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Smith bounces back with shutout, leads Flames past Oilers

March 14, 2018, 11:15 AM ET [39 Comments]
Todd Cordell
Calgary Flames Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
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Five observations from Calgary vs Edmonton:

1. Mike Smith bounced back

Scoring was once again an issue for the Flames as they potted two or less for the sixth time in their last eight. It didn't matter, though, because Smith rebounded from a tough night against New York by blanking the team's biggest rivals in what was almost certainly a must-win game.

It wasn't like the Oilers played possum and made things easy on Smith. Todd McLellan rode his best players – Connor McDavid, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Leon Draisaitl all logged more than 21 minutes – and they generated their fair share of chances. Smith simply had all the answers.

Most importantly, he showed no signs of the lower-body injury he was dealing with while going post-to-post and sprawling to make some big saves. His rebound control was really good as well – certainly much better than vs the Islanders.

With almost every game a must-win, and the offense in a rut, it's imperative the Flames get quality goaltending from Smith on a nightly basis. He did his part.

2. 2M + Bennett struggled

Matthew Tkachuk's absence coupled with steady minutes against Connor McDavid equated to a tough night at the office for the 2nd line.

McDavid didn't find his way onto the scoresheet – though it wasn't for a lack of chances – but the ice was tilted in Edmonton's favor when he was out there, especially vs the 2nd line.

2M + Bennett spent ~90% of their 5v5 ice vs McDavid and walked away with sub 40 Corsi For%'s and negative chance differentials.

Luckily for them, Smith answered the bell every time he had to.

3. The 4th line was...good?

In a shocking turn of events, the 4th line did not pull the team down. It actually helped prop them up.

The trio of Curtis Lazar, Matt Stajan and Chris Stewart, which seemed like a disaster waiting to happen, did a great job of getting in on the forecheck, working the puck down low, and sustaining pressure in the offensive zone.

Lazar and Stajan combined for five scoring chances and Stewart chipped in with a few heavy hits.

Though they didn't score, they did generate some quality looks and all three finished with a Corsi For of 75% or higher.

I thought Stajan, in particular, had a strong night. On top of solid offensive zone play, he had a couple effective shifts on the kill and came up with two big blocks while defending the lead at the end of the game.

4. The top line came through

The Flames don't get much secondary scoring at the best of times. That's especially true when super sophomore Matthew Tkachuk is out of the lineup.

In order to win, the Flames needed *some* offense from the top line and they got it.

The big three were a little pass-happy early on but it paid off in the 2nd period as Sean Monahan found Johnny Gaudreau unmarked in front of the net and he showed good hands, and finish, backhanding one past Cam Talbot for the eventual game-winning-goal.

There have been some rough patches along the way but the Gaudreau - Monahan - Micheal Ferland trio has a +19 goal differential at evens, which is 3rd best in the NHL.

5. A rare sighting

Dougie Hamilton played a shift...on the penalty kill! Glen Gulutzan has tried to avoid that like the plague but he caved and gave him a small taste last night.

Hamilton on the PK is something I'd love to see more of going forward. If he can play on the top pairing with Mark Giordano vs every team's best players at even-strength, why can't he get some work vs top players while down a man?

The sample size is small – 29 minutes – but he actually has better shot and chance suppression numbers while down a man than every other defender on the team.

If not anything else, he's shown enough to warrant a look. It's not like the Flames have an elite penalty kill and there's little room for improvement.

Recent posts:

The Flames were smart to re-sign Mikael Backlund

Gaudreau - Monahan - Ferland line has been one of league's best this season
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