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Five observations from Calgary vs Edmonton:
1. Doing a number on 97
Connor McDavid leads the league in 5v5 goals, points, chances, and has been on for more goals for in that game state than any player in the league. No player has been as dominant. And, led by Mikael Backlund, the Flames shut him down.
The two centers squared off for 9:40 at 5v5. In that time, the Flames gave up two shots on goal and out-scored Edmonton 2-0. It's impossible to do any better than that against a generational talent like McDavid.
Games like that help illustrate how important it was to get Backlund locked up. No other center on the roster has that in him.
2. Mike Smith rebounded nicely
Smith has not been good over the last few months. Often times he's been quite bad. After completely botching Edmonton's 1st goal, the game had a 'here we go again' feeling to it. He quickly erased that.
The Oilers largely out-played the Flames and certainly got the better of the chances. It didn't matter, though, because Smith was completely locked in. He put forth the kind of performance we grew accustomed to seeing in the first half of the season.
One game is one game but it was certainly nice to see him steal a game again, especially against big rivals.
3. The game was actually entertaining
For the first time in a while, a game involving the Calgary Flames possessed some entertainment value. They scored three goals(!) after finding twine just four times in six games prior. There was some physicality to the game. Smith provided great goaltending. The game hung in the balance until the final whistle, too. I know the two sides are rivals but neither team was playing for anything. You wouldn't have known it watching the game. It's too bad they can't play out the rest of the season against each other.
4. Nick Shore looks like a keeper
Shore quietly had a really strong game for the Flames. He led the team in 5v5 Corsi For%, he posted a plus-7 scoring chance differential, and the Flames only gave up one during two minutes of penalty killing time with him on the ice. He's not much of a scorer but he's defensively responsible, can kill penalties, and will help get play moving in the right direction. The Flames have lacked the latter in their bottom-6 for years and I think Shore can be part of the solution.
5. The Sam Bennett line struggled
It wasn't all pretty for the Flames last night. The Mark Jankowski, Sam Bennett and Micheal Ferland line, in particular, had a tough night. The ice was severely tilted in Edmonton's favor every time they were out there. No line, or pairing, played less at full-strength as a result. It's only a one game sample but none of those guys are play drivers so I guess it's not overly surprising that proved to be an issue.
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