Five takeaways from Calgary's overtime win over Pittsburgh:
1) Given the circumstances, I thought the Flames started the game horribly. The Penguins looked like the fresh team and skated the Flames into the ground early. They were firing pucks towards the net from anywhere and everywhere and the Flames were very lucky to make it out of the 1st period tied.
They started to settle in after 20 and were the better team for the final ~42 minutes, but it usually won't end well if you no-show against back-to-back champs.
2) Mike Smith was terrific once again. He made no shortage of quality stops, particularly on odd-man rushes and mini breakaways, and came up big time and time again, which allowed the Flames time they didn't necessarily deserve to find their footing.
Following Smith's 43-save performance, he now owns a .936 save percentage on the year and ranks 3rd among 15 eligible goaltenders (minimum 10 starts) in that category. Even if you were high on Smith, I think it's fair to say you didn't expect him to start the season *this* well. He's been spectacular.
3) If you were teaching a class on how to face Sidney Crosby and make it out alive, you would just roll the tape of last night's game.
The 3M line put on an absolute clinic vs Crosby. Despite unfavorable zone starts, attempts were 21-9 and chances were 11-3 in favor of Calgary when the 3M line was out against Crosby's unit. The Flames also played disciplined and took just one penalty, which ensured he didn't get any easy offensive opportunities on the man advantage. Well done.
4) Brett Kulak played just under 13 minutes but, damn it, they were good minutes. I thought he looked really comfortable and played perhaps his best game to date. He didn't allow easy entries, he took the outlets that were available to him rather than wiring pucks down the ice and throwing possessions away (looking at you, Matt Bartkowski), and stepped up at the offensive blue line on a couple occasions to keep the puck in and extend the possession. He's really helped solidify the 3rd pairing and deserves a run of games.
5) Dougie Hamilton played 20+ minutes four times in the first nine games of the season. He has played 20+ in three of four games since and logged a season-high 26:10 vs the Pens. He has been one of the best 5v5 defenders in the league over the last couple seasons so I am very here for his increased usage.