Five observations from Calgary vs St. Louis:
1. Slow start proved costly Saturday's game was a home matinee against a bad team in the final day before the holiday break. If ever there was a let-down spot where the Flames might look ahead and lay an egg, this was it – and they did. The Flames came out *really* sluggish. Their breakouts were sloppy. They couldn't generate much speed through the neutral zone. They just didn't seem into the game while the Blues looked like a team that was sick of getting embarrassed. Couple that with some questionable play from Mike Smith (there's a shocker) and the Flames exited the opening frame trailing. While 40 minutes is enough time to try and come back, the Flames can't rely on the offense bringing them from behind all the time. They've found that out more frequently of late. December 9th against Edmonton they came out flat, fell behind in the opening 20, and lost. They did the same thing on the 18th against Dallas and, now, again vs St. Louis. They have to start on time.
2. Matthew Tkachuk was dominant He was unquestionably the best player on the ice. Though many Flames started slowly, he was effective from start to finish. In the opening frame, he recorded a team-high four shot assists at 5v5 and converted on the power play to bring the Flames back into the game. The Flames dominated in terms of attempts (17-9) and chances (9-3) with him on the ice at 5v5. Individually, he created opportunities for teammates left, right, and center. He was easily the team's biggest driver offensively.
3. James Neal showed signs of life I didn't like his effort in terms of forechecking. With the puck, I thought it was one of the best performances he's put together in quite some time. He made a couple excellent passes to teammates in dangerous spots en route to a four shot assist performance. In four tracked games prior to yesterday, he only had three total shot assists at 5v5. Creating offense via playmaking was something new for him, to say the least. He also finished tied for the team-lead with five attempts at 5v5 and recorded a couple good chances of his own. He didn't find the scoresheet, again, but it was a step in the right direction. It's amazing what ice time with Tkachuk and Mikael Backlund can do for someone.
4. Mike Smith sucked The Flames really didn't give up much (27 shots on goal, 18 total chances), particularly over the final 40 minutes. Smith still conceded three times. Of the three goals allowed, two were bad. Really bad. His positioning was poor on the 1st goal and he looked like a fish out of water on the 3rd goal. There were a couple occasions where shots squeaked through him and ended up dribbling wide or being scooped up by teammates before the Blues could pounce. This guy is just not good. At some point, the Flames need to adjust his workload accordingly. He has started, and appeared, in more games than David Rittich and that simply can't be justified.
5. Michael Frolik sparked the 3rd line With Michael Frolik, James Neal, and Sam Bennett in and out of the lineup due to injury, and the team prioritizing grit (Kerby Rychel, Ryan Lomberg, etc.) over skill (Andrew Mangiapane, Dillon Dube, etc.), Calgary's bottom-6 group has unsurprisingly been caved in more often than not in recent weeks. They really needed to more play-driving ability and Frolik's return gave them that. It didn't take long for that to shine through.
The Flames controlled the shot (attempt) share with Frolik on the ice regardless of who he skated with. Of the 10 players he skated at least a shift with, none finished with a Corsi For below 50%.
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