Of course when that weekend includes two road wins in buildings that you haven't been able to win in for an extended period of time, that sure helps. Yes the Flames have managed to win 2 in a row on the road in the first month of the season, something they didn't accomplish until late March last season (they actually never won road games on back-to-back nights either) and that alone should raise the confidence of this team by leaps and bounds. In addition to the obvious, there are also some other elements of the Flames weekend that shouldn't be underestimated:
1. The penalty kill looked much better. It's true that they allowed a goal in each game and they still need to improve. That being said, they didn't loose because of the penalty killing which was the case in at least 2 of their losses this season. Not only was the PK stronger, they even managed a short-handed goal which can do wonders for the confidence of the unit.
2. They won in buildings where they have historically had trouble. I can't explain why. I don't know the reasons. What I do know is that for some quirky reason regardless of the personnel or the coaching or the venue, in every sport certain teams have trouble beating certain other teams in certain conditions. On top of that, some players seem jinxed in some cases for whatever reason. Case in point. Mikka Kiprusoff had never won in Dallas. The Flames hadn't won in Dallas or Nashville since 01-02. Getting this monkey off their backs is bigger that just getting the wins or winning on the road. It helps them to clear the stigma in their own minds and allows them to know that this team can be different. That's something only the players can do for themselves, and this weekends games should have done that.
3. Limit the turnovers. In the two games, the Flames only turned the puck over a total of 7 times including only 2 giveaways in Nashville. In Detroit alone they had 8. Now give-aways isn't the most scientific stat on earth but it does point to one fact: The Flames are making better decisions with the puck. It makes it a lot harder to score if the other team isn't willing to set you up. Keeping the give-aways to a minimum makes it more difficult for other teams.
4. Kristian Huselius CAN play under Mike Keenan. Sure the season is still very young, and a lot more can happen in the coming months but at least right now, Huselius seems to be doing well under Iron Mike. This was a HUGE question mark entering the season as the issues they had in Florida were well documented. At one point Mike said that Kristian had grown up a lot. It shows.
5. Matthew Lombardi can be a point producer. He's fast, he's slick, and he has a knack for making big plays when needed. He's an x-factor that brings the fans to their feet when he grabs the puck. There aren't many players that fans get excited about as soon as they touch the puck. It's the speed. It's devastating. And it looks like Lombardi may finally produce the break-out season that Flames fans are hoping for. He's dangerous in every situation. Now he needs to find consistency.
A road trip that started with a loss in Detroit that looked WAY too much like last season has quickly turned into the hope that maybe things will be different this season. Is is justified? Well, they did accomplish a lot of things that they couldn't last season and that's a start. Of course a rough game on Colorado could put a damper on the optimism many feel right now. Minnesota is at the top of the league and Colorado, where the Flames play Tuesday to end their road trip is scoring goals in bunches to start the season. The Northwest is going to be tough.
Have a great day!
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