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Five observations from Calgary vs Arizona:
1. The Flames were fine
I know the team's fourth consecutive loss will cause concern for some. So will scoring two or less for the fifth time in a row, and seventh time in eight games overall. But let's be realistic here. The Flames were playing in a road back-to-back, and their fourth game in six nights overall against a rested Arizona team desperate for points. This was a perfect time to lay an egg, and I don't think they did that (yes, I realize they were blanked).
In ~45 minutes of 5v5 play, they registered 58 attempts and 28 chances (12 high-danger). Including all game states, they recorded 80 attempts and 36 chances (17 high-danger). Was it ugly at times? Yes. Did score effects help inflate their totals? Perhaps, but I'd be a lot more concerned if there wasn't a real push. There was. They tested Darcy Kuemper, who has been exceptional since the turn of the calendar, and he passed with flying colours. It happens.
2. Secondary weapons continue to lead the 5v5 attack
Having depth players create shots and chances is a good thing. The top players can't produce every night, and you're not going to go very far if secondary options don't pick up the slack occasionally. With that said, they're being relied upon to do that a little too often right now and last night was another example.
While nobody found success on the scoreboard, it was not the top players who came closest and were driving the offense.
Mikael Backlund led the way in shot contributions on the 2nd line, and the three closest forwards to him (Michael Frolik, Austin Czarnik, and Andrew Mangiapane) all spent *at least* a handful of shifts on the 3rd and 4th lines.
3. Mike Smith stepped up
The Coyotes didn't test him with a ton of shots (25). A lot of them were quality, though, as he faced 18 high-danger chances – including breakaways, odd man rushes, and penalty shots. Smith made enough key saves to keep the Flames in the game until the final whistle, and he didn't get himself into trouble while playing the puck. Realistically speaking, you're not getting a better performance out of Smith.
4. The 3rd pairing excelled
Another game, another strong showing from the Oscar Fantenberg - Rasmus Andersson pairing. The latter did skate a few shifts with Noah Hanifin and Mark Giordano, which also went well, but his best work came alongside Fantenberg on the 3rd pairing. In ~11:30 together at 5v5, they out-attempted the Coyotes 16-4 and out-chanced them 5-0. They were very involved offensively, with Andersson leading the blueline in shot attempts and Fantenberg leading in shot assists.
We're still dealing with small samples but the Flames have absolutely steamrolled opponents with this duo on the ice. Through three games, they have a 43-18 edge in terms of attempts (70.49 CF%). The Flames may just have something here.
5. The 2nd pairing struggled
The Noah Hanifin - Travis Hamonic pairing did not have a good night at the office. There were bad pinches, missed checks, missed assignments, and they were caught running around defensively on more than a couple occasions. That's why it was hardly surprising to check the numbers and see the duo at or near the bottom of the roster in terms of on-ice attempts, chances, and goals.
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