Three games in the East.
All to overtime.
All with at least a point.
Not a bad trip for a team with very low expectations this season.
The Flames had their usual slow start, spotting the Sabres a two goal lead early before chipping away, forcing overtime, and then eventually losing in a shoot out by a 3-2 score.
Dan Vladar was good in net, Matt Coronato scored another goal on the trip, and the Flames come home with four points in three games.
The just keep hanging in.
The Lineup
The Flames called up Dryden Hunt, but he’ll slide into the 13th forward spot and not dress with Anthony Mantha on IR. Only change from the game in Boston in in net, and a change to the third pairing.
So it’s Nazem Kadri with Connor Zary and Yegor Sharangovich, Martin Pospisil back at center with Jonathan Huberdeau and Andrei Kuzmenko, a third line of Mikael Backlund with Blake Coleman and Matt Coronato, and a fourth line of Kevin Rooney with Justin Kirkland and Ryan Lomberg.
No change to the top two pairings; Rasmus Andersson and Kevin Bahl. Mackenzie Weegar with Daniil Miromanov. And a new third pairing of Brayden Pachal with Jake Bean.
Dan Vladar gets the start in goal.
Pre Game Stats
As we hum towards the quarter poll of the season; a quick look at defense pairings and forward lines with some extensive time together, ranked by play driving.
On the blueline there are only 4 pairings that have 25 or more minutes together (that’s roughly 2 games for arguments sake).
Of the four Brayden Pachal sits on the top two combinations, as the sheltered third pairing has done well to hold their part of the game down. The regular top two pairings round out the four.
- Barrie – Pachal 62.5% xGF%
- Bean – Pachal 61.3%
- Bahl – Andersson 45.3%
- Weegar – Miromanov 40.3%
Up front there are six forward lines that have 25 minutes together. Those six ranked in xGF% …
- Coleman – Backlund – Coronato 57.9%
- Kuzmenko – Kadri – Zary 56.5%
- Huberdeau – Pospisil – Mantha 53.8%
- Zary – Backlund – Coleman 50.6%
- Honzek – Kadri – Kuzmenko 45.7%
- Zari – Kadri – Pospisil 22.2%
It’s no wonder the Kadri and the Kids line didn’t last all that long.
Wrangler’s Beat
No games played since Tuesday.
Wranglers sit 10-2-0 in the standings.
Question … are the Wranglers riding goaltending to a hot start, or are they a top tier AHL team?
The AHL doesn’t have the drill down stats we are accustomed to, but if you take the goalie leaders and calculate shots against/60 (actual minutes not games played), Devin Cooley and Walterri Ignatjew are 4th and 5th in shots against / 60. They are seeing a lot of rubber.
Cooley is significant in that he has 9 games played, the most on the leaderboard.
Vladar’s Start
Nightmare fuel hockey game for a goaltender.
Low event afternoon for the most part, but it felt like when the Flames did give up a shoot it was a doozy.
Two goals in the first but it’s hard to fault him on either.
And Vladar saved their bacon in the first half of the second period giving them a chance to take a one goal deficit into the third.
Final numbers have the Sabres at 2.25 expected goals in all situations, Vladar gives up the deuce. Great game again for Calgary goaltenders.
Odds and Sods
For the most part I agree with a lot of what Ryan Huska is doing this season. He has his team working really hard, and playing an accountable brand of hockey. Not a lot of passengers. But there have been some odd timing instances to some decisions. Earlier in the season he took Daniil Miromanov out of the lineup after a great game in Vegas. And this afternoon Tyson Barrie is sitting down after arguably his best game in Calgary colours in Boston. … Three road games, and three terrible starts. It’s certainly becoming a thing with this team. Just don’t come out of the gates ready. … Huberdeau with a tough game in my opinion, at least a handful of unforced turnovers, especially on the some second period Calgary powerplays. … This mini road trip really felt like the coming out party for a younger core. Maybe not a core of superstars, but certainly next generation Flames key components. It looks like Coronato has arrived with three goals on the trip, but we’ve also seen huge contributions in play driving and solid touches from Connor Zary, Yegor Sharangovich and Kevin Bahl. In net, Dustin Wolf was solid in Montreal. Quite the season so far. … Man does Nazem Kadri like to shoot. That shot in overtime when he should have turned back to keep possession was something. He always has the “I’m the guy” mentality. Would drive me nuts if I played with him. … How did the Flames not score on that powerplay in overtime? Crazy amount of chances and come up empty.
Fancy Stats
Calgary had the zone time, but Buffalo had the higher quality chances in a low event game in upper New York State. The Flames, five on five, had 55% (44%/56%/63%) of the shot attempts, 47% of the high danger chances, and 43% of the expected goals. In all situations they had 55% of the shot attempts, 47% of the high danger chances and 44% of the expected goals.
Individually, the Flames were led by Mackenzie Weegar and Daniil Miromanov with an xGF% of 73%. Yegor Sharangovich was in the 60s. Connor Zary in the 50s. The rest of the team was under water including seven players; Kevin Bahl, Rasmus Andersson, Kevin Rooney, Mikael Backlund, Martin Pospisil, Matt Coronato and Blake Coleman who were all in the 30s.
