A few notes on the Calgary Flames and their play over the last few weeks:
1) Any team that wins 12 times in a 15 game span has at least a little bit of luck on their side but the Flames are deserving of the success they've enjoyed of late.
They have controlled well over 53% of the scoring chances at 5v5 during this run. That puts them 4th in the NHL behind Los Angeles, Boston, and Pittsburgh. The Kings probably deserve to be in a better spot than they currently are, the Bruins just piled up eight wins in a row and the Pens lead the league in goals. Being bunched into a group with those teams is certainly a good thing.
Though the Flames have taken it up a notch of late, they have been playing very good hockey for months. They just couldn't get goaltending. Now it's there and we're seeing the results.
2) Remember when Brian Elliott really struggled and we wondered if he'd ever get back to the level he played at in St. Louis? Good times, good times. Since January 24th he has made 13 starts and owns a ridiculous .948 save percentage at 5v5 in that span. That puts him tops among all goaltenders with at least 10 starts and ahead of guys like Carey Price, Devan Dubnyk, Sergei Bobrovsky, Braden Holtby and Cory Schneider, among others.
3) Matt Stajan is quietly having a rock solid year on the 4th line. He's had a revolving door of linemates and has held down the fort regardless of who he has played with. The Flames are controlling better than 51% of the shot attempts and goals with Matty Franchise on the ice, which is really impressive for a 4th liner, and he has 16 points at full-strength. That is more than Claude Giroux, Brayden Schenn, Loui Eriksson and Troy Brouwer to name a few.
4) In all likelihood, the Flames will get the Sharks, Oilers or Ducks in the 1st round of the playoffs. I'm genuinely curious: which of those teams would you want to face or, in other words, which team do you think the Flames have the best chance against?
This will ruffle some feathers, especially considering how some meetings went earlier this season, but I think I'd want the Oilers. Their bottom-6 does nothing for me.
Recent posts: On the Lazar trade, sticking with Elliott and more