What more can you say about Jacob Markstrom?
He’s just money.
The Flames have played well in front of him to date on the season, his expected goals allowed vs actual is virtually flat, but not on this night as the returning Canuck is the man in a 3-1 victory on Thursday night.
It felt like one of those struggling teams finding a way to lose games as Vancouver carried the first half of the game, probably the first 40 minutes but were down 2-1 because of their former goaltender.
For Calgary it’s three in a row which is great, but they’re going to have to play a lot better than that to continue the streak and bring home some more results from Vancouver.
But the two points are secure as Calgary sits at 7-5-1 as the division seems to be separating into five teams that have playoff aspirations and two that are in serious trouble.
Oh and Calgary hasn’t played Ottawa yet.
The Line Up
Not a single change from the lineup that probably walked out the most complete, and near 60 minute, effort of the season to date. The Flames didn’t have that one obvious let down period creating work in the other two stanzas for a victory.
The Cage
The absence of a back to back once again gives the Flames the opportunity to bring back Jacob Markstrom for the start tonight. Interestingly enough all four games against the Canucks this week come two days apart without a back to backer. Don’t see Markstrom starting all four of them but I’m guessing he gets three.
Jacob Markstrom
Save % Above Expected – -0.072%
David Rittich
Save % Above Expected – -3.670%
The Blueline
Becoming a broken record, but no change again for the blueline. Mark Giordano and Rasmus Andersson, a pair that has slowly built up their games in recent matches. The second (actually first pair) of Noah Hanifin and Chris Tanev, and finally the solid third pairing of Juuso Valimaki and Nikita Nesterov.
Giordano – Andersson
45% xGF in 154 minutes
Hanifin – Tanev
68% xGF in 172 minutes
Valimaki – Nesterov
59% xGF in 152 minutes
Up Front
How many times have the Flames gone back to back games this season without a change in who’s dressed or at very least who plays with whom? Maybe once? Tonight it’s same old same old with Elias Lindholm between Matthew Tkachuk and Dillon Dube, the trio with the hardest assignment in terms of zone starts and quality of competition. Sean Monahan with Johnny Gaudreau and Sam Bennett, a group that’s rebounded form a tough first game together to push their overall season splits close to break even. The team’s most dependable line; Mikael Backlund with Milan Lucic and Andrew Mangiapane. And finally Byron Froese with Josh Leivo and Joakim Nordstrom.
Tkachuk – Lindholm – Dube
41% xGF in 90 minutes
Gaudreau – Monahan – Bennett
47% xGF in 32 minutes
Lucic – Backlund – Mangiapane
86% xGF in 27 minutes
Leivo – Froese – Nordstrom
72% xGF in 6 minutes
Stabilizing First Pair
Coming into the game against Vancouver tonight the Flames slated top pairing had put up expected goal nights of 65%+ in three of the last four games, turning their season around.
But that’s not the whole story.
Yes the featured pairing has played some better hockey; the whole team has, but the deployment has also changed with the Hanifin/Tanev pairing now getting a high quality of competition in the season to date.
Calgary has young defensemen in all three pairs, so deployment adjustments certainly make sense to ride the hot hand. Bottom line good to see that second pairing continuing to chug along.
The Markstrom Decision
It isn’t looking good, but overall I honestly don’t mind the decision.
The Flames needed a boost in goaltending after what seems like a decade and a half of wandering thirsty in the desert.
But the Canucks chose to go with the younger, more affordable, talented guy and avoid an expansion snafu. That to me shouldn’t seal the fate of Jim Benning. there are plenty of reasons to seal that fate, but I don’t think the Markstrom decision is the dagger.
Overall if you line up the last 10 30+ year old players on retain or not decision for the 31 franchises I’m guessing it’s one and maybe two per ten that turn out to be decisive keep them decisions.
Overall you’re going to do well letting guys walk or preferably adding assets by moving them before that happens.
Doesn’t make the Flames decision a poor one either, they have an established but frustrating core, and adding an elite goaltender … or another star player to that mix certainly makes sense.
It’s paying huge dividends early, but I don’t blame Vancouver for making that call.
The Dot
Good teams win 53-54% of their draws, bad teams 46-47%, but man from watching games the disparity feels so much more.
The Flames don’t look good on the draws, and they’re not good … ranked 18th overall. But when you look at the numbers they’re actually a tick under break even at 49.9%.
