The Flames could have had a let down, given their third period collapse in Dallas last night.
The game started late with the retirement ceremony for Jiri Lehtonen, so they didn’t get into Denver until the wee hours still smarting from a blown third period lead and nothing to show for their efforts in an entertaining game the night before.
Instead they rolled out a solid road game, taking a 3-2 victory to conclude their road trip and return home.
End of a Trip
You had to know the 6-4 loss in Dallas last night felt like a wasted opportunity for a very good road trip. So with that you had to give the team a load of credit for their ability to show up and take two points tonight, ending their road trip on a solid note.
With the win the Flames come home 3-2-1 with seven of a possible 12 points, and holding momentum from a 5-2-0 homestand that set the tone.
The trip had a brutal start in Detroit, a come from behind win in Philadelphia, a solid win in Washington, a Mike Smith stolen point in Columbus, before the misstep third period in Dallas and tonight’s win.
The offence continues to roll, and the team seems to be one less brain fart a night from going on a solid run.
Rittich First Start
So tough to evaluate a goaltenders first start against the guy that he replaced.
Eddie Lack’s last start featured a rough first period in Detroit where he was scored upon by TJ Brodie and abandoned to blue chip chances. So it would be somewhat unfair to give David Rittich too much credit in comparison with the Flames playing so much better in front of their goaltender tonight.
With that said, the kid was solid. He looked cool early in snagging a few pucks with his glove, and was only beaten by a screen goal and a lucky deflection. I would imagine Glen Gulutzan will be much less reluctant to go back to Rittich with a more compressed schedule coming up.
Ferland Chances
What a night for Micheal Ferland.
The kid knows how to set the stage, as he walks out and hits a cross bar in the first, puts one over the net later in the same period, and then scores what was almost the game winner in the third before being the man on After Hours on CBC after the game.
With ten goals in 23 games the kid is well on his way to a 30 goal season, and what I would call the best scenario from his contract signing in the summer; the fear of losing him!
The Evolution of the Monahan
When Sean Monahan first broke into the NHL the assumption was a quiet two way player that would be good in his own zone and contribute offensively. He was sheltered in his first season, but managed to hit 20 goals and made a name for himself.
The next three seasons he played straight man to the talents of Johnny Gaudreau, leaving many to wonder if he was as shot, but maybe not much else as he seemed to take full advantage of the wizardry of his linemate.
This season however he’s a different player. He seems bigger, stronger, a little more edgy. He can now take a pass and take the line, set things up himself and not rely on being the trigger man. The kind has grown, and continues to grow. Interesting to see where this goes.
Lineup Changes
The Flames rested a few secondary players tonight likely equally due to the tough travel between games as well as the misques and mistakes the night before in the loss to the Stars.
Up front they dressed Freddie Hamilton and Matt Stajan over Curtis Lazar and Kris Versteeg, and on the blueline Matt Bartkowski dressed for Brett Kulak.
None of the three played more than ten minutes, Matt Bartkowski the most notable for taking a delay of game penalty resulting in the Avalanche first goal.
Jagr Watch
His talent gets him chances, you see it every night. But he also continues to turn over pucks and have trouble keeping up. You have to wonder if he’s getting frustrated as you see a lot of screen time with him shaking his head at plays that didn’t work out the way he a) envisions and b) used to execute in his sleep.
I think the guy is a variable in Johnny Gaudreau taking off, so his value off the ice is immeasurable, and I still think he’s likely to play himself into game shape and be more productive after Christmas.
Still love watching the guy though, a pleasure.
Fancy Stats
The Flames were solid five on five with 53% of the shot attempts and 60% of the high danger scoring chances. Overall the Flames 54% and 62% respectively.
Individually, the first line led the way with all three players topping the 60% mark as Gulutzan continues to work his top line against the opposition’s top line every night. The top defense pairing were present once again, along with Travis Hamonic who continues to pile up great starts on this road trip after a tough start in Detroit. Michael Stone was at the bottom of the list with 37%, with the whole third line and Matt Bartkowski in the low 40s.
Standings Watch
The win moves the Flames back into the third spot in the Pacific with 27 points, a point up on the Sharks who beat the Jets and the Blackhawks.
Calgary is seven points up on the Oilers withe even games played in case anyone is interested.
