Follow me on Twitter @ToddCordell
On Tuesday night the Calgary Flames earned themselves some much-needed breathing room with a win over the Florida Panthers.
Despite having two goals called off due to challenges, the Flames overcame 1-0 and 2-1 deficits en route to an impressive 5-2 victory.
A few notes:
1) As I eluded to in my game preview, the Panthers are a banged up team right now. Still, it was impressive the kind of beatdown the Flames put on them.
The Flames allowed just 11 shots in the first 40 minutes, and Florida's final shot count of 22 was inflated by three 3rd period power plays.
Calgary controlled much of the game and, at 5v5, it wasn't really a contest.
This was another strong showing from a Flames team trending upwards in a big way. They are now outplaying teams at 5v5 on a regular basis, which makes them very tough to beat considering how well their special teams' units are playing.
2) The Matthew Tkachuk - Mikael Backlund - Michael Frolik line continues to not only be Calgary's best but one of the best in hockey.
They were strong in possession, disruptive on the forecheck, good on the power play (and penalty kill), and combined to create three of the four non-empty net goals. The chemistry they have is truly special, as is their ability to read off each other and know what to do and where to go at all times.
Backlund's 2nd goal was a perfect example of that.
3) Mark Giordano has had a quiet offensive year by his standards, but he's starting to make some noise. Following last night's three-point effort, he has eight points in his last nine contests. If he and Brodie start contributing offensively to the level they're capable of, the Flames will be scary good.
4) Chad Johnson wasn't spectacular, but he did his job stopping a respectable 20-22. Johnson went through a rough patch in December but seems to have found his game having allowed two goals or fewer in all five starts he has made since the turn of the calendar.
Both Johnson and Elliott have had their ups and downs, but the Flames have to be pretty happy with their goaltending this season. When one guy struggles for a couple games, the other always seems to step up and give the Flames the goaltending they need.
Recent posts:
On Hamilton, Monahan and more
On Backlund's two-way play, Versteeg, and the expansion draft
Predicting the Pacific Division standings
Pacific Division bold predictions
Pacific Division breakout players
Calgary Flames Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»