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Flames 2, Canadiens 1: A Darryl Sutter special |
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Follow me on Twitter @ToddCordell
A few thoughts from Calgary vs Montreal:
1. What a difference. I know it was a big-time schedule loss for Montreal. I still want to give Calgary a ton of credit, though, because they looked like a much different team in their first game under Darryl Sutter. Their puck management was very good for the majority of the game. A big reason why is because they were extremely connected.. How many times did we see a couple forwards circling back to provide an easy out on breakouts? How many times did we see the team attack with numbers and make 8-foot passes to one another? The answer is a lot. And it worked. Goalposts were the only thing in the way of the Flames scoring four or five, and they gave up very little defensively. Montreal generated just 1.07 xG in more than 50 minutes of 5v5 play. For perspective, they average ~2.30 per 60 on the year. It was an outstanding first step under Sutter. Now to build on it.
2. The 4th line was remarkable. Sutter always talks about the importance of being a four-line team. He wants to use each line, and he’ll make changes until he is comfortable using each one. Based on last night’s game, that might not be necessary. He went with a 4th line of Josh Leivo, Derek Ryan, and Sam Bennett. They were absolutely spectacular; and not just because they accounted for both of the team’s goals. They allowed only two shot attempts in more than nine minutes of ice at 5v5, and those attempts accounted for 0.01 xG. Put another way, they were long-range prayers. This line was hard on pucks, they generated offense within the structure of the team, and they gave up nothing. There is a reason Sutter had them on the ice in the dying seconds of the game.
3. One. That’s how many high-danger chances the Noah Hanifin - Chris Tanev was on for in more than 18 minutes of ice at 5v5. It’d be impressive to defend that well against anybody. To regularly play against Brendan Gallagher, Tyler Toffoli, and Montreal’s top weapons and give up only one Grade A look is remarkable. They’ve been lights out all season long and, based on last night, it sure seems like they’ll be treated as the top pair/matchup pairing under Sutter. I continue to be amazed by how well those two have meshed together; I had extreme concerns about them heading into the season and, quite frankly, I was wrong.
4. Back on track. Jacob Markstrom entered play having allowed at least three goals in five consecutive games. His overall numbers stumbled to around league average after a really strong start. Questionable play in front of him didn’t help the cause, of course, but he wasn’t playing to the level he was capable of. That changed against Montreal. Again, they didn’t pile up the chances by any means. But they only had one goal to show for 18 shots and seven Grade A opportunities. If Markstrom allowed just one more of them, maybe the Flames end up losing that game. He did what he had to do, which should give him some confidence moving forward. A strong, confident goaltender behind a structured team is a good recipe for success.
numbers via NaturalStatTrick.com
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