Tonight I noticed it in the first period on the powerplay. Just seems like the Flames always lose the draw on the powerplay, which is probably more annoyed perception than reality.
The truth? The Flames have been money winning draws on the powerplay. They rank 6th overall with a 61.9% win rate … so much for my peepers.
So what the heck, what about other situations?
Killing penalties in their own zone? Not Good … 40.4% for 24th spot.
Even strength own zone? Not bad 11th at 51.5%
Even strength offensive zone? 47.2% for 25ht spot.
Rousell Spear?
Johnny Gaudreau seemed pretty heated in the second period when a goal mouth chance had an incident between he and Dominic Rousell.
He could just be pissed for nothing, but one replay looked like he may have been speared by the Vancouver forward.
We’ve seen some Gaudreau yipping at referees over the years, but not usually mouthing the “F” word to a particular opposing player.
Bumpy Ride for the Third Pair
That’s about a rough a start/game as we’ve seen from the third pair since that bumpy outing in Montreal.
They turned it around to some degree, but the first period especially was a complete mess for the Juuso Valimaki / Nikita Nesterov pairing. Way too much time in their own zone, too many extended shifts and scoring chances from Vancouver.
When the dust settled Valimaki moved himself back to even, and Nesterov finished -1 but it could have been worse.
They were pretty much even in the final 40, but a rough start.
Old Warrior
Have to hand it to Mark Giordano for his presence on the PK to wind down the game.
He blocked two key shots, giving the Flames a chance to keep a 2-1 lead and then put the game away when Johnny Gaudreau walked in a clever Sean Monahan pass for the salt in the wounds goal.
Great night for Giordano, both defensively and on the attack with a goal and an assist.
Don’t write him off yet!
Dan Murphy Questions
Always love when you see the fanboy come out of journalists on telecasts, and with the combined staffing of the Calgary/Vancouver, Pacific/West telecast it’s a great opportunity.
After two we saw Dan Murphy ask Chris Tanev about Jacob Markstrom saving the Flames bacon. He was right, don’t get me wrong, but it’s not the most objective question.
After the game he double down with the Markstrom question again to Johnny Gaudreau, but then went further with the suggestion that Gaudreau had a high shooting percentage that would be difficult to sustain.
Pretty funny.
Bobbling Pucks
The Flames almost to a man handled the puck like a hand grenade tonight; an odd saying that I’ve never understood, but I’m using it nonetheless.
Countless times where Calgary players at the disk but had it either bounce over their stick, took their eyes off it, or just plain old fanned rather than executing the play.
They were honestly their own worst enemies.
Markstrom Body Language
Jacob Markstrom is a very good goaltender, but perhaps an even better teammate.
I have yet to see an eye roll, a head shake, or even a clear cut cuss head bob in any game this season. More often than not he taps his defenseman’s shin pads as if to say good job after literally saving the guy’s bacon with a save second earlier.
The talk was an intense guy that loves to win, but also a great guy in the room, but we’re seeing that on the ice as well.
What a signing.
Counting Stats
Team Stats:
Shots – Flames 26 Canucks 34
Face Offs – Flames 57%
Special Teams – Flames 0/3 Canucks 0/4
Player Stats:
Points – Sean Monahan and Mark Giordano both had two points, Monahan with two assists and Giordano with a goal and an assist.
Plus/Minus – Four players with +2 nights including Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan, Elias Lindholm and Mark Giordano.
Shots – Andrew Mangiapane, Calgary’s emerging star led the way with four shots on goal.
Fancy Stats
If you thought that didn’t look pretty to start you’re right. It wasn’t. Things pushed closer to even as the game wore on though, much thanks to Jacob Markstrom as the Flames finished with 47% of the shot attempts on period splits of 39%/38% and 63% (see ugly early). In terms of high danger chances it was 8-7 Flames with a big push in the third of 5-1. Expected goal splits were in Vancouver’s vault with a 52% night, once again much closer than the game began.
In all situations the Flames had 41% of the shot attempts, 38% of the high danger chances and 38% of the expected goal split.
Individually, the Flames were led by that rock solid third line again as Mikael Backlund and Milan Lucic led the way with 61% on the night. Chris Tanev, Andrew Mangiapane, Johnny Gaudreau, Noah Hanifin and Sean Monahan also had good nights. Joakim Nordstrom was at the bottom of the pile with 25%, joined by the third pairing and the first line.
