This season is crazy.
The Flames get completely outplayed from the five minute mark to the 55 minute mark but were held in it by Dustin Wolf, tied the game with the goalie pulled, and won the game in a shoot out to keep their improbable start to the season rolling with a 4-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday night.
Nazem Kadri with the game tying goal.
Justin Kirkland with the shoot out winner, because … why not.
Flames now 5-0-1 for the best six game start in Calgary Flames history.
Crazy.
The Lineup
Kevin Rooney has been cleared to play, but won’t dress in this one as Justin Kirkland gets to stay in the lineup, at least for one more game.
The Daniil Miromanov scratch only lasts one game as he comes back in for Tyson Barrie.
As a result we have no change up front. Nazem Kadri and Andrei Kuzmenko with Matt Coronato, Martin Pospisil between Jonathan Huberdeau and Anthony Mantha and Mikael Backlund with Blake Coleman and Connor Zary. The fourth line Justin Kirkland centers Ryan Lomberg and Adam Klapka.
On the blueline it’s back to the norm with Mackenzie Weegar pairing with Daniil Miromanov, Rasmus Andersson remains with Kevin Bahl, and Jake Bean stays paired up with Brendan Pachal.
Dustin Wolf gets the start in net as the rotation (and home / away trend) continues.
Pre Game Stats
Coming into tonight’s game (with very limited sample size) Matt Coronato was on the two best Calgary Flames forward lines (10 minute hurdle). The Kadri/Kuzmenko/Coronato line (87%) has been lights out in their only game (and a period) together, and Coronato had similar success with Ryan Lomberg and Justin Kirkland (68%). Goes a long way to earn a full time NHL spot as a sniper if you’re driving play as well. … The Flames start has been unexpected to say the least, but they’re not doing it with mirrors; the team has some solid underlying stats including;
- 7th in xGF% five on five
- 12th in expected goals against / 60
- 9th in high danger chances against five on five
The unsustainable stuff? Calgary has the 2nd best shooting percentage. That doesn’t add up. Their goaltending has been great too, ranked 6th in all situation; and perhaps they do have two good young goaltenders.
Adds up to an all situations PDO of 1.064 (about 3% above where the top team will finish), behind only Winnipeg and the Rangers.
Wolf’s Start
Very very good.
Goes without saying doesn’t it.
He has zero to do in the game’s first five minutes and then was the only reason the Flames were tied at one through 40 minutes as he turns aside 24 of 25 pucks through two periods.
A weak second goal, but the onslaught continues and he gets his team down to a pulled goalie opportunity, and then a shoot out win.
I was unsure that his game would translate … or rather his size would translate to the NHL level. Last year I upped my feel to NHL quality goaltender. Three starts into this season and I think I’m ready to up the the level to NHL starter.
Next stop NHL star.
The Penguins have a 3.31 expected goal tally in all situations and Wolf only gives up three.
Another checkmark.
Rasmus
I don’t care what side of the sign or trade argument you’re on, the play of Rasmus Andersson in the early season is building both cases.
Opens the scoring tonight.
Jumps into the play on a short handed two on one in the second and hits the post, turns and jets all the way back breaking up a Penguins two on one with a good stick, which started another two on one for Calgary the other way.
Picks up an assist on the game tying goal.
If you want him to stay he looks to be worth signing.
If you want them to move him, he’s upping his value in the early season.
Top pairing defenseman.
On the Farm
Lots of talk about the hot start in the goal department for Rory Kerins, and the eight assists in four games heater from Jakob Pelletier, but there hasn’t been much discussion about Walker Duehr joining them with eight points in four games with five goals and three assists. Talk about under the radar. … All three skaters share the lead at the top of the AHL points rankings. .. Devin Cooley is off to a great start as well. He has a 1.67 goals against average and a .940 save percentage through four starts in the early season. Free agent signing paying off early for the Flames. No goalie ahead of him in the rankings has played four games. … The Wranglers themselves are 2nd overall in the standings with a 4-1-0 record, trailing only the Baby Leafs.
Odds and Sods
The Flames haven’t started on time in most of their five previous game commencements but you sure can’t fault their jump tonight. Two quick icing calls against the Penguins, a Pittsburg penalty, and a 7-0 lead in shots for Calgary by the time the game was just 5 minutes old. Nothing to show for it, but out of the blocks in a flurry. … Rasmus Andersson continues his goal scoring ways with a first period marker, but also didn’t let the fact he was on home ice keep him from finding an enemy fan for a stare down. Getting funnier and funnier. … The Flames powerplay really struggled tonight. The first opportunity looked dangerous but came up empty. The next three were a whimper at best and a momentum (soul) sucking experience. In tight games you need your powerplay. They didn’t have one tonight. … From the five minute mark of the first period to the end of the second period the Penguins out shot the Flames 25-11. Thanks Dustin. … Becoming a bigger and bigger fan of Kevin Bahl. He’s not elite. He’s not perfect. I don’t know if he’s a second pairing guy, but he’s a heck of an add. That reach, and his ability to drop players near the net is fun to watch …. How about that snot slug that came out of Nazem Kadri’s nose when he scored the game tying goal?! … Why was Sidney Crosby feverishly taping a stick before the overtime started? He doesn’t have other sticks prepared? …
Fancy Stats
The Flames were not the better team tonight, five on five or in special teams. Dustin Wolf held them in it and they found a way to win. The Flames, five on five, had 42% (43%/33%/47%) of the shot attempts, 32% of the high danger chances, and 31% of the expected goals. In all situations they had 48% of the shot attempts, 48% of the high danger chances and 50% of the expected goals.
Individually, the Flames were led by Rasmus Andersson with an xGF% of 62%. Only three other players were above the break even point; Blake Coleman, Mikael Backlund and Connor Zary. At the bottom of the list Matt Coronato (who was at the top in Seattle) with 9%, joined by four other players under 15%; Nazem Kadri, Justin Kirkland, Jonathan Huberdeau and Andrei Kuzmenko.
