The Flames are 2-0-0 to start a season? Seriously?
Facts are facts, the Flames build off their opening night win against the Colorado Avalanche with a 4-3 victory in Edmonton Saturday night.
The Flames jumped out to a 4-1 first period lead, only to see that lead cut to 4-3. Wouldn’t say the Flames hung on though, as they out shot the Oilers 42-29 as the two teams ground out a tight finish.
Dan Vladar got the surprise start for the Flames and pulled off the victory in his first start in the Battle of Alberta.
Next up … the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday night.
The Lineup
One big change tonight, and that comes in goal with Dan Vladar getting the start in a key game in Edmonton and early in the season in contest number two. Is Jacob Markstrom still fighting a bug? Does Sutter think the Oilers have Markstrom’s number? Or is this going to be a season long effort to not over work his starter? Will be interesting.
No change for the skaters …
Elias Lindholm with Johnathan Huberdeau and Tyler Toffoli, Nazem Kadri with Andrew Mangiapane and Dillon Dube, Mikael Backlund with Blake Coleman and Trevor Lewis, and finally Kevin Rooney between Milan Lucic and Brett Ritchie.
On the blueline same pairings as well. Noah Hanifin with Rasmus Andersson, Mackenzie Weegar with Chris Tanev and Nikita Zadorov with Michael Stone.
Line Metrics
xGF%
Huberdeau – Lindholm – Toffoli 60.0%
Mangiapane – Kadri – Dube 74.7%
Coleman – Backlund – Lewis 45.4%
Lucic – Rooney – Ritchie 64.6%
Hanifin – Andersson 57.9%
Weegar – Tanev 74.3%
Zadorov – Stone 51.2%
Goals Saved + Avg
Vladar NA
Splitting McDavid
I was super interested to see how Sutter would split the time against McDavid with the three centers in Calgary this season.
Now he didn’t have the last change so some of it (most of it?) was out of his control, but the results were as split as I expected regardless.
Elias Lindholm with 5:30 against McDavid, Nazem Kadri with 4:34 and Mikael Backlund with 4:25 … so a really tight split. Kevin Rooney only had 1:30.
Such an advantage to have three centers that you trust in a hockey game, just not enough exposed minutes for the Oilers to jump on with McDavid’s ice time.
Discipline
For the most part the Flames did a good job of staying out of the box, permitting the Oilers to roll out their top unit four opportunities on the night, to match their own chances.
Both teams scored once with the man advantage, meaning it was a five on five game, and with that Calgary comes out on top.
The Flames looked good on the PK though, keeping the Oilers to the outside, and avoiding the blue chip chances.
The numbers support exactly that … the Flames had six high danger chances with the man advantage, the Oilers … zero.
Stone Story
You can’t write this stuff.
Another PTO, another contract, and well why not … a three point night in Edmonton in game two of the season.
Stone helped create the Mikael Backlund goal when his point shot broke Dillon Holloway’s stick before creating a rebound and a goal by the longest tenured Flame. Soon after his point blast made it 3-1 with a wired shot off the post.
Later in the period he was credited with an assist on the Nazem Kadri goal though Kadri took it coast to coast on his own.
The story just keeps getting better and better.
Kadri Right Into It
Speaking of Kadri, that’s quite a start to his BOA career.
Goal and an assist in the first period, both on bursts of speed catching Oiler defenders stumbling.
Add in some beaking back at Evander Kane, and he’s clearly made himself at home in the rivalry.
Just the kind of player you love to add to your side and not the opposition as Connor McDavid put well when he said something to the effect “we wished he went somewhere else”
We hear you.
Chasing Soupy
The Oilers bet the farm on Jack Campbell to be their number one guy through the core years of McDavid and Draisaitl.
Mike Smith was getting old, but man he had some effective runs in the Oiler cage.
Campbell was a great story in Toronto, but faltered last year and essentially lost his net.
In game one for Edmonton Campbell gave up three goals early but the team came back on the struggling Vancouver Canucks. Tonight, not quite the same story as he’s chased on four goals on 12 shots in nine minutes.
They won’t be panicking in Edmonton yet, but I’m sure it will be a discussion for the rest of the weekend.
Battling in the Second
You knew the Oilers would have a push down three goals in a home game against their rivals, but I honestly thought the Flames weathered it pretty well.
Two goals to the Oilers in the second, the second of which came on a powerplay, but I thought the Flames settled in after both goals and didn’t let the game slid away.
They had some chances too including a late powerplay of their own where they wore out the PK, but couldn’t restore that two goal lead.
Vladar Start
Thought Dan Vladar was damn solid in the game.
He may want that first one back as he was beaten glove side clean, but even that’s a stretch, and he had no chance on goals two and three.
The biggest thing is what he did from there, as he held the fort behind a solid defensive game from his teammates as the Flames were able to steer home a four one lead from the first period.
Interesting start to the season with the goalies splitting the opening two victories.
Extended PP1
Something new from Sutter tonight; well beyond the start of the backup goalie.
In the third period with the Flames on the powerplay and dominating, they get a whistle with about 1:10 to go … and the first unit stays out. Another whistle … they stay out again.
Not a bad call as they were feeling it, but we’ve seen almost nothing but full splits for powerplay time in Sutter’s return to Calgary.
Special Teams
As mentioned above, both teams get four chances, and both teams score one goal.
Calgary demonstrably better on the attack than their rivals with a big edge in high danger chances.
Calgary takes the night as Edmonton relies on their powerplay to win games, and they didn’t allow that to happen in the victory.
Standings and Record
Not used to this rarified air … Flames off to a 2-0-0 start on the season?!?!
That puts them at the top of the Western Conference in a three way tie with Dallas and Vegas to start the season.
What a start!
Counting Stats
Shots: Flames 42 Oilers 29
Face Offs: Flames 46% / Oilers 54%
Powerplay: Flames 1-4 / Oilers 1-4
Fancy Stats
Calgary had a huge first period, sagged a touch in the second, but then regained their footing to pretty much have the play for the majority of the night; something that was reflected in the underlying numbers. Five on five the Flames had 59% of the shot attempts with period splits of 63%/45% and 70% respectively. In terms of five on five expected goals, the Flames had 62%, and for high danger scoring chances the Flames had 55%, with a 11-9 split. The right team certainly won.
In all situations the Flames had 60% of the shot attempts, 62% of the expected goals, and 59% of the high danger splits.
Individually the Flames were led by Brett Ritchie, with an xGF% of 98% five on five on the night. That’s quite a number! His linemates Milan Lucic and Kevin Ronney also had nights in the 90s. Nikita Zadorov and Michael Stone also had huge nights in the low 80s and high 70s. Four players finished under water on the night; the Mackenzie Weegar / Chris Tanev pair as well as Elias Lindholm and Tyler Toffoli.
