Troubling Slew Foot Overshadows 6-3 Flames Win Over Predators

The Flames and Predators dropped their hands for a third round of the 2023-2024 NHL season and traded blows on Thursday night, resulting in a 6-3 win primarily overshadowed by a foul slew foot sequence between two opposing players.

Flames defenceman Dennis Gilbert’s head collided with the ice after a slew foot from Philip Tomasino with 5:30 left on the clock in the third period.

Dennis Gilbert takes a slewfoot from Phil Tomasino. Gilbert went down and needed help getting off the ice.

📽️: Sportsnet | NHL pic.twitter.com/Kv74kux6kI

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) January 5, 2024

The fire in both teams died out in concern for the 27-year-old defenceman to finish the match, and the Flames left Bridgestone Arena with two more points in the standings. With 39 points, Calgary now sits one point out of a Wildcard spot in the West and likely a vacancy on the blue line for the foreseeable future.  

Scoring opened in a sequence of absolute chaos that you will simply have to watch to understand. 

https://twitter.com/RingOfFireCGY/status/1743079757905076345 

Only 27 seconds later, Blake Coleman snuck into the slot for a one-timer and nailed Predators goaltender Juuse Saros in the collar wrist shot. The puck bounced loftily off the 5’10” Finn and into the back of the net to put the Flames up 2-0. 

The Predators swiftly responded to make the game 2-1 less than a minute later. Ryan O’Reilly found time alone in front of the Flames net and put two rebound-generating low shots on Vladar. All Star winger Filip Forsberg jumped on the second rebound to bring the game within one. 

The early first period scoring wasn’t finished with Forsberg’s marker. Nazem Kadri made an excellent cut into the middle slot on a 2-on-2 to restore a two-goal lead. Rookie Connor Zary drove the right side defenceman back deep to create space for Kadri’s cut.  

Nashville once again brought it to within one on a sequence that started with Elias Lindholm turning the puck over while exiting the defensive zone. The Predators re-took possession and moved the puck around from left to right. Defenceman Roman Josi teed up a slapshot on the right side that got tipped by Nashville forward Colton Sissons, and the score was 3-2 Calgary. 

A six-goal first period was capped off with an oddball zone entry that led to Rasmus Andersson walking the puck into the middle slot and firing a backhand out of Saros’ reach on his blocker side. The stanza ended 4-2. 

It appeared the following period would go goalless until a final drive 4-on-2 finished off with a slick net-front pass from Andrew Mangiapane over to Noah Hanifin. With 1.6 seconds left on the clock, the Flames made it 5-2.

The other notable event of the second stanza was an awkward knee-on-knee collision between Flames forward Adam Ruzicka and Predators forward Philip Tomasino.  

While the third period included goals from Yegor Sharangovich and Michael McCarron, the nasty sequence involving Tomasino and Flames defenceman Dennis Gilbert overshadowed the remainder of the game.  

Gilbert remained motionless on the ice for several minutes before passing a battery of tests from Flames trainers and leaving the ice assisted. The former Buffalo Sabre missed time earlier in the season after hitting his head on the boards off a Nils Hoglander body check.

The Flames are in Philidelphia on Saturday for an 11:00 a.m. matinee against the Flyers.