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A few Calgary Flames thoughts:

1. It’s great to see Connor Mackey getting a look down the stretch. But the coaching staff stubbornly not playing any of the other youngsters? It doesn’t make much sense. I know Darryl Sutter wants to win and set a precedent for next year. I don’t think playing low-impact veterans over kids with the potential to bring more is the way to go about it. These games would be perfect to break in a prospect like Matthew Phillips. They’d also be perfect to give more opportunity to someone like Juuso Valimaki; if he struggles, it doesn’t matter. It’s good experience for him. But no. Joakim Nordstrom and Brett Ritchie continue to play every night while kids sit idle. And journeyman Louis Domingue starting while Artem Zagidulin sits on the taxi squad? Don’t even get me started. The Flames are wasting a lot of opportunities for kids to learn so they can play guys who have no future with the team.

2. Andrew Mangiapane continues to make magic happen on a nightly basis. He’s on a bit of a scoring heater right now, which has helped him soar up the leaderboard in 5v5 goals. I think everyone in the Flames world realizes there’s a big-time player here. But even his biggest supporters might be surprised at just how productive he’s been. After netting another one vs Vancouver, Mangiapane is now tied with Alex Ovechkin, David Pastrnak, Mark Stone and Brayden Point in 5v5 goals. Those are top-tier players on top-tier teams. For the little engine that could to be in that conversation is nothing short of remarkable. Hats off to Mangi on another stellar season.

3. Chris Tanev is something else. I know the games don’t much matter these days but he’s playing some of his best hockey. He was lights out with Noah Hanifin all year. When Hanifin went down, I figured his game might dip a little (the numbers they were posting, quite frankly, were absurd). Apparently not. Tanev owns a 68 Expected Goals For% over the last 10 games. Yes, you read that correctly. The Flames have created more than 7 xG with Tanev on the ice and given up only 3.25. Unsurprisingly, that absurd differential has translated into results. The Flames are up 9-2 with Tanev on the ice at 5v5 during this stretch. I thought his best days were behind him – the numbers certainly suggested as much – but he’s found new life in Calgary. More than almost anyone, I’m sure Sutter is thrilled to have Tanev on his team.

numbers via NaturalStatTrick.com

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