That’s clearly one of those games that will appear to have gone much smoother by the results on the scoreboard then the reality that took place on the ice.
The Flames, pretty much dominating the proceedings through forty minutes needed four third period goals to erase a 4-3 Vancouver lead and avoid what would have been a city wide gripper in opening the season 0-2-0 to the Vancouver Canucks.
Much like the curtain raiser in Vancouver, the Flames held the lion’s share of the play, but this time their powerplay didn’t quell momentum, it savagely finished things off.
The Gubranson Issue
Certainly a pointed topic on the site for the past three days, and with good reason. Old fans, new fans, old school, new school, the role of the fighter in the game. Was it dirty? Should they’re be retribution? Has their already been retribution? The list goes on and on and on.
Feathered into the discussion of course is roster moves with Dalton Prout in for the injured Travis Hamonic and not Rasmus Andersson, and Anthony Peluso recalled to replace the demoted Curtis Lazar.
Was that a reaction by Flames management to one hit and an injury?
In my mind it honestly wasn’t.
I think they decided Andersson shouldn’t sit and watch and with that Prout made the team as the 7th defenseman, an injury naturally (at least for the short term) makes him the 6th. And after a few days of pondering the Flames felt Curtis Lazar should play and not sit, get his confidence back at the AHL level. Once that decision was made Peluso at 29 was a better option to sit as depth than an Andrew Mangiapane who needs to play and develop.
Just my opinion of course.
Peters’ Coaching Style
I was super curious tonight to watch Peter’s game style live and not with preseason juggled rosters carrying them out. His numbers have always reflected high percentage splits in shot attempts and scoring chances, but if the game in Vancouver was any indication once can start to see why it might bite a team in the proverbial ass.
His teams play tight gap, high pressure hockey; they are all up in the play hard whenever they can. This results in a lot of possession and zone time as you’re not allowing your opposition an inch to react or counter with. It’s a fun style of hockey to take in.
The apparent issue however, and certainly a problem in the game on Wednesday is when the puck turns over. Sure you have the puck a lot, and you have most of the chances, but the chances you give up are huge and often result in goals. With that your goalie has a lot of nights like Wednesday where he give up four on only 22 shots and fingers being pointed.
Tonight? A step in the right direction. The Vancouver goals tonight were a little less breakdown and a little more bounce and circumstance. First goal is on a hem in shift when Hanifin dropped his stick, number two a shorty after a puck hopped over Neal’s stick, and three and four both on the powerplay.
Line Shuffles
A lot of talk going into the game was around some shake ups to the forward lines after game one of the season, specifically moving Austin Czarnik up to the second line with Tkachuk and Backlund and Frolik down to the fourth line with Jankowski and Bennett.
The real story though, was a line that stayed the same, the top line; with Elias Lindholm lining up with Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau. The trio combined for eight scoring points, Lindholm with two goals and the newcomer could have had at least two others. For a guy that had a knock of not being able to finish he looked like a surgeon out there taking passes from his linemates. This line could be special.
The new second line was dominant from a possession standpoint, but all of their points came into the empty net or on the powerplay.
The fourth line didn’t see the ice enough with all the penalties.
The real concern is the third line and the chemistry just not being there between Derek Ryan, James Neal and rookie Dillon Dube. A lot of chips to empty ice with no one going, or board rims with everyone standing on the other side.
It will take time.
Stay At Home All Right
With Travis Hamonic out with a facial fracture there was a lot made of the insertion of Dalton Prout. As I said above, many expected mayhem, which of course didn’t happen.
What did happen was nothing, both in terms of fisticuffs and in terms of Dalton Prout having a pretty damn good hockey game in a way that you just don’t notice a stay at home guy if things are going well.
He and the elevated Michael Stone were both fairly non-descript. Both defensemen finished at 61% shot attempts, and both positive in scoring chance splits.
Fancy Stats
The Flames as you’d expect had a pretty decent share of the shot attempts in this one five on five. The tally was 47-34 Calgary for 58%, on period splits of 57% / 69% / 41%.
In all situations the Flames had 62% of the shot attempts as well as 66% of the scoring chances, but only 52% of the high danger chances.
Only five players finished under water, the entire third line, Michael Frolik and Noah Hanifin who stood out in his first game of the season. At the positive end Austin Czarnik led the way with 81%, the rest of his line and Valimaki sitting over 70%
Valimaki Bounce Back
I thought Jusso Valimaki really struggled in his first NHL game in Vancouver. He was on the ice for two Vancouver goals, one on a pinch and another where he seemed to almost blow the zone when Vancouver had the puck.
Tonight he was much much better however, and honestly a force at times. Huge possession numbers adjusting to another new partner in Prout and a lot of poise.
I was honestly wondering if they moved Brett Kulak too soon on Thursday this week, no such concerns now.
New Retros Live
Love the retro jerseys tonight but have to admit they look pretty much exactly like the last set of retros, with maybe the one obvious step up, that being the dropping of that silly saggy front of the silks.
I do like the collar better though.
Special Teams Rebound
Funny how things work.
The man advantage crew is literally the reason they lose game one, and then as you’d expect the tables turn and the quintet is the driving force behind a third period comeback and victory in game two.
Zero for seven followed by three for six, and just like that the Calgary powerplay sits 23% which is good for 13th in the very early season.
The big difference however was how the last two goals went in. Last year the Calgary powerplay was too perimeter from the naked eye. Lots of passing, lots of puck possession but not enough puck movement that creates a goalie having to open up and get on his horse. Both Monahan and Lindholm’s second were straight across the royal road passes from Johnny Gaudreau, leaving Markstrom very little chance.
Dot Dominance
The big off season changes were clearly to add forward depth, and specifically right handed shots to the guys up front, giving the new coaching staff more options.
Addtionally however, the team added guys that could win faceoffs to a crew that has at least in recent history (not the Joel Otto days) always under the high water mark in team face off win percentage.
After two games the aim seems to be true as the team sits fourth in face off win percentage at 56%, trailing only Dallas, St. Louis and Pittsburgh.
Tonight Elias Lindholm was a beast at 86%, winning 12 of 14 draws as he and Mikael Backlund dragged the team to 55% on the night.
Through two games Lindholm leads the way at 65%, just edging out Backlund at 64.5%, with Derek Ryan at 56.5%, Sean Monahan at 56%, and Mark Jankowski at 43%.
