|
G27 Calgary Flames vs Montreal Canadiens: The Darryl Sutter era begins |
|
|
|
|
|
Follow me on Twitter @ToddCordell
Five things to watch when the Calgary Flames take on the Montreal Canadiens:
1. The Darryl Sutter bump. The Flames have played a couple of times since Geoff Ward was relieved of his duties but this is the first game with Sutter behind the bench; and the first having gone through some practices under Sutter. With a fresh voice in the room – one with a ton of experience and accolades – and several days off leading into this game, I’m expecting the Flames to come out on fire (no pun intended). While it is very early, obviously, I believe we’ll quickly notice some changes under Sutter. In particular, we should see more linked play and support in all areas of the ice. There should be much more connectivity, which will be important going against a Montreal team that is spectacular at 5v5.
2. Pedal to the metal. The Canadiens are in the latter half of a taxing road back-to-back, playing just 19 hours after the completion of last night’s game in Vancouver. Not only that, but this is Montreal’s third game in four nights and fourth in six nights. It’s a big-time schedule loss for the Canadiens; especially going up against a fully rested Flames team. Calgary needs to make sure that shines through. Get in on the forecheck and force tired players to absorb hits and make quick decisions with the puck. Keep tight gaps in the neutral zone and make Montreal’s forwards dump it in. It takes a lot of energy to win those races and battles for the puck; energy the Canadiens should be short on. If the Flames are able to do that, they should be able to control a lot of the game.
3. New coach, new life. Everyone gets a clean slate to prove themselves and earn a bigger role. Perhaps nobody should be more excited about that than Young Sam Bennett. The 24-year-old’s camp requested a trade from the Flames earlier this season, presumably because he wanted more opportunity than he was getting. Well, now is his chance to make it happen. Sutter has an affinity for hard-nosed, hard-working players and that’s Bennett’s bread and butter. If he puts the work in, wins extra possessions in the corners, and creates havoc around the net, there’s no reason Bennett can’t play his way up the lineup and get the kind of minutes he wants. But it’s in his hands. He has to go out and earn it. This is his first chance to do it.
4. Goaltending duel. Quality netminding should not be an issue for either team in this one. Jacob Markstrom has had some bumps along the road – impossible not to given the way the Flames have played in front of him, especially to start games – but his overall numbers are still above league average. On the other side of things, Jake Allen has played amazingly well for the Habs. He owns a .921 save percentage and ranks 4th in the league in Goals Saved Above Expected (+5.4 through nine starts). The Flames should play tighter under Sutter, and I very much doubt Montreal will be trying to open this game up in a 4-in-6 situation. We should see fairly compact play with both teams being comfortable their goaltender can make the big save when necessary; as they should be.
5. A Get Right Spot. Calgary’s power play has been very hit and miss this season (see the most recent loss to Ottawa) but this is a good spot for them to get back on track. Not only have they had a handful of days to make necessary adjustments, but they’re going up against a Montreal team that is a) fatigued and; b) struggling on the penalty kill. The Canadiens rank 27th in Expected Goals Against/60 on the PK this season and bottom-10 in terms of actual goals against. They are not good and their numbers in that gamestate are actually trending downwards. Calgary *should* be able to get one or two past them in extra man situations.
numbers via NaturalStatTrick.com and MoneyPuck.com
Recent posts:
Darryl Sutter is back
Four bold predictions for the 2021 season: North Division edition
Breakout picks from the North Division
2021 NHL award predictions: North Division edition
Three reasons to be optimistic about the Flames in 2021
Calgary Flames Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»