I’m sure Mark Giordano understands the thinking.
Going to an all star game is certainly an honour but with the game hosted in San Jose and the NHL wanting to sell tickets it makes some degree of sense to pencil both Brent Burns and Erik Karlsson into the lineup, essentially making it impossible to do much more on the blueline.
Rest is great, especially at 35, but that doesn’t mean the player can’t have a bit of a grin as he scores one day after the snub in a Friday night game, and then puts up two goals and an assist in a 7-1 drubbing of the Arizona Coyotes on Sunday night.
It’s a team game, and he’d tell you his stats are team driven, but at his age, after the suggestions that he was carried by Dougie Hamilton, being a point per game snub has to have a bit of delicious fun to it for the player, humanitarian or not.
Line Up Changes
Three key changes, two planned and one unexpected for the Flames tonight.
In goal Mike Smith makes the start, a suggestion that may make some nervous, but against Arizona who played last night and are missing some regulars is as logical place as you’re going to find.
Up front Bill Peters returns to the regular lineup with Austin Czarnik sitting out his first game in five, and Garnet Hathaway re-inserted on the fourth line. Peters tried hard to run with a four line skill team against Florida but abandoned the project because of the group’s lack of details. His move to elevate Frolik played a huge role in the comeback against the Panthers.
Finally on the blueline, a late change due to Travis Hamonic having an illness in his family has Dalton Prout coming in and the Flames having to move Rasmus Andersson up the latter and into a top four role.
Another Mike Smith Start
Did a stat dive earlier today on backup goaltenders (Backups) that looked at Mike Smith compared only to backups around the league. It didn’t go well.
So it’s somewhat understandable that fans cringe when Smith’s name is called in the past couple of weeks. He was solid enough in Detroit, but very iffy in Boston on the last road trip, a result that had him sit out each of the last five games with Rittich starting.
Yet tonight the Flames seemed to find the perfect recipe for a Mike Smith start; huge run support and actually have the veteran play quite well as Smith turned aside 22 of 23 shots to pick up the win. Smith only faced four shots in the first period but had some chaos around his crease (post, puck off skate looking the other way) but survived long enough for the Flames to get untracked and take the game away.
Backup … win … check.
Giordano 800 Games
The Giordano story just keeps on getting better.
The undrafted walk on stuff is the stuff of legends without his career season coming this year at age 35, but the icing on the cake campaign just keeps adding chapters to the book. He scored a goal after not getting named to the all star game earlier this weekend. Tonight a first period goal and an assist, and then a third period goal again in game number 800 to move past the point per game pace. That’s now 47 points in 45 games as his incredible season just continues to roll along.
Once again, not going to the all star game.
Mangiapane First Point
So many times a player suites up for his first NHL game and promptly scores a goal; its happened more often than you’d think. But every once in a while you get the opposite story; a player that runs up game after game of action without finding the scoresheet. Makes sense for defensive defenseman, or fourth line energy guys, but earlier Rasmus Andersson went an eternity without picking up a point, and tonight Andrew Mangiapane finally found the box score with an assist on Giordano’s first period goal. That’s zero goals, one assist in 19 career games.
Maybe it will let him loose.
Top Three Lines
I’ve said it before, but it’s worth mentioning again; I’m starting to like what the FLames are building on each of their top three lines of late.
It’s been an off week or so for the top line, something that doesn’t really come to the surface in the stats line as they continue to roll along in a productive fashion despite not having the same zip or level of domination in their game(s). So this week has been about the 3M line and the reunification leading the Flames to victories in each of the last two games. Michael Frolik is on a tare, and he’s taken Mikael Backlund and Matthew Tkachuk with them.
The next ripple of depth is coming from the third line with a continued sense of chemistry developing from Mark Jankowski, James Neal and Sam Bennett. They scored the last, meaningless goal in a blow out win last night, but it’s a goal for Bennett and points for Neal so you take that and run (start the car). But more importantly more time in the opposition zone, and more chance generation overall has the Flames sporting three lines that can score and a fourth line that doesn’t hurt you.
A great look for a playoff series.
Standings Implications
Dougie Hamilton, Micheal Ferland and the Hurricanes did Calgary a favour last night by slowing down the red hot Nashville Predators, allowing the Flames to move six points up with even games played. The Jets beat the Ducks in overtime to keep pace with Calgary, with the Flames up four points, but the Jets having two games in hand.
The other threats in the conference are also threats in the Division with the Flames now three points up on the Sharks (even games) and four points up on the Knights with a game in hand.
Calgary now has a 17 point lead over the Ducks, the team sitting fourth in the Pacific, though Anaheim has a game in hand.
Counting Stats
Quick summary of the counting stats in a 7-1 win.
- Mike Smith 22/23 .957
- Giordano 2-1-3
- Gaudreau 1-1-2
- Monahan 1-1-2
- Tkachuk 2-0-0
- Frolik 0-2-2
- Backlund 0-2-2
- Brodie 0-2-2
- Every skater but Hathaway a plus
- Face offs 57%
- Powerplay 1/3
- PK 1/1
Fancy Stats
The Flames had 51% of the five on five shot attempts on the strengths of a period split of 57% / 29% and 68%, scoring chances were 52% Flames, but the high danger chances were more spread on a split basis with Calgary having 71% with a 10-4 count. It makes it three straight games where the Flames have only given up four high danger chances five on five. Some spotty play for sure of late, but perhaps a better overall coverage preventing the blue chip chances.
In all situations the Flames had 45% of the shot attempts, 43% of the scoring chances and 59% of the high danger chances.
Individually, a great the 3M line and the top defense pairing as Frolik, Tkachuk and Giordano were all above the 60% mark. Other notables include Dalton Prout with 60% shot attempts playing with Kylington with 17+ minutes of action. At the other end of the spectrum was Neal, Rasmus Andersson and Noah Hanifin who posted numbers in the mid 30s; clearly Travis Hamonic was missed.
Only one player had a negative chances split, and that was Neal with a pretty tight 1-2 mark.
