Flames chalk up Huberdeau's benching to 'off night'

The Calgary Flames are set on moving past Jonathan Huberdeau's benching during the third period of Tuesday's win over the Nashville Predators.

The club's highest-paid player didn't play a shift in the final frame and was visibly upset at the end of the Flames' bench.

"I thought Huby had an off night, and when we went into the third period, we wanted to try to get a little bit more flow, and we went with the guys we felt were going, and that's pretty much all it came down to," head coach Ryan Huska said postgame, per Sportsnet's Eric Francis.

Huska added: "He's fine. It's not anything anybody wants to go through ever, but, hey, at times it's going to happen. You're not going to have your A-plus game every night."

Huberdeau, meanwhile, said the benching was difficult for him to swallow.

"It's humiliating. You don't want to be sitting on the bench. … It wasn't easy. I'm not going to lie," Huberdeau told reporters Wednesday, according to TSN. "Me and (Huska) talked it out. There's no pointing fingers. You've got to look in the mirror. I've got to be a better player. I know I've got it in me.

"It was difficult. As a player, you want to be out there and help your team, but at the end of the day, I sat on the bench. It's 20 minutes of my career. I've just got to move on and we got a win. … It's on me to be better."

Huberdeau has six points and is a minus-12 in 12 games this season while averaging 17:26 per contest. Many expected the veteran winger to bounce back this season after Calgary fired Darryl Sutter. Huberdeau admitted he "really didn't click" with his former coach.

The 30-year-old managed 55 points under Sutter, his lowest total in a full season since 2014-15. Huberdeau was a point-per-game player in four consecutive campaigns with the Florida Panthers, including a career-high 115-point season in 2021-22, before being traded to Calgary.

His teammates offered support after the difficult night.

"It's one period out of his life, out of his career - it's not a big deal," forward Dillon Dube said. "Huby is the man. He's good. He's the most positive guy I've been around.

"He's a hell of a player, he's a hell of a person, and it's fine."

The 4-7-1 Flames return to the ice Friday against the Toronto Maple Leafs.