A mixture of a season long lack of finish coupled with a pretty porous defense led to a 4-1 loss in Vancouver despite a hard working effort by the Flames.
Calgary had 40 shots on goal and never gave up, but just don’t have the finishers up front or the defenders on the backend to play up and down hockey with good hockey teams.
The loss locks the Flames into either the 8th or 9th draft position; which will be solved, of course on Thursday night.
The Lineup
Three changes for the Flames; Markstrom back in goal, Illya Soloyvov in for Nikita Okhotiuk, and Adam Klapka playing in place of Walker Duehr.
Up front it’s; Mikael Backlund back with Matt Coronato and Yegor Sharangovich (promotion for the rookie), Dryden Hunt with Connor Zary and Jonathan Huberdeau, Kevin Rooney with Andrew Mangiapane and Adam Klapka and Nazem Kadri with Martin Pospisil and Andrei Kuzmenko.
Only one defense pairings; Mackenzie Weegar with Daniil Miromanov, Oliver Kylington back with Rasmus Andersson, and Illya Soloyvov with Brayden Pachal.
Jacob Markstrom back in goal for the Flames.
Who’s On a Heater?
Flames leaders in the last ten games … wll be updated game by game to get a top 5 in an updated rolling ten game segment.
Points / 60 in all situations?
- Kuzmenko 5.55 (getty crazier!)
- Kadri 4.86
- Huberdeau 2.72
- Sharangovich 2.70
- Weegar 2.65
Play driving (xGF%)
- Coleman 60.3% (7 games)
- Pospisil 58.9%
- Connor Zary 58.7%
- Backlund 58.3%
- Weegar 57.8%
Hanley pulled out of the top 5 with only three games played in the last ten.
Goaltenders (Save Percentage)
- Markstrom .876 5 starts
- Wolf .872 5 starts
Markstrom’s Start
Four goals against on 31 shots, but the Flames broke down a lot and left him pretty exposed.
Expected goals against pretty tight, 3.23.
Is that Jacob Markstrom’s last appearance in a Flames uniform?
If so the goes down as the third best goaltender in team history in my mind, sliding just ahead of Reggie Lemelin.
Kuzmenko Against His Old Mates
Second game against Vancouver, but his first against his old teammates since refinding his old form.
Hit a goal post early in the game.
Moved the puck and set up teammates on numerous occasions.
And man can the dude break ankles with a tight turn, Gaudreau like.
Lindholm Discussion
In the first intermission Eric Francis and Ryan Leslie were discussing the Lindholm trade.
Lots of praise for Kuzmenko of course, but on the topic of Lindholm an interesting tidbit.
Something to the effect of know he’d be leaving the Flames early, and that talks broke off early in the year.
We heard mixed reports about a standing offer or even a moving offer from the Flames. This suggests maybe nothing past training camp at all or soon after.
Odds and Sod
Ryan Huska isn’t an Andrew Mangiapane fan, and he’s shown that all year. Early on in the year it was needless penalties that had the coach’s ire, with the winger sat after infractions. On Sunday against Arizona he demoted the veteran, and tonight he starts the game with Mangiapane on the fourth line. … There must have been at least a dozen whistles in the first five minutes of that hockey game. Tough to watch! … Maybe I’ll be Pospisil surprised in the future but to my eye Adam Klapka isn’t an NHL hockey player. Felt that way when he was called up last time, didn’t see anything tonight that changed that view. … Good to see Brayden Pachal finally get his first goal as a Flame, he’s had so many chances since joining the team but has been stoned time and time again. Quite the waiver wire pick up. …
Draft Position
Seattle loses to the Jets in regulation so the Flames and Kraken stay tied in the standings with points.
Comes down to game 81 between those two clubs.
Jersey is done and two points ahead of the Flames and has the tie breaker, so it’s 8th or 9th for the Flames. That much is certain.
Fancy Stats
Just a poster game for carrying the play but giving up the house whenever the other team pushed.
Calgary with 55% of the five on five shot attempts, but 5 of 22 high danger chances and just 41% of the expected goals. In all situations the Flames had 55% of the shot attempts, 28% of the high danger chances and 43% of the expected goals. You just don’t win games giving up that much horror in your own zone.
Individually about as ugly as you’d expect. Not a single Flame skater above water in the game. Martin Pospisil leads the way with 48.8%, Oliver Kylington and Connor Zary were nearby. Adam Klapka at the bottom with 33%.
