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Five observations from Calgary vs Columbus:
1. An underwhelming performance
The Flames were taking on a talented, desperate Blue Jackets team, and they were doing so without a few important pieces in Sean Monahan, Sam Bennett and, to a lesser extent, James Neal. It showed. While the Flames did play well in stretches, they were far from their best – especially defensively – for much of the game. There were a lot of poor decisions made with the puck, and the defense may as well have nailed a welcome sign into the ice at the blueline. The Blue Jackets deserve a lot of credit for pushing so hard but the Flames really didn't do much to stop them. If not for some luck and a very sharp performance from David Rittich – perhaps his best in months – we'd be talking about a much different result. Take the two points and run.
2. The top pairing struggled
At the forefront of Calgary's defensive struggles, unfortunately, was the Mark Giordano - T.J. Brodie pairing. Largely because of the latter, it has been hit and miss in recent weeks. Last night's effort might serve as a new low despite somehow not getting beat on the scoreboard. That's not to say they didn't make any nice plays – Brodie's outlet to Michael Frolik prior to his goal comes to mind – but the bad outweighed the good. The Flames controlled less than 30% of the attempts and chances with Giordano and Brodie on the ice. No other Flames posted a Corsi below 40%. Did they face stiff competition? Yes, but they do on a nightly basis and *never* get results like that.
In 12 minutes of head-to-head play against Artemi Panarin, they were out-attempted 12-4 (25 CF%). In six minutes of H2H play against Matt Duchene, they were out-attempted 7-0 (0 CF%). That leaves just a couple even-strength minutes where the top pairing wasn't hemmed into the defensive zone.
*If* the Flames get to the point late in the year where the No. 1 seed in the division is locked up, or they're stuck in the 2-spot, I think Bill Peters should try some different things. Be it Giordano with Andersson to familiarize each other again, or resting Giordano entirely to make sure his older legs are fresh come playoff time, tinkering with some things might not be a bad idea.
3. Andrew Mangiapane stepped up
With Monahan, Bennett, and Neal out of the lineup, Mangiapane was afforded top-9 minutes that normally wouldn't be there. Penalties aside, I thought he did a good job of taking advantage of the opportunity at hand. His line posted really strong on-ice numbers (54 CF%, 72 SCF%) and he was a big reason for that. He was all over the puck, forechecked hard, and was rewarded for his drive around the net with a goal late in the opening frame. He more than held his own against Artemi Panarin in the battle of the Bread Men.
4. A concerning trend continued
The Blue Jackets are perhaps the league's most disciplined team. The Flames, well, are not. It was hardly surprising the Blue Jackets had two extra power play opportunities – I suggested as much in my game preview – but it's a little concerning that continues to be the case for Calgary's opponents. The Flames have had equal or fewer PP chances in eight consecutive games now. The last time they had more power plays than their opponent was March 2nd against Minnesota. I know questionable officiating hasn't helped the cause at times – nor does Matthew Tkachuk seemingly no longer getting the benefit of the doubt – but it's going to hurt the Flames come playoff time if almost every night their opponent spends more time in favorable offensive situations.
5. Let's hope the injuries are minor
Alan Quine played 4:29. Curtis Lazar played 4:48. Garnet Hathaway, who averages more than 10 minutes a night, played 6:42. I realize spending five minutes in the box after a fight factored into that but it's clear Bill Peters doesn't have much faith in that unit. Nor should he. But logging that little ice is a problem. Not because they are capable and deserving of more, but rather it puts too large of a workload on key players at a time where, ideally, you take a little off to try and ensure they're ready to go a month from now. Hopefully a body or two up front is able to return sooner than later so Peters can go back to rolling four lines.
Numbers via NaturalStatTrick.com
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