Much like the two back to back losses in Ottawa, the Flames put their work boots on and carried a good chunk of the play territorially.
But that just isn’t enough. Perimeter play and predictable rushes just don’t scare NHL coaches or defenses as the Flames once again just don’t generate enough high danger chances to win hockey games.
Tonight the Flames got themselves down two goals relatively early, but kept at it chipping it back to 2-1 and then later 3-2 before falling short with the goalie pulled.
The loss is the team’s fourth straight as they continue to carry an anvil to the bottom of the North Division.
The Line Up
When teams don’t score goals it’s inevitable that you’ll see a change in lines. At least that was the thought process going into Wednesday’s game in Ottawa after the Flames dropped back to back games scoring just a single goal. Lot of good that did them as the team came up offensively lame again, once again scoring only a goal. Tonight no change in goal or on the blueline, but a return to the bubble lines up front, the first time we’ve seen this under Sutter.
The Cage
Jacob Markstrom once again. He’s the number one and has started seven of eight Darryl Sutter games bringing a 4-3-0 record and a .897 save percentage. The Flames aren’t giving up much, but they’re scoring even less putting a tremendous amount of pressure on their starter, who would be the first to admit that he needs to be better.
Jacob Markstrom
Save percentage above average -0.006
David Rittich
Save percentage above average -0.001
The Blueline
No change on the blueline once again, as Noah Hanifin lines up with Chris Tanev, Mark Giordano skates with Rasmus Andersson, and Nikita Nesterov with Juuso Valimaki. Despite my cries for change, Giordano and Andersson had one of their better games of the season on Wednesday afternoon.
Hanifin – Tanev
62% xGF in 506 minutes
Giordano – Andersson
42% xGF in 423 minutes
Nesterov – Valimaki
55% xGF in 276 minutes
Up Front
Retro jerseys and I guess retro lines as Sutter brings back much of the look that the team had in the bubble in Edmonton in August. Elias Lindholm back to the right side of a top line with Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau. Mikael Backlund back to center Matthew Tkachuk and Andrew Mangiapane, Sam Bennett between Milan Lucic and Dillon Dube, and an altered fourth line of Derek Ryan with Joakim Nordstrom and Josh Leivo.
Tkachuk – Backlund – Mangiapane
61% xGF in 67 minutes
Gaudreau – Monahan – Dube
44% xGF in 7 minutes
Lucic – Lindholm – Bennett
New Combination
Rinald0 – Ryan – Leivo
55% xGF in 8 minutes
~ Data from NaturalStatTrick, and Moneypuck
Out of Town Schedule
Just think how interesting this week would have been without the cancellation of three Edmonton Oiler, Montreal Canadiens games? The way things have been going for the Flames you’d assume all three would have gone to overtime, creating three point games, but wouldn’t it have been interesting if one team or the other; preferably Montreal was swept in three straight regulation results?
The Canadiens, the fourth place team are trending towards 66 points, but they will now have an ultra condensed schedule unless the league just lets those games slide and creates a point percentage standings. Three straight losses though would seriously have dug into their projection giving the Flames more breathing room than the 17-5-0 estimate they took into tonight’s game, 17-4-0 with tonight’s loss.
Sam Bennett Expanding Role
Interesting to see Sam Bennett’s role expanding as the Darryl Sutter era roles along.
He’s still not filling the net, though he had two assists in game one of nine with Sutter behind the bench. The big thing now though is carving out a role, as he’s been added to the penalty kill along with Sean Monahan, as well as some powerplay duty. Tonight he had almost 17 minutes including almost three minutes of powerplay time and two minutes of time short.
He was aloes out with the goalie pulled ahead of other options; Sutter likely sending a message to some of his “dopey” players.
Lucic vs Neal
With Milan Lucic’s 7th of the season he and James Neal now sit three points apart for total points in their output since the trade between the two Provincial rivals.
The trade was always about Neal producing more than Neal, in fact the clause that the Flames exercised on a proration was built on Neal out scoring Lucic by 10 goals in the first season to trigger a third round pick.
To see the third round pick moving and now the two only three points apart in all situations despite that red hot start for Neal in Edmonton is pretty shocking.
Trading a top six forward that scores but doesn’t score and can’t play in the top six for a physical guy with leadership skills that plays a pretty decent third line role is a huge win.
Not many wins for Flames fans this season, but this is one of them.
Sutter’s Comments
Darryl Sutter wasn’t pulling punches after the game with a few pointed comments about his team.
First off he was right to point out the extra two to Milan Lucic came after he was cross checked. I don’t disagree, though I think the extent of the cross check from Pionk was a little less forceful than the shot to the mush as a reply. Either way it was nice to see the guy that took Gaudreau into the boards that hard in the third get a little retribution, even if it likely cost the team a point as it turned out.
The rest of Sutter’s comments were aimed at his team though …
“We had a lot of dopey players in the first period, cost us the hockey game. A couple of players didn’t wake up until we were down a goal which was unfortunate.” … pretty sure that’s speaking to careless penalties in the first period where the Flames took three minors. That’s directed to Dillon Dube and Elias Lindholm who both had first period high sticking penalties. He also wasn’t happy with Jacob Markstrom’s puck over the glass play in the third.
“Most of our scoring chances came off the forecheck, when you don’t have chances off the rush you’re not moving the puck fast enough and you’re not moving fast enough” … which speaks to a season long issue for the team in break out and transition, that very much speaks to their scoring woes of late. They’re too easy to defend.
The Sutter “My Bad”
Darryl Sutter when asked about the lack of ice time for Matthew Tkachuk suggested he needed to play the player more, and that it was his bad.
So how did that tally go tonight vs his recent 13 minutes and change of ice time?
Just under 19 minutes, as Sutter is leaned on more than any forward other than Mikael Backlund, and responds with a goal, and leads the team in shots on goal.
Might be a good sign.
One Hander
Anyone else noticing how often Johnny Gaudreau takes a one handed swipe at the puck when he is the odds on favourite to arrive at the black disk first?
Can’t imagine that Darryl Sutter is a big fan of that.
The kid isn’t that big, so retrieving a puck that you have proximity to without a lot of size likely isn’t all that fun.
But it also doesn’t speak to wanting the puck and being on it to help create offence by keeping plays alive.
I’m not anti Gaudreau (but will likely get jumped on for this), but it just isn’t a good look.
Team Stats:
Shots – Flames 27 Jets 29
Face Offs – Flames 50%
Powerplay – Flames 1/4 Jets 2/6
Player Stats:
Points – Noah Hanifin led all skaters with two points on the night; both assists.
Plus/Minus – Four plays had a plus one night for the Flames including; Hanifin, Matthew Tkachuk, Elias Lindholm and Sean Monahan.
Shots – Matthew Tkachuk and Sam Bennett each had four shots on goal.
Fancy Stats
Another regulation loss that had a pretty similar feel to the two games in Ottawa. Calgary carried the play territorially, but spent a lot of time on the perimeter in the offensive zone running up shot attempts, but falling behind in high danger chances. Five on five the Flames had 54% of the high danger on period splits of 58%/52% and 53%. In terms of high danger chances though the Flames only had five vs the nine posted by the Jets. Expected goal splits fell 66% to the Jets five on five.
In all situations the Flames had 56% of the shot attempts, 42% of the high danger chances and an expected goal split of 34%.
Individually, the Flames were led by Nikita Nesterov and Juuso Valimaki as the third pairing both posted numbers in the 70s. Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Bennett, Milan Lucic and Derek Ryan were all in the 60s. Five players finished under water with Rasmus Andersson, Johnny Gaudreau and Mark Giordano all finishing under 40%.
