Update: Pat Steinberg just broke this trade.
McNiven has been assigned to the Stockton Heat.
Head scratcher, but perhaps there is more to come. Werner has dealt with injury this season, so there is a possibility he’s not 100%. The Stockton Heat do have Andrew Shortridge as their third string already.
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The Calgary Flames improved to 32-14-6 on Tuesday night with a dominant performance against former Flames 1B Cam Talbot and the Minnesota Wild. Here are a a few observations:
Rough stuff
The Minnesota Wild averages 22.3 hits per game (17th) 51 games into the 21-22 season. The Flames average 22.2. (18th) Both teams bumped the numbers on Tuesday night. The Wild recorded over double their average. 48 in total. The Flames recorded 34.
Scrums after countless plays, Russian giant Nikita Zadorov rag-dolling Ryan Hartman in a late first period fight— The game lived up to the hype of their under-the-radar burgeoning rivalry.
One has to wonder how the Wild will respond on April 28 when the two teams play again.
Killer instinct
Quick response goals dictated momentum heavily over 60 minutes of regulation play. The Flames struck early with a Tkachuk power play marker 1:12 into the first period and kept the pedal down until they established a 4-1 lead :33 into the third. The largest potential swing in momentum for the Wild, a Marcus Foligno goal 8:32 into the second period, was dashed 21 seconds later by a beautiful Lindholm one-timer goal created by a down-low cycle around the Wild net between himself, Gaudreau and Tkachuk.
Hockey is a game dictated by momentum. Despite what advanced stats may tell you, Calgary absolutely managed the puck and, as a result, the game by finding the back of the net at the right times.
Problems in Minnesota
The Wild brought a much better effort in the rematch. That said, the team as a whole seems snake-bit. Their 4th ranked offence (3.67GF/GP) was third ranked prior to playing two games against Calgary. They’ve scored eight goals during their four game losing streak. 2.00GF/GP is worse than Arizona’s 2.28.
For a team that posts the 21st ranked defence in the league, it’s no surprise they go on losing streaks when their offence dries up.
Stats aside, they had issues winning puck battles, getting plays started when they did retrieve a puck, and their defensive coverage is still just bad. You can easily explain “21st ranked defence… by pointing out how poor their coverage is in both the high and low slot. Tkachuk’s goal, Mangiapane’s goal, Lindholm’s goal, Toffilo’s goal— all uncovered shots from within the slot and below the hashmarks.
It’s only a matter of time before the offence finds it’s way back into form; the defence needs serious attention. The players and the coaching staff have a lot of work to do if they want to get back on track and they have very little time to get it done.
Strange game on paper
If one were to skip watching the game, just sit down with the game report on naturalstattrick.com and try to explain this game: one would assume the Wild outplayed the Flames by a good margin. The stats are right there.
56%-44% in shot attempts in favour of the Wild including a 70.27CF% in the third period. Scoring chances were 29-22, high danger chances were 12-4, hits 48-34, 2.53 xGF to 1.99xGA for Minnesota.
Yet it would be hard to find anyone who watched the game that is willing to say that the Wild looked in control at any point during the 5-1 Flames victory.
This is something that drives me nuts about advanced stats. “Analysts… compare these figures with absolutely zero acknowledgement that a team might be revert into a conservative trap for an extended period of any given game.
That means taking less chances, staying in formation and making the neutral zone very difficult to get the puck through without icing it.
Play on a team that is good at getting leads and knows when to start locking down the middle of the ice? That may affect how you are valued as an offensive producer.
A coach imposes a more structured system and suddenly a more disciplined player is “worse… than one in a system that takes more chances and spends more time likely not protecting a lead?
Much like the Minnesota Wild defence, the statistics community has a long way to go.
The Montreal Canadiens are in town tomorrow for a 7pm faceoff. Cole Caufield has seven points in his last five games. He’s a “can’t miss… player to watch right now.
Be sure to stop by for a preview of the game.
Trevor Neufeld