Of late the Flames have put a solid game on the ice night in and night out, to the point where they likely have deserved a better fate than a 4-2-2 record in their last eight games.
Tonight they got exactly what they deserved however, in dropping a 3-2 contest to the Montreal Canadiens after sleep walking their way through almost 50 minutes of hockey. Don’t let the final score fool you the Flames were taking their Christmas holiday break a day early and it showed.
Holiday Flat
Was interesting to see the Flames have won their final game before the Christmas break in each of their last seven seasons. Tonight though it was clear from the onset that they didn’t have their heads in the game, as they were a pretty listless group for much of the game until a final rally.
It’s a shame as the team should have had a better run than they’ve had of late, but were looking to put their third straight win on the board before heading off on their own for four off days.
Gulutzan Juggles
Of late Glen Gulutzan has had some good results from mucking with the lines late in games when his team appeared to not be feeling it. Tonight he blendered the lines late in the second period and carried that trend into the third period as well.
Just like the game last week against San Jose the principal move was to move Johnny Gaudreau to the Jankowski line and Sam Bennett to the Monahan line. Unlike that night against the Sharks though, the shift didn’t work as both lines tanked when the third line was going pretty well up to the move. Give Gulutzan credit though as he put Bennett back on that line when he saw the same.
Calgary’s get back in the game goal came from the Monahan line with Micheal Ferland playing the left side (usually plays the right) and Michael Frolik playing the right side.
Hathaway Struggles
I was like many before the season, in seeing Garnet Hathaway as a fourth line player in the National Hockey League, and little more. His flat camp did little to change my mind.
Of late however, he’s looked like he’s testing a higher plateau and moving into an effective third line role with skilled linemates, bringing his physical game, but also having the hands to keep plays alive.
Tonight however, I felt he slipped back a notch as a few plays actually died on his stick and he looked a little overwhelmed at times. Clearly I need to give him the benefit of the doubt as he’s been pretty damn solid since his recall, but tonight wasn’t his best game.
Bennett Just Keeps on Chugging
Through two periods I thought Sam Bennett was the Flame’s best player, a great sign as the young player continues to show what he can do with renewed confidence.
He has the Flame’s best four scoring chances, but was stoned by Carey Price on all four occasions. In the third period he set up Mark Jankowski for one of the game’s best scoring chances, but Jankowski shot the puck wide.
It sure looks like he’s found some footing at this new productive level, leaving me less concerned that he may slip again if his production slides. A big relief from the draft and development standpoint. I always thought the word “bust” was silly as Sam Bennett at his worst is still a serviceable third line option, but now he looks very much like the kid taken fourth overall.
Fancy Stats
The Flames push (score effects) evened out what would have been a pretty dominant night for the Habs statistically. Montreal had a 52% edge in the first and a 58% edge in the second before the Flames pushed the play in the final ten minutes to take the third with 57%. Overall the Canadiens had a 50.5% edge in shot attempts five on five.
The Calgary powerplay had a good night with shot attempts as the Flames went 1/3 officially, though the third attempt started with one second left in the game. Overall the Flames had a 55% of the shot attempts on the night as Montreal had only one powerplay attempt.
Individually, the eye test didn’t really match the shot metrics as the third line was under water despite being the only line going for the Flames tonight. The top pairing led the way for the Flames, along with Ferland and parts of the 3M line. Johnny Gaudreau was at the bottom of the pile with only 39% on the night.
