Wanna blog? Start your own hockey blog with My HockeyBuzz. Register for free today!
 

Flames 5, Red Wings 1: Bottom-6 steps up in a big way

October 18, 2019, 11:35 AM ET [51 Comments]
Todd Cordell
Calgary Flames Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
Follow me on Twitter @ToddCordell

Five observations from Calgary vs Detroit:

1. Role players stepped up

Remember a few days ago when I made the point Calgary had gotten zero (0) goals at 5v5 from bottom-6ers? Andrew Mangiapane snapped that skid against Philadelphia and the flood gates opened completely last night vs Detroit.

Mangiapane scored again early on a nice deflection – while also coming close on a couple other Grade A chances just outside the paint – to get the party started. Sam Bennett and Derek Ryan also picked up their first goals of the season on net-mouth plays.

While Milan Lucic didn’t score, he made Bennett’s goal happen with some great forechecking work. He was also directly involved in Ryan’s – check that, Filip Hronkek’s – goal.

All in all, the Flames scored three markers at full-strength and they all came from bottom-6 forwards. It was no fluke, either, as the three goal scorers combined for 14 shot attempts and nine scoring chances at 5v5. They were legitimately dangerous and fully deserving of the results they garnered.

2. Big Save Dave did his thing

Detroit is hardly a high-powered offensive team. They do have a few nice pieces, though, and managed to test David Rittich quite a bit – especially early. There were several blown coverages and odd-man rushes against. Rittich erased all those problems, making nice side-to-side stops. He also came up big on some breakaways, such as one where Andreas Athanasiou used his speed to blow past a member of the Flames and get loose with enough space to make a move.

The only time he conceded was on a breakaway following a Mangiapane turnover (Bread Man was otherwise really good!) where Anthony Mantha’s shot slowly trickled through before Darren Helm banged in the loose change. It would’ve been nice if he could have fully squeezed that. You know what else would have been nice? A defender being in the picture to to prevent Helm from getting the rebound.

Nevertheless, Rittich only gave up one goal on 28 shots (25 chances) so it was definitely another solid effort from him. I’d probably give Cam Talbot the LA game and save Rittich for Anaheim on Sunday but I wouldn’t be surprised if the Flames do it the other way and ride the hot hand.

3. The power play was productive

It might have been role players coming through at 5v5 but the big boys did their part on the man power play. Calgary spent just over eight minutes on the man advantage. In that time, they peppered Jimmy Howard with 14 shot attempts, nine shots on target and six chances. They converted that into a pair of goals. I thought the Flames did a nice job of being patient and working the puck into dangerous areas. When they were forced to shoot from the outside, seemingly all of the shots – such as Mark Giordano’s goal – came from the middle of the ice and there was traffic involved. Put another way, there weren’t really any bad shots or wasted opportunities.

4. A positive step for Mark Jankowski

Jankowski’s had the worst start imaginable. With zero points and just six chances in 71 minutes of ice this season, he has generated absolutely nothing offensively. The Flames haven’t even scored a goal with him on the ice. Things just haven’t been good.

I thought his game last night was a step in the right direction. While he didn’t find the scoresheet, the Flames spent a lot of time in the offensive zone. Including penalty killing time, he wasn’t on for a single chance against in ~9 minutes of ice. If he’s not going to produce points, he needs to play solid defense and at least help sustain some possessions in the OZ. He did that last night.

5. Calgary limited Detroit’s top weapons

Don’t get me wrong. Mantha, Athanasiou and co. did get some good looks. Not many, though. Mantha was credited with two chances (one high-danger). Athanasiou was credited with two chances (one high-danger). Dylan Larkin was credited with two chances (zero high-danger). It wasn’t a perfect defensive performance but you take that every single time because Detroit doesn’t have many guys who can really make you pay beyond those three. It showed last night.

Numbers via NaturalStatTrick.com

Recent posts:

Predicting the Stanley Cup Finals 2019-20

Predicting the Western Conference Finals 2019-20

Predicting the Pacific Division standings in 2019-20

Flames sign Matthew Tkachuk to three-year bridge

Bold Pacific Division predictions for 2019-20

Pacific Division breakout picks for 2019-20

Three reasons to be optimistic about the Flames in 2019-20

Three Flames question marks heading into 2019-20
Join the Discussion: » 51 Comments » Post New Comment
More from Todd Cordell
» Three negatives from the Calgary Flames' 2020-21 campaign
» Three positives from the Calgary Flames' 2020-21 season
» Calgary Flames notes - May 19th
» Three things I'd like to see from the Calgary Flames down the stretch
» G52 Calgary Flames vs Ottawa Senators: Low-danger hockey