On Thursday, Darryl Sutter coached his first game for the Calgary Flames in nearly 15 years. It was against a tired opponent, mind you, but the Flames responded with arguably their most complete 60 minutes of hockey this season. The Flames beat the visiting Montreal Canadiens by a 2-1 score to begin Sutter’s second stint as head coach.
The rundown
The first period was scoreless, but the Flames looked rock solid. They made short exit passes and avoided turnovers. They avoided odd-man rushes. They went at Montreal’s puck carriers with waves of forecheckers. Shots were 6-6 and scoring chances 7-7 in the first period.