Another solid road game, but another game where would should coulda found a way to bit them in the proverbial ass, as the San Jose Sharks score a goal with nine minutes left to force overtime and then win it in a shoot out in a 3-2 victory after the Christmas break.
The Flames had the best chances in overtime but both times Johnny Gaudreau couldn’t find a way to get a puck across to Sean Monahan for his 10th overtime winner of his career.
The loss is the Flames first in 44 attempts with a third period lead, ending a pretty impressive streak.
Third Line Doesn’t Skip A Beat
Love seeing Gulutzan going with the third line to start the game, and they didn’t let them down setting the tempo and then scoring the game’s first goal when Garnet Hathaway banging home a skate pass from Sam Bennett.
The line continues to be a force in the last dozen games, waiting for that first line to awake from their slumber.
Stajan and the Fourth Line
The Jaromir Jagr infused fourth line had a decent night as they generated some scoring chances and avoided getting folded up in their own zone too often.
But Matt Stajan has to be better than taking an interference penalty in the first period with the Flames on a three on two and Jagr loading up for a shot. When your career is winding down you have to make your shifts unmemorable, not take silly penalties that result in a tying goal by the home team.
Shark Tank Design
Two rink designs I absolutely hate.
- The backup goalie has to sit by himself. That drives me nuts, design a damn bench that can hold the number of players required to ice a roster in a league game.
- Other issue? The dressing room isn’t behind your bench. To see Michael Frolik have to cross the ice again after already doing the panic move to the bench after getting hit in the face with a Brent Burns shot was cruel. Clean it up Shark Tank.
In all seriousness I hope Frolik is alright. He may not be a dynamic offensive force but he’s an important part of the team’s top nine and a piece you don’t want to have out going forward.
With the injury the team promoted Jagr to the 3M line which resulted in a chance or two, not a bad situation to have a player like that playing on the fourth line and available to jump up the roster when needed.
New Top Powerplay
The Flames used some Xmas break practices to walk out a new powerplay as Matthew Tkachuk and Mikael Backlund joined Mark Giordano, Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau.
On paper it mistakes as the captain, the team’s most dynamic offensive player and the club’s two drive monsters team up to form a fivesome with the man advantage. It worked too, as Backlund scored on a great pass from Tkachuk in the first period to make the game 2-1 Calgary at the time.
Have to give Gulutzan credit for shaking things up, or is that Cameron? No idea. But baby steps.
Rittich For Real
The evolution from scary backup to good backup to building block of the team’s future is a perilous slope that has seen many a goalie laid to waste. Last season through the Christmas Season it looked like Chad Johnson was about to be anointed the keys to the city after he led the team back from a horrendous start and put the year back on track.
Then he fizzled out.
That’s not to say that Johnson had a rough season, as he was solid, probably the best backup goaltending the Flames have seen in upwards of ten seasons in Calgary.
So what to make of David Rittich?
His loss in a shoot out tonight makes his record 3-1-1 in Calgary colours, the one loss in regulation a huge asterisk given the circumstances of the Edmonton game. His results are too short of term to give him the backup spot going forward, but significant enough to suggest that Eddie Lack isn’t about to get a recall any time soon.
He’s calm. He’s cool. He’s getting results.
Don’t mess with it.
PK Personnel
Great to see some speed on the PK these days with looks from Sam Bennett, Mark Jankowski, and Garnet Hathaway adding to the obvious Mikael Backlund / Michael Frolik tandem that is the club’s bread and butter. The team continues to crawl out of that last place hole in the PK standings and look good going forward with better options on the kill.
Fancy Stats
The Flames rolled the Sharks in the first period with a 62% edge in shot attempts five on five, but then sat on it a bit finishing with only 46% on the night five on five, 49% in all situations. The Sharks had a 13-6 edge in scoring chances five on five, a measure that seems a little lopsided to my eye ball test, and 16-11 in all situations.
Individually, the only five players with positive or neutral metrics was the third pairing and third line, as all other lines and pairings finished under water. Brett Kulak led the way with a 63% night, followed by the entire third line at an average of 56%. Michael Stone was at 50% flat. Mikael Backlund was at the bottom of the pile with a bizarre 31% on a night where he lost Frolik and had to take a spin with a myriad of combinations.
