1) I've really been impressed with Juuso Valimaki's play thus far. There have been a couple hiccups defensively, which is only natural for a 19-year-old making the jump straight from junior hockey, but the good has greatly outweighed the bad.
Despite partnering with Michael Stone and then Dalton Prout, Valimaki's on-ice numbers are strong. The Flames have controlled ~65% of the attempts and ~68% of the chances with him out there.
He already is confident enough to jump into the play and create. Through two games he ranks 5th on the team in shot attempts and 3rd – behind only Mikael Backlund and Johnny Gaudreau – in scoring chances.
He has also helped generate opportunities for teammates by quickly transitioning from defense to offense.
Valimaki is awfully fun to watch. pic.twitter.com/q4N806Zr1j
— dellowhockey (@dellowhockey) October 5, 2018
2) Bill Peters might have to do something about the Dillon Dube - Derek Ryan - James Neal line. I understand it can take time for three new players to gel together but, man, the early returns have been ugly. Through two games they own a 35 Corsi For% and 28 Expected Goals For%. Those are truly awful numbers and they look even worse when you consider the Flames have otherwise been dominant at 5v5. I think this line is made up of too many dependents. Ryan is not going to take the puck and rush it up ice to create for others, nor is Neal. Dube has that potential but it's probably unfair to expect him to do the heavy lifting at this point. Peters might have to shake things up.
3) I think the Flames need to put Rasmus Andersson in the lineup. Dressing one capable puck mover on the right side might not have cost the Flames on Saturday night but I think it will tomorrow. Nashville is a very talented team, obviously, but they're also one of the better forechecking teams in the league. They pressure quickly and relentlessly. If you can't move the puck quickly/effectively, you're going to be in a world of trouble. I don't think the Flames will be able to do that with Michael Stone and Dalton Prout both playing.
Numbers via NaturalStatTrick.com and Corsica.Hockey.