When the NHL schedule came out in August the writing appeared to be on the wall.
Tough home opener with the rival Canucks, then a killer 6 game road trip with 5 of the 6 opponents featuring 2013-14 records above .500. Good night right?
Instead the Flames ride goaltending, some bounces, and some grit to a 4-2 trip, the last win coming tonight in Winnipeg when the Flames bested the Jets 4-1. The team heads home to Calgary with a. 4-3 record on a season that most expected to already be over.
The Flow
Woeful start for Calgary once again, as the first period mirrored the debacle yet win in Chicago with the Flames getting pinned in their own zone, giving up too many shots and surrendering the period’s only two penalties. The Jets scored the only goal, a tick tack toe play with Scheiffle finishing a shift where the Flames were stuck with their fourth line against the first line of the jets. A late surge for Calgary put some shots on the board, but rough road period.
Unlike the Chicago game, the Flames completely turn things around in the 2nd period, and absolutely blitzkrieg the host Jets through 20 minutes, erasing a huge shot deficit and scoring three of their own. First Dennis Wideman takes an offering from Stajan and buries a wrister, all set up by a great Russell pinch. Then Gaudreau scores his first of the season on a great wraparound from his knees, and finally Gaudreau finds Raymond streaking through the slot and the ex-Canuck laces one top shelf. Didn’t see that 20 minutes coming.
The Flames played the A-perfect road third period with a two goal lead, limiting the Jets chances, and the game’s momentum in order to leave Winnipeg with a 4-2 road trip. They actually added to their lead when TJ Brodie got up off the ice and banged in a Mikael Backlund rebound halfway through the period.
Three Stars
1.Johnny Gaudreau: Noticeable on a few occasions, and you can’t ignore a two point effort, with both the goal and the assist being clear skill plays. Give Hartley credit for the night in the press box.
2.Jonas Hiller: The nightly appearance of a Flames goaltender in the star listing, Hiller was great in the first period or this one could have been over.
3.Mark Scheifele: Talented kid that has grown a surprising edge to him. Scored the Jets goal, in a memorable first period.
Big Save
Raphi Diaz sees his defense partner Smid, looks away, and then assumes nothing has changed and fires the puck into the Calgary slot for a wide open Slaney who fired point blank only to have Jonas Hiller rob him with a glove save. Started a rough period for Diaz.
The Goat
Pavelec. A goaltender knows he has to be ready when his team dominates a first period the way the Jets did. It’s a game killer if you give up a goal to turn the momentum. Pavelec gave up three in the middle frame to pretty much gift the Flames a road win.
Mr. Clutch
Likely should have picked Raymond for a game star with three points, but really felt Hiller’s first period was so key to game success that I couldn’t pass him up. Solid game for Raymond again though, as the guy has 5 goals in 7 Flames starts. Mike Cammamawho?
Odds and Ends
I think reinserting Gaudreau into the lineup on a trio with Mikael Backlund is pretty much proof positive that the Flames would rather have the young guy find the scoresheet and get established then head to the farm, and learn his craft there. He’s played with Colborne for most of his ice time, which is ironic because the big guy is off to a good start but Backlund may be a better match for possession. Interesting to note though, Backlund through 6 games (coming in tonight) has a woeful possession stats compared to last season. The Flames are second worst in Corsi for %, and Backlund is ranked 7th on the team at 42.6%. Only three Flames are 50 or greater, the blue line duo, and Hudler. … Ironically, Gaudreau’s two points didn’t occur with Backlund on the ice. Will his two point second period buy him a few more weeks in the NHL? A confidence boost that turns the corner on a rookie season? Or have they made their minds up that he’s going back to the AHL when they get back to Calgary? Will be interesting. … The Flames playing in Winnipeg is always instant nostalgia for me, but way back when you’d have to put on the radio to hear how things were going. Glad they’re back in the NHL, but I wish they’d go back to their old uniforms. Hopefully Québec and the Nordiques are next. … Speaking of the Jets, the city has a population of 708,000, which is remarkably low to host an NHL franchise. The Flames had only 568,000 citizens when the team moved to downtown, but think of the affordability comparisons between 1980 and 2014? Couldn’t find a thing for 1980 player salaries but Wayne Gretzky was making a hair more than Josh Jooris in 1987, so you know the average payroll would have been south of 4 Million in 1980 (Flames had a payroll of 8M in 1992). Sustainable? … That first period for Lance Bouma reminded me of that crazy game in Vancouver last year that had Cherry singing his praises. The man will have his career over in 5 years at this pace. Ouch! Shame he had a -1 in the first period, because his two blocks and great hit had him the player of the period. … Flames got beat in the face off dot with Matt Stajan taking the pounding, good for only 18% of his draws.
Next Up
Believe or not the Flames actually play home games, on Tuesday night they skate back on to Saddledome ice to take on the Lightning. Game time 7pm Sportsnet
Lines:
Joe Colborne – Sean Monahan – Jiri Hudler
Curtis Glencross – Matt Stajan – Devin Setoguchi
Johnny Gaudreau – Mikael Backlund – Mason Raymond
Brandon Bollig – Paul Byron – Lance Bouma
Mark Giordano – TJ Brodie
Kris Russell – Dennis Wideman
Ladislav Smid – Raphael Diaz
Jonas Hiller
