They say that good teams find ways to win games that they have no business winning. If that’s actually true, then the Flames are proving themselves to be a pretty damn good team so far this season. Yesterday’s afternoon victory over the Florida Panthers was definitely one of the uglier ways to win a hockey game but at the end of the contest, it was the Flames that emerged victorious once again.
The victory was the Flames’ 9th of the season, and has them sitting in 4th spot in the West, and 7th in the league with 20 points in 16 games played.
The Flames success so far is one of the more compelling stories in the NHL right now, and for good reason. Last season the team didn’t manage their ninth win until their 26th game. This season they’ve done it 10 games faster based on outstanding play from their top defensive pairing, tremendous goaltending from Jonas Hiller, and also due to some exceptionally high shooting percentages from many of the Flames young forwards.
At the start of the season, Johnny Gaudreau was the only real point of interest for the vast majority of the hockey world when discussing these Calgary Flames.
Today his emergence is actually being overshadowed by the success of the team, and specifically by the performance of Mark Giordano and T.J. Brodie. Gaudreau now has 12 points in 16 games, and sits second in rookie scoring behind only Nashville’s Filip Forsberg, but his recent success is nothing in comparison to that of his Captain.
Mark Giordano currently sits tied for 5th in league scoring with 18 points in 16 games played. He has strung together 4 multi-point games in a row, and shows no signs of cooling off anytime soon.
T.J Brodie isn’t far behind with 14 points in 16 games after being held off the score sheet against the Panthers. The scoreless night is the only one he’s had in a while though as he’s still sitting with 6 points in his last 5 games.
The captain remains humble when asked about his offensive success so far this season.
"No matter who you are, it's nice to contribute offensively. You enjoy scoring goals and putting up numbers. But at the same time, I try to be consistent and I really don't think my game has changed that much over the last little while.
"It's one of those things. You get those second assists and it looks like you're doing things differently offensively when you're really not."
He also continues to credit his defensive partner for Brodie’s impact on his play. "It's been a good fit. I think we read off each other well," explains Giordano. "His ability to move the puck and make plays, not only to me, but he makes strong-side plays where he makes that quick turn back and that allows me on the weak side to jump in a lot more than in the past."
Clearly, the recipe is working and the Flames continue to chalk up wins. They’ll look to cap off a successful road trip in Raleigh tomorrow night as they hope to come home with 8 out of a possible 10 points. The Hurricanes have been playing better of late though, and will do their best to thwart Giordano and the Flames.