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The Calgary Flames extended their winning streak to eight games on Thursday night with a 5-0 victory over the Montreal Canadiens.
A few thoughts on the game:
1) That was a statement win. Like the Flames, the Habs entered the contest on a seven-game winning streak and feeling good about themselves. That ended in a hurry as the Flames came out and skated them into the ground from the word go.
The Flames out-chanced the Habs 23-9 over the first 40 minutes and had a four-goal lead to show for it. Carey Price's absence certainly didn't help Montreal's cause but the Flames were fully deserving of the end result. They were fantastic in this game and showed one of the Eastern Conference's top teams that they're not one to mess around with.
I've been saying this for weeks and I'll say it again: I think the Flames have what it takes to make some noise come playoff time and they're not a team I'd want to draw.
2) Another game, another fantastic showing from the Johnny Gaudreau - Sean Monahan - Micheal Ferland line. They factored in on four of the goals and were excellent in possession controlling ~70%(!) of the shot attempts at 5v5.
In 116 minutes together this trio has a plus-9 goal differential. In other words, they've essentially played two full hockey games a unit and outscored their opponents by nine. It's clear things are clicking with this group and they should remain together moving forward.
3) It wasn't all good news as Dougie Hamilton and Michael Stone both left the game with injuries. At the time of writing this, there is no update on Stone but Hamilton's injury (thankfully) doesn't appear to be serious.
That's great news for the Flames. Hamilton is 2nd among defensemen in 5v5 points per 60, 5v5 shots per 60, 5v5 shot attempts per 60 and he leads all blueliners in Corsi For% relative to the team without him. He is not a guy the Flames can afford to lose while they try and earn themselves a home series in the 1st round of the playoffs.
4) If Hamilton and/or Stone are forced to miss time, I'd like to see Brett Kulak a) recalled and; b) given legitimate minutes. I think he can handle them and is a better option than Dennis Wideman.
5) Brian Elliott has allowed two goals or fewer in eight of his last nine starts and he owns a .938 save percentage in that span. The team has played great in front of him but he has been as responsible as anyone for the great success the team has enjoyed of late. He's surely playing his way into a contract extension.
Recent posts:
On Stone's play as a Flame, Tkachuk's incredible year and more
On the hot streak, Elliott, Stajan and more
On the Lazar trade, sticking with Elliott and more
On Brouwer, Tkachuk, Stone and more
Examining the Michael Stone trade
Pacific Division bold predictions
Pacific Division breakout players
Calgary Flames Blogger • 
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