Five observations from Calgary vs Chicago
1. Pedal to the metal The Flames have had numerous schedule wins of late (rested games vs teams in back-to-backs, three-in-fours, etc.). They continue to take advantage.
Calgary came out flying against the Blackhawks peppering Corey Crawford with shots – many of which of high quality – early on. His strong start was the only reason the Blackhawks weren't out of the game by the end of the 1st. They completely no-showed. It's not an exaggeration to say the Flames had eight or nine good looks by the time they finally conceded one.
Are the Blackhawks a good team? No. Should we expect a good team, such as the Flames, to jump on a struggling, tired team? Yes. But credit to the Flames for actually going out there and doing it. A lot of times last season they'd lay an egg in favorable spots. This year that's simply not the case.
2. The power play came through Chris Kunitz provided the Flames with a golden opportunity to take over the game when he decided it'd be a good idea to clock Travis Hamonic with an elbow. And they took advantage.
Elias Lindholm and Derek Ryan found twine within 90 seconds of each other early in the five-minute major and that's all the Flames needed to nail down a win.
A season ago it would have been an accomplishment to generate a couple successful zone entries and maybe record a few chances. Seeing Calgary's power play, which has quietly been strong this season (only six teams have more PPGs), legitimately win them a game was refreshing.
3. The 3rd line was excellent Andrew Mangiapane, Derek Ryan, and James Neal all provided the Flames with above-average performances. Mangiapane's quickness and tenacity was a factor and he had a couple really good chances around the net. Ryan continued to build on recently strong play with his sixth point in eight games. Neal had one of his best games of the year leading the team in Corsi (82.35%) and high-danger chances (4). I don't know who deserves the most credit but it was encouraging to see all three players put their best foot forward. Let's hope they can build on it next time out.
4. Mike Smith did his part The Flames dominated for large stretches of play. Rarely, if ever, did they get hemmed in the defensive zone and spend chunks of time chasing the puck around. Yet they still gave up a decent amount of quality opportunities; mostly due to odd-man rushes and breakaways. There were some glaring mistakes that led to said opportunities and, for the most part, Mike Smith was there to answer the bell. Statistically, it wasn't a magnificent performance (a .917SV% is just above league average) and there were some uncomfortable, sprawling moments throughout. He got the job done, though, and gave the Flames a quality start for the fourth time in five games. Easy starts or not, it's nice to see him trending upwards.
5. The top line continues to hum It was yet another good at the office for the Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan, Elias Lindholm line. They recorded two points apiece and combined for 19 shot attempts along with 10 scoring chances. After a somewhat concerning start to the year (at least analytically), it feels like they're the best line on the ice more often than not regardless of who else is involved in the game. I always thought Lindholm would be a good fit on the top line but I don't think I imagined it being this dominant on a nightly basis.
Numbers via NaturalStatTrick.com
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