Pens fall to Flames in disappointing performance

The Pittsburgh Penguins fell to the Calgary Flames in a disappointing performance which saw Jonas Ortio claim his first win of the season after 10 games. The Flames came into this game having lost their last seven in a row. The Penguins came into this game having won their last three games at home.

Marc-Andre Fleury was looking for his 350th win with today's game but the Flames goaltender was the first to be breached. A shot by Sidney Crosby bounced of the back-board and hit Ortio's pads before rolling into the net. Originally, the goal was given unassisted to Hornqvist. That was changed to Crosby after the game.

Despite being at the bottom of the standings the Flames refused to give in during this contest. Colborne got the Flames on the board with a clever redirect off his skate which fooled Fleury. Redirects are a topic of some discourse in the NHL. They can be very controversial depending on the action. But, in this instance the action wasn't deliberate so it stood.

Crosby scored his second of the game in the second period with a great tip shot that fooled Ortio completely. From that point on the Flames controlled the game and never looked back. The referees seemed quite reluctant to penalise the Flames but when the  Penguins did get a chance they blew it. The fans in attendance made their disapproval clear.

The Flames controlled the play from that point, exploiting the defence and some poor rebound control from Fleury. The Penguins were flat and didn't do their best this afternoon. A notable poor performer was Kunitz who looked like he wished he was elsewhere. The Penguins need to respond tomorrow against the Devils.