Five takeaways from Calgary vs Dallas:
1) Both teams were playing their third game in four nights and it most definitely showed. I thought the game was pretty sloppy as a whole and that the two sides -- especially Calgary -- complicated things by trying to do much when the sharpness wasn't there. Just shoot the puck! The Flames passed up some decent looks and didn't test Kari Lehtonen enough considering how poorly he played in his first couple appearances of the year.
2) Not that I thought they were great, but the Sam Bennett, Mark Jankowski, Kris Versteeg line played three minutes less than the Tanner Glass, Matt Stajan, Troy Brouwer line at 5v5. The Flames probably won't win many games when that is the case. The former line at its worst will still be better than the latter at its best in many cases. Utilizing those lines like Glen Gulutzan did definitely limits the team's upside.
3) The 3M line didn't get on the scoresheet but they were very effective once again. The trio accounted for 11 shots on goal, including a couple while killing penalties, and kept arguably the best line in hockey -- Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin, and Alexander Radulov -- off the scoresheet at full-strength. The 3M line most definitely did their part.
4) I'm not one to complain about officiating often but in consecutive games the Flames had some very questionable calls go against them, the penalty kill unit concede, and then end up being the difference between winning and losing. It'll go both ways over the course of the season but the Flames are not a team that will make the playoffs by 15 points so they can't afford games to be ripped out of their hands like this.
5) Another game, another quality start for Mike Smith. That's seven in 10 games and he still gave the Flames a chance to win in two of the three that weren't. He's been quite solid in the early going and is maybe the biggest reason the Flames aren't a few games under .500.