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Five takeaways from Calgary vs Carolina:

1) Mike Smith posted a .929 save percentage while starting each of the first six games and was arguably the team's best player during that stretch. I thought the few days rest came at the wrong time and may have taken him out of his groove but, boy, was I wrong. He looked very sharp vs Carolina and, once again, kept the Flames in a game they didn't necessarily deserve to be in as they were largely outplayed at 5v5. I feel like the Flames would have only one or two wins to their name if not for how well he has played thus far.

2) Discipline is becoming a big problem for the Flames. Like, really big. Every night they take several unnecessary penalties and it routinely comes back to bite them. They took six minors vs Carolina -- compared to the Hurricanes' one -- and lost the special teams battle by one as a result, which was the difference in the game. Hockey is unpredictable and there are a lot of things you can't control that help decide the game. Discipline is not one of those things. There is no excuse for all these dumb penalties.

3) After the game, Glen Gulutzan hinted some players could lose ice time due to a lack of discipline.

Gulutzan upset with usual penalty suspects. "(They) are going to dress but they're going to lose some of their prime real estate ice time."

— Darren Haynes (@DarrenWHaynes) October 20, 2017

In general, I am on board with the idea but I'd make an exception for Matthew Tkachuk. He has taken some bad penalties, sure, but he's drawn eight this season (no other Flame has more than three) and has a positive penalty differential. He also leads the team in Corsi and even-strength chances so cutting his minutes will probably do more harm than good.

4) I thought Jaromir Jagr had good chemistry with Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau and played the best game of his young Flames career. He picked up an assist on the Flames' lone goal, tallied four shots on target, tied for the team-lead with four chances at 5v5, and was seemingly a threat every time he touched the ice. Smart usage from Glen Gulutzan helped the cause -- only four of 16 5v5 zone starts were in the defensive zone -- but I feel like it's normal for coaches to want their best offensive players in good situations.

5) Another game, another poor showing from Matt Bartkowski. The Flames were out-attempted 17-2 and out-chanced 6-0 with him on the ice at 5v5, which is downright horrendous. I'm not saying Brett Kulak is perfect -- he is far from it -- but at what point is he going to be given a shot to take Bartkowski's place? How many times will the Flames trot Bartkowski back out there and get the same, poor, results?

Recent posts:

On Jagr, Stajan, and Jankowski

On Tkachuk's strong play, getting Lack some work, and Glass

Five takeaways from Calgary's bounce-back win over Vancouver

Five takeaways from Calgary's overtime win over Los Angeles

Five takeaways from Calgary's streak-snapping win in Anaheim

Five takeaways from Calgary's convincing win over Winnipeg

Predicting the Pacific Division standings

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