Daily Scan: Flames slumping, Bishop finished, scouts watch Kane

The Calgary Flames are going through some adversity. But that’s to be expected. The four-game losing skid is the perfect time to remember what got them off to such a great start over the first quarter of the NHL season. Sticking with the structure. Meanwhile, Ben Bishop’s comeback attempt ended after one game in the AHL, and Evander Kane’s minor league debut was scouted by a half-dozen NHL teams.

The Flames lost a fourth straight game on Saturday against the Boston Bruins, spoiling the Milan Lucic 1,000-game celebration. They had 42 shots on goal and head coach Darryl Sutter was frustrated by the way things unfolded.

“It’s a little bit frustrating,” Sutter said of the shot differential not turning into more scoring for his Flames. “They scored goals at times that changed the momentum of the game.”

The Calgary Flames did not.

The four-game skid is their longest of the season and it will be interesting to see how the team responds.

“There are pockets of adversity all the time. You just respond with your effort and your collective game plan in terms of sticking to it. It’s not that hard to figure out,” Sutter said. “You guys (the media) got way ahead of yourselves, too. I’ve told you this lots about the process with this team. We’ve still got lots to learn. You look at the last four or five games, you’re playing against teams that when they get the lead, can really check. And that’s how we’ve got to play, too.

“We didn’t score the first goal and we’ve had really average goaltending the last little while. If you’re a team that doesn’t have secondary scoring and you get average goaltending, then you’re up against it. That’s the adversity you’re facing.”

Oh, Canada! Canada Hockey Now

Montreal: Cole Caufield was a huge factor for the Montreal Canadiens Stanley Cup Final run last summer. However, he’s slumping this season. Are the Canadiens failing another prospect–are they failing Caufield?

Vancouver: With Jim Rutherford guiding the Canucks ship as president of hockey ops, he’s in charge of the GM search. In the meantime, he calls the shots. Rob Simpson takes a look at Rutherford’s historic moves as GM. Grades included.

Toronto: Even in a win, there can be much to improve on. Defensive miscues is the focus of Scott Cullen’s takeaways from the Maple Leafs’ latest victory.

NHL trade chatter, News & National Hockey Now

Sportsnet: On HNIC, Elliotte Friedman dished the initial candidates for the Canucks GM gig. All eyes are on Seattle AGM Jason Botterill, who was the AGM under Rutherford with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Friedman called current Penguins AGM Patrik Allvin a “dark horse candidate,” too.

Boston: A view from the other side of the Calgary Flames loss on Saturday. Boston jumped into the second wild-card position in the Eastern Conference with a resounding win over the Flames. 

NHN: Evander Kane made his season debut in the AHL and as you might expect, some NHL scouts were there to see it. The Calgary Flames were not one of them. Story from Boston Hockey Now on the six teams with a scout in attendance. 

Dallas Morning News: Dallas Stars goalie Ben Bishop made a valiant comeback effort. He surprised everyone by working for more than a year to overcome serious knee surgery. But after just one AHL start, Bishop knew it was over. Bishop will remain on LTIR but will never play again.

That means the Stars will have just one goalie available on the NHL trade market instead of two.

Colorado:  Another day, another injury for the Avalanche. You could say it’s snowballing. Captain Gabe Landeskog is out for a couple of weeks just as they get Nazem Kadri back.

TSN: The poor Buffalo Sabres. They tied the game against the New York Rangers on Friday night, but the goal was reviewed and waved off. The NHL admits the mistake but it’s too late now. The goal should have stood, but the Sabres lost. 

Washington: Tom Wilson is hurt and didn’t travel with the Washington Capitals. If anyone cares about Tom Wilson.

San Jose: Fans were banging on the glass behind Sharks goalie James Reimer and wouldn’t stop. He tried to ignore them…then he credited them with helping in the Sharks win. Why? Read to find out what the Sharks fans noticed.