Calgary’s struggles continue as Bertuzzi, Bedard lead Chicago to victory.
The Calgary Flames’ offensive woes continued Friday night as they were shut out 4-0 by the Chicago Blackhawks at the Scotiabank Saddledome on Friday night.
Tyler Bertuzzi opened the scoring late in the first period, redirecting a pass at the side of the net past Flames goaltender Dustin Wolf to give Chicago a 1–0 lead after 20 minutes.
In the third, the Blackhawks pulled away. Bertuzzi struck again on a 2-on-1 rush, finishing off a crisp feed from Connor Bedard and roofing the puck for his second of the night — and fifth in just two games.
Moments later, Bedard sparked another odd-man rush, setting up Andre Burakovsky in the high slot for Chicago’s third goal. Bedard scored the fourth goal late in the third with a highlight reel breakaway goal to go with three assists, extending his point streak to 10 games.
It was another night of frustration for the Flames, who outshot the Blackhawks but failed to convert on their chances against goaltender Spencer Knight. Calgary sits at the bottom of the NHL standings with a 4-10-2 record and just 10 points through 16 games.
There were some tense moments in the second period when rookie defenceman Zayne Parekh — back in the lineup after being scratched — collided with Nick Foligno and left the game with an upper-body injury. He did not return.
With the team short on defence, Farabee was shifted to the blue line midway through the game to help fill the gap.
Three Takeaways:
1. Parekh shows promise before injury
Before exiting, Parekh stood out early with a strong defensive stick on Bedard and generated a shot on goal. His absence was noticeable after leaving the game following a collision with Foligno.
2. Odd-man rushes prove costly
Defensive breakdowns and turnovers continued to haunt Calgary. Three of Chicago’s four goals came off odd-man rushes after turnovers — a glaring issue that has plagued the Flames throughout the season.
3. No finish despite pressure
Calgary outshot the Blackhawks but couldn’t find any finish around the net. They lacked any sustained offensive zone time, and Knight turned aside every Flames opportunity for the shutout. Matt Coronato had 11 shots on net in the contest.