Flames with two wins in two games.
Flames with 12 goals in two games.
Would have to think there were not many that had that in the prediction column for the Calgary Flames to start off a season with little to no expectations. Yet here we are.
The Flames got up early, and held the lead for 50 some minutes on the strength of some solid first half goaltending by Dustin Wolf, and a retro four point night from Jonathan Huberdeau to beat the Flyers 6-3 on Saturday night.
Early on it looked like a Philly comeback was inevitable, but give them credit, the Flames were the better team in the last 30 minutes.
The Lineup
Didn’t take long to see a lineup change in the new season with the JT Miller hit on Wednesday on Kevin Rooney. Rooney is on IR and will miss at least 4 games.
The Flames called up Justin Kirkland to take his spot on the fourth line.
Up front it’s Nazem Kadri with Andrei Kuzmenko and rookie Sam Honzek, Mikael Backlund with Blake Coleman and Connor Zary, Martin Pospisil with Jonathan Huberdeau and Anthony Mantha, and a fourth line of Justin Kirkland between Adam Klapka and Ryan Lomberg.
Pairings have Mackenzie Weegar with Daniil Miromanov, Rasmus Andersson with Kevin Bahl, and Jake Bean with Brayden Pachal.
Duston Wolf gets the start.
Wolf’s Start
A late goal hurt his numbers a little bit, but overall a solid if not dominant performance from Dustin Wolf.
Calgary with a 2-0 lead through 20 minutes, but the game felt very much 2-0 Philadelphia, with Wolf holding the fort.
In the end he faces 40 shots, turns aside 37 of them for a .925 save percentage on the night.
His expected goals in all situations was 3.37, with only three getting past him.
Helping his team win.
Jonathan Huberdeau Has a Night
A goal on night one.
Two goals and two assists on night two.
Five points in two games putting him in 5th in league scoring to start the season.
Does this mean he’s fixed and he’s a 100 point player again? Likely not.
But what if this means a bump from the 53.5 points he’s averaged in his first two seasons in Calgary? Have to think 5 in 2 has a better chance to land at 70 then 0 in 2.
And it’s not just production. Huberdeau has looked faster, and more suited to his linemates in the early season. And I liked his snarl in Vancouver when a teammate got hurt.
Trade Bait
Two games does not make a season, and the Flames had some pretty sketchy runs of hockey and somehow won both games. So don’t give up on where this season is likely going.
But should things go the way it’s expected it’s notable that Andrei Kuzmenko had three more points, giving him four on the season.
Additionally Anthony Mantha picked up an assist giving him three points on the season.
The team’s future 2nd and 3rd round picks are looking good!
Odds and Sods
The Flames powerplay looked much more effective in this one, than we saw against Vancouver. They gave up a short handed goal with team two, but team one with the two guys with “mitts” in Jonathan Huberdeau and Andrei Kuzmenko were giving the Flyers fits down low. Add in that Weegar bomb from the point and they’re very affective …. Watching Dustin Wolf people will always point to goals that get over his shoulder like the second goal in the third period. But fact of the matter is all goalies of any size get beat high when they cover the bottom of the net, and Wolf is one of the best in that regard. His post to post work is honestly in the same breath as Miikka Kiprusoff. … I thought Justin Kirkland held his own on the fourth line and looked very much the NHLer. …. Starting to like that Jacob Markstrom trade more and more as I take in the size of #7, his reach, and his penchant to jump into melees when they arise in the Flames zone. He’ll never be an offensive contributor, but it looks like he could be part of the equation as a 5 that kills penalties going forward. …
Fancy Stats
I wouldn’t have guessed it early, but the Flames ended up on top both five on five and in all situations by the end of the night in play driving metrics, despite being run out of the building for the most part in the first period. The Flames, five on five, had 44% of the shot attempts (32% in the first period), 60% of the high danger chances, and 53% of the expected goals. In all situations they had 47% of the shot attempts, 58% of the high danger chances and 54% of the expected goals.
Individulaly, the Flames were led by the Huberdeau line with all of Huberdeau, Anthony Mantha and Martin Pospisil at an xGF% of 80% or greater. Brayden Pachal, Jake Bean, Samuel Honzek and Rasmus Andersson also had great nights. Connor Zary, Daniil Miromanov and Mackenzie Weegar were under 40%.
