One of those games where a writer has to change his lead three or more times.
At first it was a terrible second period, and the idea that I’d be sarcastic about a team whose big after game meeting only bought them a single period of bounce back hockey.
But then the Flames tied it in the third and it was heading for either the end of a losing streak, or at least the end of a streak where the team failed to even garner a single point.
But then David Rittich, stellar on the afternoon otherwise, gift wrapped the Flyers a win by mishandling the puck with three minutes left, suggesting an opening of a young goaltender trying to be Mike Smith.
But then the Flames tie it with the goalie pulled, go back and forth in overtime and then win it in a shoot out to snap a six game losing streak and hopefully take a step towards putting their season back together.
Lets go with that one.
Line Up Changes
Not a one.
Same goaltender in David Rittich.
Same defense pairings minus TJ Brodie and Travis Hamonic, meaning Mark Giordano lines up with Rasmus Andersson, Noah Hanifin with Michael Stone and Oliver Kylington with Brandon Davidson. They really need to get healthy.
Up front no change to the lines from Philly … so that’s the number one line, the 3M line, the Derek Ryan line that’s working and then a hodge podge line of Jankowski with Rinaldo and Mangiapane … poor Andrew Mangiapane.
Save On Foods
Have to chuckle at the poor guy from rural Alberta that finally gets his name called in the Save On Foods score and win promotion. Just four goals from a Calgary Flame in this game and he “could” win a million dollars! With the Flames are going these days the team scoring four goals in a week should be the aim, leaving the chance of a guy scoring four in a game so low that they should just remove the word “could”.
Terrible Second
The Flames iced the type of first period you’d like to see from a road team, especially one that can’t buy a win or even a lead. Shots were tied up at 8 apiece, and although they didn’t carry the play five on five, they also only gave up two high danger chances against.
But then the second period came along.
Out shot 18-3, and out chanced 7-4 in all situations, the Flames were listing most of the period, and it was only a matter of time until David Rittich succumbed to the endless onslaught.
There are two teams on the ice, and the other team will dictate the play at several points in a game, but a club simply has to do a better job of weathering those storms and pushing back. A bad two or three minute stretch will happen in every game, but a bad 20?
Broken Stick
This isn’t going to be popular, and I certainly wish I didn’t feel this way, but Cassie Campbell drives me completely up the wall.
Once someone gets under your skin you start looking for things, of that I am aware, and today the launch point was the David Rittich broken stick.
They show a close up of Rittich breaking his stick, and Campbell says something like “David Rittich actually breaks his own stick, but I think maybe it might have been broken before”.
You think?
I don’t think Kelly Hrudey is particularly strong either, but there’s a folksy quality to his colour that I just find familiar. Cassie Campbell was a great a hockey player for Canada, but I’d rather not on Flames broadcasts.
Powerless Play
It’s amazing the Flames managed to score with the goalie pulled considering how terrible they were on the powerplay all night.
The first two advantages resulted in no shots on goal and a complete drain of any momentum the team might have had in both isntances.
The third opportunity did nothing until very late when Milan Lucic found Mangipane, but overall it was a nightmare. When skill players are fighting the puck and squeezing their sticks the powerplay is bound to suffer.
It is.
Lucic On The Top Unit
Much to the chagrin of many, I don’t mind Milan Lucic on the third or fourth line playing five on five hockey on a regular rotation.
Given the lack of players playing well I don’t even mind him on the second powerplay unit from time to time, because he has created some chances with a net front presence.
But please lets stop with the idea that he should play on the first unit. The group is struggling enough without inserting a guy whose puck handling days are long behind him. Too much.
First Goal
Well that’s 18 times in 26 games the team has given the first goal, this time in the second period after Sean Monahan broke his stick.
At least they didn’t add to the 13 times they’ve given up the first two goals in a game. That’s something!
Mangiapane Down
When the Flyers had Scott Hartnell on the team, the fans of Philly used to keep track and cheer a phenomenon called Hartnell Down, a tally of the number of times per night the winger lost his footing either through contact or just tripping himself up. They had t-shirts, video montages, memes … the works.
Calgary has their own such player in Andrew Mangiapane. This example is more due to the fact that he lacks the size and girth to come out of exchanges on top too often, but man the poor guy hits the ice often.
On the wall, in the corner, at center, by the bench, … it’s a constant that the guy hits the ice at least once on every shift.
Jankowski Woes
Only two players in the National Hockey League that have played 150 or more minutes this season can lay claim to a pretty amazing stat.
Mark Jankowski and Detroit’s Christofer Ehns are the only two guys that have not been on the ice for a single goal by their club in any situation.
Jankowski is 0 goals for and 17 against on the season, though he does spend a lot of time killing penalties. Today he had a two on one with Dillon Dube with the Flame rookie setting him up on the right side (pass was a touch behind him), but Jankowski failed to get a shot off.
Given his record Dube should have just shot and at least gave the Calgary center a chance to break that goose egg. Asking him to do the honours might have been too much.
Counting Stats
Team Stats:
Shots – Flames 27 Flyers 38
Face Offs – Flyers 60%
Special Teams – Flames 0/3 Flyers 0/3
Player Stats:
Points – Five players had a single point in the game including; Mikael Backlund, Johnny Gaudreau, Elias Lindholm, Andrew Mangiapane and Rasmus Andersson
Plus/Minus – Matthew Tkachuk led the way with a +2 performance.
Shots – Noah Hanifin had 4 shots on goal to pace the Flames.
Fancy Stats
Calgary had only 46% of the five on five shot attempts in this one with period splits of 52% (good) / 24% (morose) and 61% (great). That second period featured a 17-6 edge for the Flyers, in one of the team’s worst periods of the season. Philly had a 11-6 edge in five on five high danger scoring chances (7-4 in the second), and an xGF% of 66%.
In all situations the Flyers had 68% of the shot attempts, 67% of the high danger scoring chances and an xGF% of 68%.
Individually only Mark Jankowski, Zac Rinaldo, Michael Frolik and Brandon Davidson finished above water on the night (day). Matthew Tkachuk was at the bottom of the pile with only 32% on the night, an interesting note in a game where he was +2.
