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A few notes from Calgary's big win over division-leading San Jose Sharks:
1) I know the Sharks were in the latter half of a back-to-back, started their backup, and were playing with five defensemen, but I was impressed with what I saw from the Flames last night.
The Flames controlled the game at 5v5 and didn't lose a step when they went down 1-0 and 2-1. They just kept playing as if they knew they'd get the result.
San Jose's underlying numbers haven't been great of late but, to me, it'll always be encouraging if you can outplay a team featuring the likes of Brent Burns, Marc-Edouard Vlasic, Joe Pavelski, Joe Thornton and Logan Couture, among others.
They were a Stanley Cup finalist last season for a reason. They lead the Pacific for a reason. This was a nice win for the Flames.
2) The Matthew Tkachuk - Mikael Backlund - Michael Frolik trio was great at even-strength and on the man advantage, but they weren't alone for once. Crazy, right?
The Flames out-chanced the Sharks, 11-4, with the Johnny Gaudreau - Sean Monahan - Alex Chiasson unit out there at 5v5. They didn't account for any goals, but they probably should have with some of the chances they had. If that line can have more showings like last night and take some of the load off Tkachuk - Backlund - Frolik, it'll go a long way.
3) The 4th line has impressed me this season in that they seem to get better results than the sum of the parts would suggest they're capable of. Garnet Hathaway darts around and the ice hitting everything that moves, Matt Stajan is the responsible defensive center and Lance Bouma is just along for the ride. Somehow it has added up to some pretty good games this season.
If the Flames swap him out Bouma with Freddie Hamilton, who brings some speed and is more capable offensively, I think the 4th line would be much better off. That won't happen if Micheal Ferland is injured for any amount of time, though.
4) Chad Johnson had a rough start to the game but settled down nicely stopping all 15 shots he faced in the final 40 minutes, including a penalty shot and a last-second breakaway by Mikkel Boedker. Johnson has now posted a .926 save percentage or better in three consecutive starts.
5) Here is a look at the 5v5 numbers vs San Jose.
The top-6 was excellent and there weren't many passengers. Bouma took a couple shifts on the 3rd line after Ferland went down and it didn't go well. Other than that, there wasn't much to complain about.
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