performance is completely unworthy of Luck being their savior.

“It happens,” shrugged Ryan Huska, whose club failed to get the puck deep enough in play, leading to a botched line change and a scrum that ended in the goal.

“I don’t think it’s a bad break because you’re in a situation because of what we did before.

“You earn your breaks along the way, you just have to make sure you keep fighting.”

They'll get that chance Saturday in Nashville, where they can at least feel good about going two of four on the power play and killing all four penalties, including one in overtime.

Matt Coronato and Yegor Sharangovich gained some confidence by scoring on the man advantage, Cooley stepped up and made 35 saves and Nazem Kadri scored midway through the third in what likely would have been the game-winner a year earlier.

Unfortunately, the Flames are now 1-3 entering the third period with a lead, and they have a hell of a time trying to figure out how to avoid unnecessary penalties and allow gaping holes to open up on defense.

When Justin Kirkland's hugely successful signature move ended with his shot beating Linus Ullmark only to bounce off the post and go away, it felt like the old “here we go again” refrain was uttered under the breath of at least a few Flames. And it’s hard to blame them for this.