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Five observations from Calgary vs Washington:
1. Cam Talbot was a mixed bag
I was a little surprised to see Talbot get the nod in goal last night. I know he was terrific in Anaheim but David Rittich has mostly been great and, well, usually when your starter is rested, he’s getting the nod. Bill Peters elected to stick with Talbot and it didn’t really work out. Talbot conceded four times on just 29 shots and gave up a couple clunkers. He fell asleep at the wheel allowing John Carlson to bury one that had no business going in. Shortly after he went full Mike Smith – never go full Mike Smith, kids – while playing the puck and just like that the Caps were up a pair. The Flames clawed back into the game for a bit but, in the end, they were out-scored by one (empty-netter aside) in a game Talbot gave two goals away. That has to sting.
2. Bottled up
The Flames were a little crisper and more decisive with the puck than in recent games, which allowed them to sustain some possessions in the offensive zone throughout. That said, they struggled to break the Capitals down and really create dangerous opportunities. While the shot volume (35) was there, the Flames mustered up only five high-danger chances. The Caps did a great job of holding formation, even when on their heels, and defending the home plate area. Almost everything was kept to the outside – be it the point or along the walls.
3. Neutral zone turnovers were a problem
There are countless turnovers every game. There always will be. The key is limiting them in places where opposing teams can quickly turn around and make you pay. The Flames didn’t do a great job of that last night. Immediately after tying the game up, Andrew Mangiapane coughed up the puck in the neutral zone and Alex Ovechkin capitalized just a few seconds later. They were also sloppy with it around the offensive blue line when pushing for a tie with the net empty. Again, the Capitals turned the loss of possession into a goal. The Flames have to be better.
4. A step in the right direction
Staying out of the box has been an issue for the Flames. The same can be said about limiting shots and chances while shorthanded. Last night the Flames mostly stayed disciplined – they took three minors – and did a great job of limiting the damage when they were forced to kill penalties. Everyone knows the Capitals have a ton of starpower and are generally lethal on the man advantage. That wasn’t the case Tuesday night. The Flames didn’t really allow the Capitals to setup and allowed just two scoring chances (zero high-danger) in six minutes of PK time. Let’s hope that is a sign of things to come.
5. Quick hits
a) Though Sean Monahan didn’t score, I thought he had a pretty good game. He piled up five shot attempts, led the team in expected goals, drew a penalty, and wasn’t afraid to engage physically.
b) I know it came in garbage time but was awesome to see Tobias Rieder find the back of the net. Only Monahan and Mangiapane are averaging more chances per minute in the early going. He deserved a reward.
c) I thought Austin Czarnik was excellent on L2 once again. He scored a goal, led the team in Corsi For%, and just looked good. This after forcing a NZ turnover that led to a goal the game prior. I’m not sure how long Bill Peters will keep Czarnik on the 2nd unit but hats off to him for taking advantage of the opportunity at hand.
Numbers via NaturalStatTrick.com
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