Five observations from Calgary vs Columbus:
1. Goaltending was optional I don't think it's an exaggeration to say that was one of the worst goaltending displays you will ever see. Both starters were pulled and all four goaltenders that dressed posted horrendous numbers. I mean, Mike Smith led the game with a .813 save percentage.
Poor goalies tonight. Goodness.
— Pat Steinberg (@Fan960Steinberg) December 5, 2018
Smith: 3 goals on 16 shots, 0.813 SV%
Rittich: 3 goals on 14 shots, 0.786 SV%
Bobrovsky: 8 goals on 26 shots, 0.692 SV%
Korpisalo: 1 goal on 2 shots, 0.500 SV%#Flames #CBJ
It'd be one thing if the two sides were trading high-end opportunities and peppering each other. There were breakdowns, sure, but that wasn't the case. The two sides combined to register 58 shots on target, which is not an overly large number, and just 41 scoring chances. For perspective, the previous low for chances in a Flames game was 48 and only two of their 27 prior outings finished below 50.
I'm glad last night's game turned into a goal-fest – I was quite entertained – but it probably shouldn't have.
2. The top line continues to cook It was yet another dynamite night for Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan, and Elias Lindholm. They combined to score five(!!) times and threatened on numerous other occasions. At 5v5, they were on for four Flames goals. That puts their on-ice number up to 20 on the year, which ranks 4th in the NHL behind the top lines of Colorado, Toronto and, yes, Columbus. It's worth noting Calgary's top unit features the highest Corsi For% of the bunch. They're filling the net at an extremely high clip *and* dominating territorially in the process. That bodes well for their chances of continued success moving forward.
3. Austin Czarnik was finally rewarded More often than not Czarnik has finished on the right side of the possession ledger, generated a few chances, and come up empty-handed on the scoresheet. None of that was the case vs Columbus. Czarnik posted a ~39 CF%, ~27 SCF%, and recorded only one individual chance. Naturally, this was the game in which he broke through scoring for the first time since *checks notes* October 6th against Vancouver. Though it was far from his best game, he did get results. Hopefully this helps him solidify a regular spot in the lineup because the Flames are a better team with him in it.
4. James Neal can't get going Mikael Backlund, Johnny Gaudreau, and Elias Lindholm were the only forwards to play more than Neal. The Flames scored nine goals. That's the recipe for a great night. Somehow, it wasn't.
Neal did not record a point. Heck, he didn't even record a scoring chance. Not one. It was a very high-paced game and he looked completely out of place, as Kent Wilson astutely pointed out.
On that note, James Neal really looked over his head in that period due to his plodding stride and foot speed.
— Kent Wilson (@Kent_Wilson) December 5, 2018
I do believe he has more to give. I also believe he's unlucky not to have at least a couple more goals to his name. With that said, his start to the season is beginning to get concerning given what the Flames committed to him.
5. Dalton Prout stood out for the wrong reasons I get wanting to give the guy a chance to play. I do. As much as hockey is a business, there are a lot of good people involved and Prout seems to be one of them. I understand wanting to give him an opportunity against his former team. I just don't think Bill Peters and co. should have done it. Prout is not fleet of foot and doesn't really belong in today's NHL. Dressing Prout against a fast team like Columbus in a game you can't control matchups and protect him just doesn't make sense. As you'd expect, he was exposed. There were some gaffes with the puck. There were also some poor decisions made and Prout doesn't have the foot speed to recover. As a result, the Flames were out-chanced 5-1 with him on the ice and a couple of those chances ended up in the back of the net.
If the Flames really believe Prout is a rotational NHL player, and want to give him work on occasion, I think games against physical, slow, low-event teams like Los Angeles and Edmonton are the ones to dress him in.
Numbers via NaturalStatTrick.com
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