The Flames are a very good road team. They have compiled an 8-4-2 record through the first third of the season, suggesting they are every bit the contender that many expected when the season started.
At home however, they are a middling non-playoff team sitting at a 7-8-0 and essentially going nowhere fast. In a season that has the club without a first round draft pick it’s essential the white clad road game had better start to make an appearance on home ice of the season could be jeopardy.
So it was ironic that the Flames rolled out almost the exact same game as they played in Montreal on Thursday night, in coming from behind to beat the Vancouver Canucks 4-2 on Saturday night. Trail 2-1 going into the third, tie the game midway through the final period, and then find a way.
Funny how a three game losing streak can turn into a points in three straight games streak.
Good Start, Bad Start, Slow Start .. Poor Start
All eyes were on the Flames start tonight given their recent woes on home ice, and the fact that they really seemed to find a reasonable facsimile to their A game during the two game mini road trip. Certainly first game back shouldn’t be an excuse with the team flying out Tuesday and coming back Thursday night.
So how did they do? 1-0 Vancouver just two minutes into the period.
In all fairness they did find their legs and right the ship in the first period though, out shooting their visitors 16-12 and having 56% of the shot attempts in the first 20 minutes.
Brouwer the Goal Scorer
I can’t be the only guy in Calgary that was hurling insults at his television when Troy Brouwer made an appearance with the first unit on both of Calgary’s first period powerplays. So it was somewhat ironic to be yelling “yeah!” when Troy Brouwer found the net to tie the game with only a handful of minutes left in the first period.
For Brouwer that’s two goals in his last 4 games with an assist sandwiched in the middle, not a bad run for a guy that couldn’t get a thing done in the first 20 games of the season.
The Return of Chucky
Given the embarrassment of his last suspension you just had to know the kid would be looking to make an impact in his first game back. A great “ass” check on Del Zotto in the first period led to a solid chance, he almost went top corner on Nilsson in the second, and was a clean but difficult presence on the half wall all night.
That would have been a pretty good answer back night I would suggest, but the third period comes along and he scores the game tying goal as he’s getting hauled down with a backhander bar down, and then adds the empty netter to put the win away.
The first goal snapped an 11 game goalless streak as he goes on to a two goal effort.
The Meek Play
A great and successful powerplay scores a couple of goals and leads the team to victory. When said powerplay is good but not as successful they generate chances and shots, giving their club a shot in the arm and some momentum for five on five play.
Tonight the Flames powerplay was anything but powerful, getting blanked for shots on three of the first four chances, essentially nuking mementum, which the Flames had with some good even strength play. Step one? Get Brouwer the hell off of that thing.
Johnny Be Forcing It
Thought it was a rough night for Johnny Gaudreau handling the puck.
I think when you have that much skill it’s better not to force things that aren’t there. Let the game come to you a bit and use your guile to deconstruct the opposition once you see what they have in mind on a defensive play. Instead Gaudreau was forcing passes through three or four players across the zone, over handling the puck near both bluelines, and turning it over far too often.
The points will come Johnny, chill!
Smitty 500
Good to see Mike Smith picking up the win with his parents in town to watch his 5ooth game. The Canucks led 1-0 and 2-1 and it looked like it might be one of those nights for the Flames until Tkachuk and Bennett went to work in the game’s final ten minutes. Starting goaltenders get into 50 or 55 games a season, so 500 games means 10 seasons of being a starter in the show, not that easy to obtain.
Is Sam Bennett Back?
The guy has been traded or demoted several dozen times in the past six months, he had been a shadow of his former self in putting up exactly zero points in his first 15 games of the season. Things looked pretty bleak. Then the next 15 games come along and the guy has 11 points, including his fourth goal tonight, the game winner in the third period.
The shift and the night was already going pretty well for the converted left winger. Bennett had a lot of jam and was noticeable on the forecheck in a tight game. Then a crazy goal mouth scramble has his blue chip chance deflected wide with just over a minute to play. He heads into the corner, reverses the play on a defender and then drives to the net to pot the winner on backhand while harassed.
Skill goal from a guy finally showing that skill that we saw at 18.
The Flames are very dangerous when they have that third line going. The Hathaway goal in Montreal turned a game around, and tonight the third line nets the winner while the 3M line with two, and the fourth line chipped in.
Fancy Stats
The Flames out shot the Canucks 35-24 on the night including period leads of 16-12, 8-7 and 11-5. They owned the game for the most part. Fancy stats support that as the Flames had a 55-30 edge in five on five shot attempts for a share of 65% on the night. In all situations the Flames had 60% of the shot attempts as their powerplay was putrid. The third period featured a 22-5 edge in shot attempts by the Flames as they took the game away.
In terms of scoring chances the game was much tighter as the Canucks led 9-8 through two periods in all situation chances, but ended up on the losing end 12-9 for Calgary at the game’s buzzer. In five on five play the Flames led post to post with a 9-3 edge. Giving up only three scoring chances against is going to win you a pile of hockey games.
What does it mean?
The win puts the Flames back into a playoff spot as they now have a 16-12-2 record and sit in the first wild card spot with 34 points. The Canucks get bounced out of the playoffs for the time being. The Flames are tied with San Jose for the final Pacific spot but the Sharks have two games in hand.
