Well would you look at that.
Vancouver loses three of four from Ottawa and then to Toronto tonight. Montreal loses to Toronto last night, and the Flames win in Edmonton by a 3-1 score tonight to keep their hopes alive.
Just like that it’s four points and a little more interesting.
The Flames will likely end up short when the dust settles, but why not make it interesting? Why not get the season down a four game show down with the Vancouver Canucks with the Habs up say 5 or 6 points? That’s just fun isn’t it?
So the beat goes on, and lets see.
But the longer this goes on the better as far as I’m concerned.
The Line Up
Honestly have no idea why Darryl Sutter broke up his forward lines for the last game against Montreal, after the group put up nine total in the previous two games in burying the Habs (two empty net goals). I’m not an NHL coach, and I certainly haven’t won a Stanley Cup (let alone two), but why mix with what was working in a season where the offence more often than not just isn’t there. Tonight it looks like he’s going to move them back to at least a facsimile of what we saw last week. Hopefully the offence returns as well.
The Cage
Back to Jacob Markstrom of course, something we will see until the math gets really ugly. Thought he was good in the 2-1 loss on Monday night, and certainly couldn’t be faulted on either goal; just didn’t get any run support. He posted a .917 save percentage stopping 22 of 24 Montreal shots.
Jacob Markstrom
Goals Saved above average -8.9
Louis Domingue
Yet to play
The Blueline
No change on the blueline as the same trios are walked out. For those not paying attention that’s Mark Giordano with Chris Tanev, Nikita Nesterov with Rasmus Andersson and Juuso Valimaki with Michael Stone. In today’s presser Darryl Sutter was asked about young defensemen offered up that he hasn’t seen Conner Mackey other than two games on tv, and that he would need some practice time to get up with the changes to the system, and may not play this year. Guessing we see him after the team is nearing eliminated.
Giordano – Tanev
59% xGF in 185 minutes
Nesterov – Andersson
43% xGF in 42 minutes
Valimaki – Stone
52% xGF in 96 minutes
Up Front
Up front a tweak towards what we saw in games one and two against Montreal. The first line is back with Elias Lindholm between Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk. The second line is missing Dillon Dube, but Andrew Mangiapane is back with Sean Monahan, and Brett Ritchie. Dube goes to the third line to play with Mikael Backlund and Milan Lucic; which is likely a good change as the duo didn’t mesh well with Ritchie. That leaves the same fourth line of Derek Ryan between Joakim Nordstrom and Buddy Robinson.
Gaudreau – Lindholm – Tkachuk
57% xGF in 69 minutes
Mangiapane – Monahan – Ritchie
61% xGF in 3 minutes
Lucic – Backlund – Dube
45% xGF in 40 minutes
Nordstrom – Ryan – Robinson
57% xGF in 6 minutes
~ Data from NaturalStatTrick, and Moneypuck
Did Nesterov Figure Out He’s Playing for a Sutter?
What a first period for Nikita Nesterov!
And what a way to not only make your head coach take notice, but to send a virtual love letter to all Calgary hockey fans.
First you put Connor McDavid down with a clean hit when McDavid was scooting into the zone on a two on two. Fists to the chest and down the Oiler’s captain goes, no foul on the play.
Then later in the period you get a bit of hip on James Neal sending him careening into the boards near the end of the first.
Neither guy Calgary’s favourite, and certainly playing Sutter hockey!
Don’t Let Neal Score!
I can see how it happened, but you hate to see it.
Ex-Flames James Neal scores a first period goal that had at least three Flames players’ names all over it.
First a softie by Jacob Markstrom as he has to have that one. Unscreened, not a great angle and for a big goalie there shouldn’t be anything to shoot at.
Juuso Valimaki takes some of the blame for chasing Kris Russell behind the net when Russell had already dumped it off.
Yet a forward and probably the center should have been back to pick up the next man if a defender is taking the original puck carrier out of danger. So take your pick Dillon Dube, who was the closest to the play, or Mikael Backlund his center.
Goalie Interference
Just don’t get this call, and I’m not talking just in this instance.
Guy tries to get by a guy, neither guy have the puck, there was no intent … goalie interference.
He’s out of his crease and it’s incidental contact.
Why is that a call? Seems silly to me.
Mike Smith Story
Have to hand it to the guy. He’s been lights out for the Edmonton Oilers all season, and it wasn’t any different tonight.
He held the Oilers in the game in the second period when the Flames could have easily have run up the score to 4 or 5 to 1 before play entered the third.
The Flames finally got to him in the third when a Milan Lucic shot got through him for a Dillon Dube goal, but up to that point he gave his team a serious chance to win.
Have to think the Oilers bring him back.
Jack Michael Is Growing On Me
Pretty even called game to be honest.
We’ve seen much worse from enemy broadcasters, but the Oilers crew tonight of Jack Mickael and Debrusk were more than fair in how they called the game. They acknowledged that the Flames were the better team for the most part, were far from suggesting the Calgary season was over, and didn’t gush over McDavid to the same degree that we usually see on Saturday nights with the HNIC crew.
Credit where credit is due.
Elias Lindholm – Oiler Killer
Man does Elias Lindholm love to play against the Edmonton Oilers.
That’s 18 career goals against the Oilers in just 27 games. The next closest team in goal totals is a three way tie of Washington, Montreal and Toronto with 7 apiece.
Tonight he added two more to the list in a 3-1 Flames victory, and he should have had the hat trick if not for a huge Mike Smith save towards the end of the second period.
Wish more players picked it up against Edmonton.
Matthew Tkachuk Back for a Night
Another guy that does find a gear when he plays the Oilers?
Matthew Tkachuk.
Usually it’s another level in a season where he plays well against almost every team.
This year though it’s a step out, as the player has struggled for the most part from post to post.
Tonight two assists, some shot blocks and a lot of body contact as Tkachuk was noticeable.
Markstrom Solid
Didn’t love the first goal, but Jacob Markstrom was rock solid the rest of the way.
Over the last ten games he’s really found his game and gotten back to the guy we saw to start the season, and the guy we saw in Vancouver silks over the past three seasons.
Not sure if it was a confidence thing coming off an injury, or an injury that lingered a long time, but either way it looks better for Calgary going forward with his big contract.
The guy is back.
Team Stats:
Shots – Flames 30 Oilers 31
Face Offs – Flames 52%
Powerplay – Flames 0/1 Oilers 0/3
Player Stats:
Points – Elias Lindholm, Matthew Tkachuk and Rasmus Andersson all had two points for the Flames on the night, Lindholm with two goals.
Plus/Minus – Five players with a +2 night including Johnny Gaudreau, Tkachuk, Lindholm, Rasmus Andersson and Nikita Nesterov.
Shots – Elias Lindholm and Michael Stone each had five shots on goal for Calgary.
Fancy Stats
Pretty solid road game for the Flames overall as they pretty much dominated the stats. Five on five the Flames had 54% of the shot attempts with period splits of 47%/68% and 44%. In terms of high danger chances the Flames had a 10-7 edge for 59%. Expected goal splits were 54% in favour of Calgary.
In all situations (Oilers had three powerplays to one) Calgary had 52% of the shot attempts, 48% of the high danger chances and an expected goal split of 51%.
Individually the Flames were led by Derek Ryan at 74% in five on five shot attempts. His linemates Buddy Robinson and Joakim Nordstrom were next up at 68% and 71% respectively. Rasmus Andersson and Nikita Nesterov were also in the 60s. The five players at the bottom of the list were Dillon Dube, Milan Lucic, Mikael Backlund, Chris Tanev and Mark Giordano who were all just under 45%.
