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1) After a disappointing effort on Monday the Calgary Flames bounced back last night with a much needed 2-0 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Chad Johnson continued his string of strong starts by stopping all 34 shots he faced en route to his sixth win, and second shutout, of the season.
Brian Elliott has been shaky for most of the year, in part due to some poor defensive showings in front of him, but Johnson has been pretty steady all season.
I think this just goes to show how important having two quality netminders is. After last season's debacle, GM Brad Treliving decided to double down and get not one but two goaltenders who performed at an above average level last season.
To this point Elliott, the bigger name, has not panned out exactly as planned but the data suggests he'll get going sooner or later. In the meantime Johnson, another smart bet, is holding down the fort and keeping the Flames' season alive.
Nothing is ever guarenteed in life but if the decision making process is sound, and you make smart bets, more of them will pay off than not. That's what we're seeing with Johnson right now and, again, I still don't have much doubt that Elliott will figure things out.
The Flames goaltending is fine. They just need to figure out how to get their slumping stars playing like, well, stars again.
2) Sean Monahan really needs to score a garbage goal or two. He has no confidence right now and isn't really making quality plays in any area of the ice. He didn't register even one shot last night and was the 8th(!) among Flames forwards in time on ice. Given he makes almost $2 million more than the next highest paid forward *currently* in the lineup (Troy Brouwer) it's safe to say this isn't ideal. I've said it once and I'll say it again: the Flames aren't going to accomplish much if Monahan isn't scoring, especially with Johnny Gaudreau out of the lineup.
3) Last night Dougie Hamilton played 20+ minutes for the fourth time in five games. Considering 159 blue liners have logged 200+ 5v5 minutes this season and Hamilton ranks 4th in points per 60, 3rd in shots per 60 and 8th in Corsi For% relative to the team without him, I'd say he is deserving of said minutes. Enough with these trade rumors. Play the guy and reap the rewards.
4) Playing with Dennis Wideman doesn't help but T.J. Brodie continues to be a big disappointment this season. He has routinely finished with a negative game score (that stat factors in goals, assists, points, blocks, goal differential, shot attempt differential, etc) and is last on the team among regular blue liners in Corsi For% relative to the team and Goals For% relative to the team. Again, I think Wideman weighing him down is part of it but the numbers are discouraging. I wonder if he is dealing with some sort of injury because this is simply not the Brodie we're accustomed to seeing.
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