Start the car, and take the point.
The Calgary Flames were completely outclassed for the second game in two days, but this time they found a point due to the incredible goaltending of Dustin Wolf in Carolina on Sunday afternoon; the Flames losing 2-1 in overtime.
This was a 4-1 game (at least), as the Flames went the first period barely getting a shot on goal, and the last half period of the game on life support but for one little masked guy.
The point moves the Flames to 1-2-1 through four games on this tough trip, so they’re hanging in but at the same time telling the world they are not a playoff caliber team.
For the night though they are, as the point moves them into a tie with the Vancouver Canucks, but with the tie breaker on wins.
The Lineup
Lots of change in Carolina. Back to back games, and a complete stinker yesterday afternoon you’d expect a bit of retribution.
Three healthy scratches (punishment), and a swap in goalies (logic) means change to the crease, the blueline and the forwards group.
So no change to one of the four lines; Nazem Kadri with Jonathan Huberdeau and Matt Coronato, but the other three lines change. Joel Farabee moves onto the Mikael Backlund line with Blake Coleman, Martin Pospisil moves to the third line with Connor Zary and Morgan Frost, and a new fourth line of Kevin Rooney between Ryan Lomberg and Adam Klapka. A healthy scratch for Yegor Sharangovich.
On the blueline the recent third pairing is healthy scratched with Brayden Pachal and Illya Solovyov coming out. So no change to the top two pairings; Kevin Bahl with Rasmus Andersson and Joel Hanley and Mackenzie Weegar, and then a new third pairing of Jake Bean with Daniil Miromanov.
Dustin Wolf gets the start in goal.
Stats Dive
The Flames are struggling.
With back to back shutouts on this road trip they are now tied with the Anaheim Ducks for 31st overall in goals per game (all situations). It’s pretty tough to win hockey games when you can’t score any goals.
Looking a little deeper on five on five generation stats though, it looks to be more finish than a major drop in what they are creating (Florida game aside).
Digging into their attack metrics by segment there isn’t a lot of change in shot counts, nor the value of shots on average.
| Segment | CF60 | SF60 | GF60 | xGF60 | HDCF60 |
| 1-10 | 58.9 | 26.3 | 2.3 | 2.4 | 10.5 |
| 11-20 | 64.0 | 31.1 | 1.8 | 2.3 | 9.6 |
| 21-30 | 64.2 | 27.0 | 1.7 | 2.4 | 10.6 |
| 31-40 | 63.3 | 28.3 | 2.2 | 2.6 | 10.1 |
| 41-50 | 60.1 | 27.1 | 2.1 | 2.2 | 9.0 |
| 51-60 | 60.9 | 28.2 | 1.3 | 2.3 | 10.0 |
They have a higher shot attempt metric than the previous segment (though lower than previous segments in the season). They are fine on shots on goal per 60 five on five. Their expected goals for are up from the last segment, and in line with much of the season, and their high danger / 60 is closer to earlier in the year, and better than the previous segment.
But they are only shooting 4.5% five on five.
That will do it.
Zayne Beat
I guess I should aim higher.
I thought six points for a defenseman in three weekend games would be a pretty lofty goal, and one that would make Zayne Parekh’s attack on the modern day Ryan Ellis record for defensemen at 102 points.
Game on on the weekend two points. Game two four points. Game three four points … and a ten point weekend, including his 30th goal of the season this afternoon.
He now needs only 6 points in his final 8 games to hit 103 points.
The way he’s going I would think it likely he gets closer to 110.
Injuries
Tough game for shot blocks.
Joel Farabee blocks a shot in the first period in the high hand on the stick. He played the rest of the game but you could tell he had nothing when it comes to puck control. Not sold he doesn’t miss time.
Then in the third Kevin Bahl took a point blank shot off the back of his head, and left the game for a spell. Couldn’t believe he came back for overtime.
Not sure he’s out of the woods either.
Road Trip
Getting a point that you likely didn’t deserve in this one is huge.
I always felt they needed six points on this trip, but then Vancouver went out and dropped games to Anaheim and Seattle.
Additionally the first four games were the toughest, leaving a bit of a reprieve (I mean Dallas isn’t fun) in how they wrap it up.
Do they have three points in the next two games?
Wolf’s Start
Just incredible again.
You feel so calm knowing the Flames have the better goaltender in the game on most nights when Wolf starts.
Carolina with 4.03 in expected goals, and they get the overtime winner which takes them to two. Much like the Florida game for Vladar it’s a checkmark but it’s understated because Wolf was excellent and it felt like more than a +2 night.
Odds and Sods
Not an air tight plan to come off two blank jobs and then almost go shotless in the first period of today’s game, but that’s exactly what we saw. A late Rasmus Andersson shot from a terrible angle took the goose egg, off the board and even that one might get taken back as I don’t know if it would have been on net. The Flames are just lost offensively. They can’t get the puck in attack positions, the transition game is shot, and with that any chance of generating offence. … Honestly the Flames have played the last 4 periods like I expected them to play this season. No blueline depth to get the puck up the ice. … Thank God for Dustin Wolf in the first period, as the rookie was ice calm in turning aside 12 shots from the Hurricanes. … Flames bounce back in the second period and play their best 20 since the second period in Tampa. Lots of chances early on, but just can’t find the net on any of their chances. The Hurricanes go up when they turn the puck over on a hit on Nazem Kadri, Slavin with the honours. … Penalty? Maybe. It had that trip with your leg / slew foot kind of feel to it. … Flames head to the third without a goal in 165 minutes. … Calgary matches that second period effort in the third again and are rewarded when the Canes take back to back penalties putting the Flames two men up. Nazem Kadri converts to tie the game at one, snapping the shut out string at 172 minutes, the fourth longest futility streak in Calgary Flames history. … Game incredibly goes to overtime where the Flames trio of Matt Coronato, Morgan Frost and Rasmus Andersson get stuck out for two minutes with the inevitable game winner for Carolina. Not much chance on that one for Wolf.
Fancy Stats
The Flames were completely outclassed again this one. You can give them partial points for their gumption in the second and third but that didn’t change the fact that this felt like a 4-1 win disguised as an overtime game because of Wolf. The Flames, five on five, had 42% (36%/46%/32%) of the shot attempts, 15% of the high danger chances, and 36% of the expected goals. In all situations they had 38% of the shot attempts, 25% of the high danger chances and 32% of the expected goals.
Individually, the Flames were led by Ryan Lomber with an xGF% of 67% on the night. As you’d likely guess, Lomberg played the least minutes at just over six, allowing him to stay in the black. Jonathan Huberdeau was the only other player with a 50% or better night, the rest of the team was under water. At the bottom of the list was the shutdown line with Mikael Backlund and Blake Coleman both under 50%.
