Flames forward Martin Pospisil determined to 'get back to what ...

17 Nov 2024

Calgary Herald

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For Pospisil, who turns 25 this coming week, the plot this fall has been far less fairytale. Whether at centre or wing, and he’s played a mix of both, the results have been underwhelming.

Flames - Figure 1 — Photo Calgary Herald

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The speedy left-hander contributed a clutch goal during Calgary’s opening-night comeback, but he hasn’t scored since. He is without a point of any sort — not even a secondary assist — in his past 15 games. After missing the net on breakaway Tuesday in Vancouver, his frustration was obvious as he tried to reduce his CCM stick to a pile of composite toothpicks.

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Pospisil has also been benched for bad penalties and was criticized not only by his boss but by an entire city when his high-sticking minor proved to be the turning point — and not in a positive way — in a home loss to the arch-rival Edmonton Oilers.

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Calgary Flames Martin Pospisil battles New Jersey Devils Jonas Siegenthaler in first period NHL action at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary on Friday, November 1, 2024. Darren Makowichuk/Postmedia Photo by Darren Makowichuk /DARREN MAKOWICHUK/Postmedia

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He still leads the Flames in hits, with 53, but he hasn’t been forcing as many turnovers or momentum swings.

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Asked if he is perhaps overthinking things, Pospisil nodded in agreement.

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“Especially when it hurts the team, it hurts me even more individually,” he said. “If you do some mistakes, then you maybe start thinking or analyzing when I get home, what I did bad. That’s not something I want to do, you know? It was completely different than last year.

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“I think it’s a learning process. There is going to be, in my career, some ups and downs. I’ve been through lots of tough situations. So I just have to go through this. There is still going to be the pace and the hard work. It’s just a matter of the timing.”

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Maybe Friday was the start of the turnaround.

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With a surprising 9-6-3 record so far, the Flames are annoying opponents with their relentless work ethic and attention to detail. Pospisil, with his blend of speed and snark, can be a ringleader in that regard.

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“They want to be at their best all the time and when they’re not, they feel it,” Huska replied Friday when asked about Pospisil’s performance against the Predators. “They go home, just like I do after a loss, and they think about it and some guys have a tendency to dwell on it.

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“The best players have the ability to shift gears right away and move on to the next day. But they all want to do so well and when they’re not playing to their standards too, it’s hard on ’em. So refocusing and remembering what you do really well is important, and that will help him get his game back on track, like I thought we saw tonight.”

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ICE CHIPS: The Flames have reassigned right-winger Adam Klapka to the AHL’s Wranglers. With the fourth line clicking, the 24-year-old Klapka had been scratched for three in a row since being recalled from the farm. The Wranglers are currently in San Jose for a two-game set against the Barracuda.

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