Matthew Tkachuk proves he’s the heart of the Flames

With an impressive game against the Nashville Predators, Matthew Tkachuk showed why he’s so critical to the Calgary Flames.

This season has been interesting for the Calgary Flames so far. They’ve come out the regular season gates very similar to how they did last season – slow. Last night, the Flames faced a very strong Nashville Predators team.

The Predators had won their last four straight, and their starting goaltender, Pekka Rinne, was riding high after earning back to back shutouts. Meanwhile, the Flames were in a tough position heading into this tilt, and it showed on the scoreboard early.

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The Flames were heavily outshot 14-0, and down by 2 goals before Derek Ryan finally registered the Flames first shot, which happened to find the back of the net with 4:34 remaining in the first period. However, Calgary’s woes continued, as they allowed two shorthanded goals, and trailed 4-1 heading into the third period. The slow comeback began in the third, though, as they managed to climb their way back to tie it with 3:21 left in the final frame.

Just when it looked like the Flames might force it to overtime, the Predators took the lead again with just over a minute left in the game. Panic ensued on not just the Flames bench, but also in the hearts of their fans.

Someone on the bench took a stand after the Predators’ late goal and demanded better from his team. His name is Matthew Tkachuk. Tkachuk looked at his teammates and clearly gave the Flames some critical advice. It was do or die for Tkachuk and his squad.

Those words propelled the unthinkable. After a gorgeous set up from Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan, and with the Flames net empty, Matthew Tkachuk found the puck on his tape, and made no mistake. Tkachuk and the Flames managed to tie the game once again with :38 seconds left. True leadership was displayed by the Flames youngster, and the never say die Flames had all the momentum.

After a back and forth overtime, the Flames had time for one last rush. Elias Lindholm figured he’d take one last shot with less than five seconds left in the extra frame before a juicy rebound was placed on the tape of no other than Matthew Tkachuk. Tkachuk buried the rebound with a gorgeous between the legs goal, and the Flames managed to squeak out a wild 6-5 win in Tennessee.

Matthew Tkachuk was easily the biggest highlight for the Flames last night. Not only because of his potential goal of the year game-winner but because of his willingness and determination to call out his teammates when things looked bleak, so late in the game. Tkachuk may only be 21 years old, but he wears the “A” on his jersey for a reason. He isn’t afraid to speak up. During his young NHL career, he’s proven that he cares, and wears his heart on his sleeve for the Flames.

Tkachuk has 13 points in the 15 games he’s played this season, tallying 6 goals and 7 assists. He is always talked about as being a fan favorite in Calgary. Many fans believe he could be the future captain of the Flames. He may be one of the most hated guys to play against in the NHL, but that’s likely the biggest compliment you could give to Tkachuk.

Not many players in today’s NHL would take a discount on their contract, just to keep his teammates together, but that’s exactly what Tkachuk did when he re-signed with the Flames. He has proven time and time again that he wants to be a Flame. He is the heart, soul, and future of this young Flames team, without question. It’s not just because of the numbers he puts up, its also because of the type of teammate he is.