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Five observations from Calgary vs Columbus:
1. Flames pass test in playoff-style tuneup
Last night’s game felt like a playoff game for an abundance of reasons. It was of great importance for both teams given their positioning in the standings. In other words, there was a lot on the line. The game was tight checking. There wasn’t much space to work in the neutral zone. The refs put the whistles away. It was the exact kind of hockey we’ll be watching come April. And the Flames handled themselves well.
While their start to the game left a lot to be desired, they were really solid once they found their footing. It was tough for either side to generate high-danger opportunities, obviously, but they were controlling the run of play. They were the team on their toes.
What I especially liked is the Flames didn’t really get frustrated playing from behind. They didn’t try and make things happen in one-on-three situations or force plays that weren’t there. They just kept their foot on the gas and eventually broke through.
3-on-3 OT isn’t a thing come playoff time, so I’ll throw those numbers out the window, but over the final 40 minutes of regulation the Flames out-shot the Jackets 23-10 and controlled better than 55% of the expected goals in both periods. It was a really solid effort.
2. Early puck management was poor
The one thing that really bothered me about Calgary’s game was their puck management in the 1st period. They made some poor decisions – attempting cross-ice passes through traffic, for example – and were handing Columbus easy opportunities in transition against an unset defense. That can’t happen against anyone, let alone a team like Edmonton or Vegas in the playoffs. Those teams have fast, high-end talents that will make you pay almost every time.
It was great that Calgary responded and cleaned things up over the final 45 minutes. That’s what good teams do. But the Flames can’t start the way they did, put themselves behind the 8-ball, and expect to crawl back into the game. Almost every team in the playoffs is good defensively. Refs won’t be calling many penalties, either, so it’s tough to find opportunities necessary to come from behind when trailing multiple goals.
Be aggressive but be smart.
3. The Bread Man continues to impress
I absolutely love Andrew Mangiapane. The way the guy plays is admirable. I saw him for years in Barrie and he’s the *exact* the same way in Calgary (
this is why he was one of my favorite draft sleepers). He’ll not only go to war in the corners with players much bigger and stronger, but he’ll routinely win those battles. We saw that yet again vs Columbus, with the best example being his assist on Elias Lindholm’s goal. He beat out a pair of Blue Jackets for possession of the puck on a relentless forecheck and found Lindholm on the doorstep in front. It was the kind of hustle play that separates him from a lot of players in the league.
4. A Captain’s performance from Mark Giordano
Giordano sure looked 100% against the Blue Jackets. He was all over the ice from start to finish. His defensive positioning and stick work was excellent. He didn’t hesitate to rush the puck up and, most importantly, he created a ton in the offensive zone. Giordano attempted a game-high 12 shots. Six of them hit the target, and one was deflected by Matthew Tkachuk (Zach Werenski, I mean!) to tie the game late.
The individual numbers were clearly there, as were the on-ice metrics. He had a 72.73 Corsi For% across more than 20 minutes at 5v5. Overall, he played better than 24 minutes.
I thought he was one of the game’s best players.
5. The top line was clicking
Calgary’s top line has been up and down this season. It was certainly more up than down last night. It felt like every time Johnny Gaudreau and co. hit the ice it tilted drastically in Calgary’s favor. The numbers back that up.
In 13:22 with Gaudreau, Sean Monahan, and Elias Lindholm together at 5v5, the Flames out-attempted the Blue Jackets 13-1. Chances were 7-0. They also controlled 95.46%(!!!) of the Expected Goals, which is unheard of for any line skating a regular shift.
If they can play like this more often – much like we saw a season ago – the Flames will be a much tougher team to deal with.
Numbers via naturalstattrick.com
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