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Five takeaways from Game 4 of Calgary vs Dallas:
1) Dallas’ big ticket forwards have been quiet for much of the series. They certainly weren’t in Game 4. For the first time, they really looked like the players they are paid to be. They didn’t just record a chance here and there. They largely overwhelmed Calgary – even when they had the Mark Giordano or Rasmus Andersson pairing out there. Dallas won the shot attempt battle 24-13, and out-chanced Calgary 10-3, in ~14.5 minutes with Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin and Alex Radulov on the ice. They applied constant waves of pressure at 5v5 and piled up the shots on the power play as well. All told, the Stars’ big three combined for 29 shot attempts (16 on target) and each of them found the scoresheet at least once. They were a real problem.
2) The Flames desperately need Matthew Tkachuk back. If he’s not available sooner than later, I don’t see them winning the series. He makes that much of a difference. I thought Sam Bennett filled in for Tkachuk nicely on the man advantage. The latter was really missed at 5v5, though. Mikael Backlund, Andrew Mangiapane, and Tobias Rieder made up the worst line on the ice, controlling 29% of the attempts and getting out-chanced 6-1. You don’t need me to tell you that’s not normal for the 2nd unit. Normally all over the paint, Mangiapane and Backlund combined for *checks notes* 0.14 expected goals at 5v5. They couldn’t get anything going either in transition or in the offensive zone. I know options are limited – Geoff Ward doesn’t want to break up the 3rd line – but the deck really needs to be shuffled if Tkachuk is out G5. You simply can’t have Tobias Rieder neutering the 2nd unit, especially considering they’re going to see steady ice against either the Seguin or Denis Gurianov lines.
3) Playoff Sam Bennett™ continues to be a thing. He was an absolute stud once again. He scored two goals and easily could have netted a 3rd as he had a few great looks, and was all over Anton Khudobin in the paint, just prior to Calgary’s 1st goal. That offense did not come at the expense of his physical play as he was still extremely involved, landing five hits throughout the night. I honestly thought he was a very real candidate to be moved in an off-season shake-up. With the way he’s playing, and found a home on the 3rd line, I think GM Brad Treliving will be reconsidering a trade involving No. 93.
4) I thought Cam Talbot was excellent. That feels odd to say in a five-goal defeat but, if not for him, the game could have been a lot worse. Dallas registered 62 shots on goal, many of which were top quality. They were credited with 26(!) Grade A looks by NaturalStatTrick. 26! The Stars were able to do whatever they wanted all night. Despite that, the Flames were just seconds away from pulling off the win and getting a 3-1 series lead. Talbot was *that* good. Even allowing five goals, the Expected Goals Against number was higher. The man still deserves a steak dinner.
5) Tobias Rieder has to be the strangest player in the league. Even getting 2nd line minutes alongside Mangiapane and Backlund, the guy created absolutely nothing offensively at 5v5. Nothing. He showed no life and looked completely out of place. Then the penalty kill comes around and he’s finding seams in the defense to get shots off from the slot. He is a lot like Pavel Zacha in that, for whatever reason, he’ll do nothing at 5v5 and turn into an offensive dynamo while shorthanded. I mean, Rieder played about ~8 more minutes at 5v5 than on the PK and he still recorded as many chances, and expected goals, on the PK. It is wild. Although he may not be bringing much (any?) value to the table at full-strength, his continuous PK scoring will allow him to keep a firm grip on a lineup spot.
Numbers via NaturalStatTrick.com
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