Flames: a 'traumatic' experience for Rasmus Andersson

Defender Rasmus Andersson was especially grateful to be able to return to play for the Calgary Flames on Thursday, about ten days after being involved in a serious traffic accident.< /p>

While he was traveling by scooter in Detroit on February 8, the Swedish fullback was hit by a car. He was rushed to hospital, but ultimately emerged unscathed.

The 26-year-old was still scarred by the experience.

< p>“I'm not going to lie… it was traumatic and scary,” he told the Bettman circuit website. The days I spent in the hospital were difficult, because I still don't know what happened.

“You are on your way to a place and you wake up in the ambulance. I was in a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machine before I remembered my name. It was a traumatic experience for me, my wife and my family.”

“I am grateful to the staff at [Detroit Receiving Hospital]. They did a great job.”

Despite this unfortunate episode, Andersson only missed three games for Darryl Sutter's squad. On his return to action, the Flames suffered a tough 5-2 loss to the Detroit Red Wings.

Andersson still looked good in the loss, picking up an assist in 19 min 49 sec. of use. But if he did not keep any physical after-effects from his accident, he admitted that he still had not recovered psychologically.

“I was still thinking about everything that happened, so I was probably too careful in certain situations, he continued. But I feel better and better every day. Once you get through your first game, you know you're going to be okay.”

Huberdeau's right decision

A few days after that loss to Michigan, the Flames bounced back in style by ending the New York Rangers' seven-game winning streak on Saturday.

After making headlines due to his agent Allan Walsh's incendiary tweet, Jonathan Huberdeau silenced critics by setting the stage for the game-winning goal in a 3-2 overtime win.

“The Rangers are a good team, agreed the pride of Saint-Jérôme after the duel. We had a great start to the game and we didn't give up. They came from behind, but we showed our strength of character.”

So after consecutive goals from Vladimir Tarasenko and Alexis Lafrenière that forced extra time, a wise shot de Huberdeau deflected by Mikael Backlund sealed the outcome of the game.

“You know the quality of my shot. I had no chance of scoring, said the Quebecer. I saw “Backs” who was left to his own devices in net. It's a tactic he practices every morning in training. It paid off. It's a crucial win for us.”

The Flames will take over Monday at the Scotiabank Saddledome, where they will face the Philadelphia Flyers.