3 Takeaways From Mammoth’s 4-1 Loss to Flames

Yet, that would be it for the Mammoth’s offense. Wolf played well, ending up with a .966 save percentage. However, despite the 29 shots, outside of the Crouse goal, there weren’t a lot of really good opportunities from the Mammoth.

“I didn’t like the way we approached that game, in the sense that we had to be ready to grind, to get inside, and to work extremely hard for every inch,” head coach André Tourigny said. “I didn’t like our approach. We were perimeter in east-west play. At this time of the year, it’s a good opportunity for us to learn that doesn’t work if you play against a team that’s committed.”

The all-of-a-sudden dried-up offense needs to get going again. This week, quite a few Mammoth players have spoken about how crucial it is to play well heading into the playoffs, including Crouse on Thursday. These two games could just be a blip. Extending scoring only one goal in three straight games would be concerning.

Weegar Returns to the Saddle

By far, the only good big takeaway for the Mammoth during Sunday’s game was Weegar returning to Calgary. The defenseman returned to the Saddledome for the first time as a member of the Mammoth, just miles away from the new arena the Flames are building, which he had a huge hand in helping support.

After five seasons with the Florida Panthers, Weegar was included in the Matthew Tkachuk trade, getting shipped off to the Flames. The defenseman then spent the next four seasons in Alberta, playing 304 games with the Flames, producing 151 points.

While Weegar never made the playoffs with the Flames, he played a big part in helping them barely miss the playoffs last season. Even more important, the defenseman played a big role in the community, going to school visits and supporting local charities like Parachutes for Pets.

Weegar loved playing in Calgary. He signed a long-term extension to stay in the city, complete with a no movement clause. Especially being a Canadian-born player, the city will forever have a special place in his heart because of its passion for the Flames.

“They love their hockey,” Weegar said. “They love their players. If you just buy into the system, and you work super hard every night, and you wear that jersey with a lot of pride, they’ll show it back to you here. That’s all I wanted to do when I was here, just wear that jersey with pride and give it all I got here. I’m glad they noticed it. It goes both ways.”

His former Flames teammates made sure to chirp him and shoot pucks at him during warmups, all good fun, of course. Then came the video tribute. It was a lengthy one, showing some of Weegar’s biggest moments as a Flame on and off the ice. The crowd went nuts as the defenseman stood up and waved after it ended.

“It was special,” Weegar said. “A lot of emotions going through that. Some laughs from the boys cheered me a little bit. I could see them peeking their heads over from behind the red line. Just a lot of great memories. I think I got some goose bumps over there. It was a great cheer. My appreciation for them (the fans) and their appreciation for me never goes unnoticed. It was a special moment.”

That does it for Weegar time in Calgary officially. He’ll probably only play one more game in the Saddledome next season, and then the Flames will move into their new arena, a project he was very vocal about. However, Weegar’s passion and contributions to the Calgary community will never be forgotten. He’ll always be one of those guys who fans will remember for wearing the flaming C on his chest proudly.

It’s Go Time

It’s time to wake up. The Mammoth now only have two games left in the regular season before the postseason starts. Heading into this week, everyone thought that where the team begins the playoffs would be out of their control. Now, it might be in the worst way possible.

The Mammoth currently are in the first wild card spot in the Western Conference, a spot they’ve held for quite some time. However, the Kings are three points behind them with a game in hand. The Kings are also coming off a big win against the Edmonton Oilers and are hungry for points, especially because they can still technically win the Pacific Division. That does not bode well for the Mammoth.

If the Mammoth slip to the second wild card spot, they’ll face the Colorado Avalanche in the first round. That is not a playoff matchup that favors them at all. If they stick in the first wild card spot, they’ll play one of the Pacific Division teams, all of which are obviously not as good as the Avalanche.

It’s interesting how unlucky the Mammoth have been at the Saddledome this season. They’ve now lost both of their game there despite convincingly beating the Flames back at the Delta Center. The Flames, weirdly enough, have been one of the best home teams in the league with a 22-12-5 record. However, those are two crucial points the Mammoth left on the table.

It was mentioned repeatedly how quiet it was a couple of times on the Mammoth’s bench. That’s not the energy you want, especially in such a pivotal time in the season.

“I don’t think our emotion, our focus, was in the right place, and it showed everywhere from everybody,” Tourigny said. “I’m not blaming anybody, coaches, players, everybody. We need to be better.”

The math to clinch the first wild card spot in the Western Conference has shrunk. The Mammoth now need three points in their final two games to secure it. That obviously can change depending on how the Kings do in their final three games, but getting two wins going into the postseason could be big for a lot of other reasons other than the first wild card spot.

It’s go time for the Mammoth. The slump needs to end at two games because limping into the playoffs is not a good look. The way the team played on Sunday simply wasn’t suitable for playoff hockey. It’s time to go back to the way the Mammoth were playing during their five-game winning streak because a potential path to go far in the playoffs could be on the line this week, that being through a division that has been called a “pillow fight” this season.

“This time of year, it’s about being together and coming together as a group here and enjoying the grind,” Weegar said. “These next two games are playoff hockey, and it’s the most important two games of the season. We’ve got to be willing to grind it out because in the playoffs, playing like that’s not going to work.”

The Mammoth will play the Winnipeg Jets next. The Jets are 35-32-12 this season and are coming off a 7-1 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers. They will play the Vegas Golden Knights on Monday, then travel to Salt Lake City afterward. These two teams last met in December when the Mammoth won 4-3 in overtime. They lead the season series 2-0.