Well that was fun!
Sometimes when a game is built up by the league, all its media, the city in which it’s played and even by players and coaches from both sides the game just never seems to deliver on its overall promise.
However sometimes they present as exactly the type of contest everyone was hoping for; that’s precisely what we saw last night.
The Lightning had the play early, before the Flames took the game away for the rest of the first. Most of the second period was all Tampa before the Flames settled into a 3-3 tie and pushed back. The third an even affair that very much reflected the game’s proximity on the scoreboard.
In the end the visitors were able to find that final successful attempt as the Lightning turned back the Flames 5-4 in a seven round shootout.
They just don’t get much better than that.
Line Up Changes
Change was bound to come after the Dallas game. First off they stunk, but with two of their middle six wingers out against the Stars if either or both of them were ready players would be sacrificed to make room. Doctors have final approvals but it sure looks like Sam Bennett and James Neal will return with Austin Czarnik and Dalton Prout coming out.
Additionally, the Flames sent Kirby Rychel to the farm, and called up Ryan Lomberg and Buddy Robinson recalled to fill in on the fourth line and eat popcorn respectively.
No change to the blueline.
David Rittich starts again for the Flames, four straight.
New Starter Named?
It’s a given that the Flames won’t come out and announce a difference in thinking in net. They won’t hold a ribbon cutting ceremony where the sheepish David Rittich awkwardly smirks while he cuts the giant strap to a giant goalie pad outside the Flames dressing room before donning a helmet with “#1” emblazoned on the front.
But starting four in a row, three when Mike Smith was deemed healthy, and tonight against a marquee opponent on Saddledome ice is pretty telling.
Sure Mike Smith could be less than 100%. Sure they could be looking at lifetime records against Tampa and making their call. But it’s starting to look like the tandem may be tilting towards the former backup.
For kicks, I looked it up. Mike Smith is 4-4-0 vs his former team with a .884 save percentage. David Rittich had never started vs Tampa but gave up a goal on four shots in 13 minutes of relief work.
Czarnik On the Outs?
With Lomberg back up and dressing over Austin Czarnik, you have to wonder about the future of Czarnik in Calgary.
I get that Lomberg and Czarnik are different players, and that Czarnik with skill and a lack of size may not be the best fit for the fourth line and the duties that that entails. But with the flurry of players up from the farm, the injuries, the opportunities given, and the lack of production a scratch with Alan Quine and Ryan Lomberg getting minutes isn’t a good sign.
The Acid Test
Last season it seemed like whenever a big opponent, a rival, a top NHL club, or any kind of challenge presented itself to the Flames at the Saddledome they fell firmly on their collective face.
This year it’s quite the opposite, with the game tonight featuring two of the NHL’s best clubs to date, and an excellent opportunity for the Flames to see how they stack up with the best of the best.
The result was a thrilling back and forth game that went three periods, an overtime period, and seven rounds of shoot out before finding a winner. In the end the Flames proved they very much belong in the conversation of what NHL teams are to be considered contenders, though that can certainly change for any club over the course of a long season.
But for right now, it’s hard to argue they belong in that company.
Will the Real Sam Bennett Stand Up?
The Sam Bennett debate will rage on, in fact it may not come to a definite conclusion until the player and his sloppy moustache retire.
He’s snake bit, no he lacks hockey IQ. He’s unlucky, no he has a muffin for a shot. He still has time, no by this time he should be established as to what he is as a National Hockey League player.
Don’t expect any of those quarrels to be sorted out in one night, but the dominant Sam Bennett showed up last night; using his wheels, his physicality and his hands to run up a goal, an assist, and seven hits to lead the Flames. The next closest player had three. His underlying numbers were the same; leading the Flames in CF% at 66% and high danger splits at 53%.
What’s more important, was the surge that his play provided to the second line creating a second unit that dominated many of their shifts, and adding to the momentum generally created by the top line against opponents.
Every game won’t be like that for Bennett, but here’s hoping he’s back to the energy driver he was for the better part of a month before sliding back in contests before his injury in Minnesota. The Flames need that last spot in the top six worked out, and Bennett is the most likely guy to seize that job, especially if James Neal continues to struggle.
Gaudreau Clinic
The word generational is getting thrown around in almost every Canadian city these days, something that by its very definition is just wrong; generational should mean comes along once every generation, not once every generation to five or six cities at once.
Given that I won’t go near that for Johnny Gaudreau. But let’s face it, there are very few players that can impact a game to the degree that Gaudreau can when he’s feeling it. Last night he was feeling it.
His tying goal was electric, the small player jumping above the height of the boards and crashing into the glass in celebration, but he could have scored two goals before, and another two after that strike with the chances he was generating and receiving from his linemates.
So much fun to watch a player like that on a nightly basis in Calgary.
The Peters Blender
Was interesting to see Peters put the blender on his top two lines and move out Elias Lindholm for Sam Bennett in the third period.
Clearly Peters saw what we all saw; Sam Bennett was in the zone last night, but the top line was going too so it was interesting to see him alter both effective trios looking for a spark.
In the end the results were neutral as the Flames turned a 3-3 tie into a 4-4 game through the 20 minutes but Bennett was on the ice with the top group for the tying goal.
Standings Implications
As a result of the loss the Flames move to 22-11-3 good for 47 points in 36 games. They are now a point back of the Jets for top spot in the West, with Winnipeg having a game in hand. The Predators lost to the Flyers so the Flames stay a point up on Nashville, with even games played.
The club’s lead in the Pacific is now four points with even games with the Sharks and a game in hand over the Ducks.
Calgary is 4th overall in terms of winning percentage at .653, just back of the Leafs, and just ahead of Washington.
Fancy Stats
What a firewagon game. There are times you get down on a team for allowing too much, but in a game like this with two top offensive clubs you have to just accept the fact that neither team will be able to button down the other club completely.
The Flames had 49% of the shot attempts with period splits of 66% / 29% and 48% five on five. The scoring chances were 26-25 Calgary and the high danger chances were 15-10 for the Lightning.
In all situations the Flame’s numbers improved, which is odd given the fact that Tampa had 4 of the 5 powerplays in the game. Calgary had 50% of the shot attempts, 54% of the scoring chances and 45% of the high danger chances.
Individually, the Flames were led by Sam Bennett with 66%, and joined by the second defense pairing and the rest of his line who were all above the 50% mark, Matthew Tkachuk the only other player in the 60s. Ryan Lomberg was at the bottom of the pile with 0% in just three minutes of ice time, Garnet Hathaway had 12.5%, and all of Quine, Neal, and Ryan were in the 20s.
