I think most hockey fans in Calgary would admit the double whammy of a Mikael Backlund concussion and a Mark Giordano suspension had them somewhat nervous with back to back games on the schedule against a very good Nashville Predators and a rivalry game against a suddenly streaking Edmonton Oilers.
The team came into play with a 8-1-1 record in their last ten games, so a blip or two on the radar wouldn’t be a crime, but you’d hate to see the team give back too much of what they’ve gained. With a big 5-2 third period win over the Predators tonight it almost puts the weekend to bed without that worst case scenario as they travel to Edmonton looking for the shorthanded sweep tomorrow night.
Instead of facing the possibility of back to back losses, the Flames keep on rolling, using depth scoring by way of Oliver Kylington and Alan Quine and another good effort from Mike Smith to move into first place in the Western Conference standings.
The depth gets tested again, and again Stockton comes in swinging.
Line Up Changes
Where do we start?
Number two center Mikael Backlund on the shelf with a concussion, return unknown. Captain Mark Giordano out of the lineup serving game one of a two game suspension. Fourth liner Ryan Lomberg out of the lineup serving game one of a two game suspension as well. The first two hurt. Add in an injuries to Michael Stone and Jusso Valimaki and you have a pretty spotty lineup being constructed.
Up from the farm and onto the fourth line is Alan Quine, a serviceable fill in and actually an upgrade to Lomberg. But the blueline is a mess with Brodie playing with Andersson, and Prout coming back into to play with rookie Kylington.
Lucky the Predators are missing some key pieces as well.
Ollie Ollie Ollie
First NHL goals are always fun to watch, but what made Oliver Kylington’s goal even greater was the effect it immediately seemed to have on the young defenseman.
Right after the goal, he made an elite play at the blueline to carry the puck through two forwards and into the slot before firing wide. Minutes later he had another chance and missed the net again. In the third period he flips the puck back to Matthew Tkachuk who wires one towards the net and is tipped by Garnet Hathaway to give him his first career assist.
When the Flames drafted Kylington there was little doubt that his speed and offensive instincts were what made him an expected top five pick in the draft. Attitude problems and defensive awareness had him slide in 2015 right to the Flames with the final pick of the second round.
Three years later and the attitude is just fine thank you, and the defensive game is coming quickly. You barely notice him in his own zone (that’s good thing), and it looks like his offensive appetite is building.
The Flames have an interesting decision to make relatively soon with the young defense core. With three vets and four very young defenders there simply aren’t enough spots to go around without sitting a developing player. And Kylington looks to be done at the AHL level.
Where’s the Stick
I don’t like harping on TV crews. Hockey is a fast sport so you have to forgive the CBC guys for missing things in a live game that’s happening fast.
But when they miss key elements in the game with multiple replays you have to wonder what they’re doing.
In the second period they missed the missing stick on two key plays. First the melee between Garnet Hathaway and the Predator’s Hartman at the Nashville bench, where they referred to Hathaway coming back, and that the Predators wanted Hathaway to have the extra two minutes. Not once did they mention that Hartman held and then took Hathaway’s stick on the play.
Then a few minutes later the Predators end up on an odd one on one play on Travis Hamonic who didn’t have a hockey stick; something you don’t see very often. On the replay Louie Debrusk gave the Preds forward props for his inside outside move before being taken out by Hamonic without once mentioning the inside outside move might have been easier going up against a player without a twig.
Third Line is Fine
Another game where the third line is generating, something we haven’t seen since Sam Bennett moved up to play on the second line.
James Neal could have had three tonight, and Andrew Mangiapane another two on his own, as the trio probably generated as much as the top line without spoils.
Keep this line going, as I said after the Wild game, as James Neal seems to have found two guys he can play with and it gives the Flames three dangerous lines for what seems like the first time this season.
Sweet Home Dome
The Flames, with the win, move to 10-3-2 on home ice this season a pretty impressive .733 win percentage at the confines of the oldest building in the National Hockey League. Last year the Flames were terrible on home ice posting a brutal 17-20-4 mark with far too many games showing a team with a negligible ability to push back when things went wrong.
This year it’s come from behind wins, and no score is a problem when the team is down. Tonight the Flames had 1-0 and 2-1 leads evaporate but just went to work, found the chance and put the game away.
Tough times are coming, but this team looks much more equipped to weather those storms.
Return of the Softie
Mike Smith has won six in a row, a huge turnaround to a season that had the look of a goalie that may have lost his perch as a NHL starter on many occasions through the season’s first two months.
Tonight another solid start, but not without adversity as the Pred’s second goal was a weak one, a goal that could have sent the goaltender and the team spiralling.
Instead first Smith, buckling down on a Colton Scissons chance, and then the team in scoring two straight to regain the lead and provide insurance got the job done. Playing well builds confidence, but you’d have to think facing some adversity but not failing afterwards might just be more important.
First in the West
The Hockey Night in Canada crew pointed out that the Flames haven’t been in first place in the Western Conference this late into a season since January 5th, 1993.
Wow.
But when you think of it it almost makes sense. 1993 would be the end of the Flames cup team era, the start of a slide out of the playoffs that started in 1997 and continued through the millennium. The Iginla era returned pride but they were never world beaters, winning a division title, but not reaching the lofty heights of first in the Conference.
Mask Off Issue
The crew talked about the goalie mask rule and how Smith losing his mask when the Predators looked to have scored the go ahead goal in the third wasn’t a no brainer call by officials. They showed two examples of goals being scored and counting in recent years as examples of how things could have gone.
The difference in my mind? Both examples had the goaltender getting struck and then shaking his mask off to get the officials attention before the puck went in the net. Smith was hit and his mask came off with the shot. He didn’t have to shake it loose himself.
I think that’s a pretty different situation when it comes to safety. In one case you have a player getting rid of equipment, and in the other you have the equipment already gone.
Standings Implications
The Flames are now 19-9-2 and sit five points up on both the Ducks and Sharks in the Pacific Division with a game in hand on both California clubs.
Vegas is seven points back with an extra game played and the Oilers are eight back but have a game in hand. The Flames have the chance to put the Oilers back by double digits tomorrow night in Edmonton.
Fancy Stats
Five on five the Flames had 53% of the shot attempts despite being out shot tonight by the Predators. Scoring chances were 20-17 Nashville (46% Calgary), with the Flames having 54% of the high danger chances. The Predators did hit double digits in five on five scoring chances with ten though.
In all situations the Flames had 54% of the shot attempts, 52% of the scoring chances and 56% of the high danger chances.
Individually, Dalton Prout! led the way with 73% of shot attempts going his way in 13 minutes of ice time. Have to hand it to the depth and usually scratched defenceman. More of the Heat brigade followed with Czarnik up next at 67% and Kylington at 62%. Only five players finished under the 50% mark including TJ Brodie (where is Mark?!), Rasmus Andersson, Mark Jankowski and Garnet Hathaway.
