Five observations from Calgary vs Colorado:
1. The better team won Don't let the scoreline fool you: that was not a very close game. At least it shouldn't have been. The Flames dominated for large stretches of play and consistently generated quality looks, even though it took them a while to capitalize. They could do whatever they wanted vs an Avalanche team that has actually been pretty stingy defensively this season (prior to last night they ranked top-10 in expected goals against/60).
When all was said and done the Flames out-attempted the Avs 74-39, out-chanced them 37-19, and won the high-danger battle 21-9. It was a shooting gallery in front of Semyon Varlamov.
2. Double H impressed again I've frequently commented on how well Noah Hanifin and Travis Hamonic have been playing together, and how the latter's presence has allowed Hanifin to take chances and get really involved offensively. It was more of the same last night.
The Flames controlled better than 70%(!) of the attempts with that duo on the ice and they accounted for 12 of the 74 pucks Calgary put towards the net. That's 16% from one pairing.
They're really playing well and helping stabilize a defense that looked quite awful at times in the early going.
3. Mike Smith's struggles continue Another game, another disappointing showing from Mike Smith. His numbers were horrendous in large part because he allowed two or three goals you'd expect any NHL goaltender to stop with ease. He was coughing out big rebounds, pucks squeezed by him, and he just looked very leaky.
After another sub .900SV% effort, Smith has failed to reach that number in seven of 10 starts this year. He also ranks last in SV% and Goals Saved Above Average among the 60 goaltenders to play 450+ minutes since February 1st of last season.
If this continues, it's going to be David Rittich's net sooner than later.
4. A deserving reward Following a couple meh showings to start the year, James Neal has really come on generating a few quality chances seemingly every night. The same can be said of Mikael Backlund. Despite all the good looks, the two combined for just three goals in 13 games to start the year. That's why it was so nice to see them both find the back of the net last night and factor heavily into the comeback win. They deserved more production and, quite frankly, the Flames are paying them for more. Hopefully the floodgates open up now.
5. Mark Giordano is a freak He was the game's most impactful player. It felt like he never left the ice and it was always tilted in Calgary's favor when he was out there. At 5v5 he posted a +12 shot attempt differential, a +6 chance differential, and a +3 goal differential. He was also absolutely dominant offensively scoring a goal, adding three assists (the NHL is finally giving him credit for one on Michael Frolik's goal), and piling up a game-high 12 shot attempts.
It's honestly hard to believe this guy is 35 years old. He is playing at a Norris level.
Numbers via NaturalStatTrick.com and Corsica.Hockey. Recent posts: On improved defensve play, Rittich, and the top line