Some off day thoughts as the Calgary Flames prepare for a Tuesday night clash against the Nashville Predators:
1) I touched on this the other day but I continue to be amazed by the amount of ice time - or lack thereof - Michael Frolik has been given of late (14:44 is his high over the last five).
Among regulars no player on the Flames has a higher scoring chance for% relative to the team than Frolik. With Frolik out at 5 v 5 the Flames generate 56.8% of all scoring chances while they get just a 47.9% share without Frolik. That's almost a 9%(!!) difference.
Despite Frolik's dip in ice time he continues to lead the team in 5 v 5 scoring chances with 66. Yes, he ranks ahead of Sean Monahan, Johnny Gaudreau et all.
I think it's fair to say he should be in the 16-18 minute range on a nightly basis; as he was to start the season.
2) Markus Granlund's counting numbers don't jump off the page (three goals, 13 shots in eight games) but he's quietly playing some excellent hockey for the Flames.
He's only played ~100 minutes of even-strength hockey but the Flames have been much better with him on the ice than without.
Again, this isn't a large sample size but it's certainly encouraging for a 22-year-old to be making this much of an impact at even-strength.
If he continues to play like this I'm thinking he should stick around.
3) Last season Flames' goaltenders stopped .921% of the shots they faced at full-strength. That was good for 18th in the NHL.
This season with the same goaltending trio - and a better defense core - they rank 30th with a .894SV% at full-strength.
I expect over time the goaltending will be better but the Flames need to tighten up defensively and help Karri Ramo and Jonas Hiller a little more while they try and find their footing.
4) Crazy fact of the day: the Flames have 13 wins in 29 games and are a win away from putting themselves in a position to host a playoff series.
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