3. Powerplay
I don’t want to talk about the powerplay. Can we skip this?
The Calgary Flames have no idea what to do on the powerplay lately. You wouldn’t think losing someone like Kris Versteeg – a third liner – was going to have a major impact. But when the team is on the man-advantage or they go to the shootout, you can’t help but miss him. The Flames powerplay has sucked. There is no other word to describe it.
So much so that every time they get a powerplay, everyone on Twitter wants them to immediately take a penalty so they won’t have that extra man. They can have an incredible game at 5 on 5 and the second they go on the powerplay, they fall apart and forget how to play hockey.
Related Story: Could Versteeg's absence be why Gaudreau's hit a slump?
Their zone entries are horrendous, their passes aren’t any better, and they can barely set the puck up. Since the start of December, their powerplay is a mere 14.5%. With just seven goals on 49 opportunities – but two of those came on the last day of December. Their powerplay looked good on Dec. 31st vs. the Chicago Blackhawks. But that’s the only time it looked good for the entire month. It even seems like Johnny Gaudreau’s point production has taken a bit of a hit since their powerplay has been struggling.
In the month of December, the Flames have lost six one-goal games. In those six games, they scored just two powerplay goals on 17 opportunities. For four of those games, they also had some late powerplays in the third period that would have either tied the game up for them or put them on top to signify a lead.
The Calgary Flames need to improve their powerplay if they want to be a playoff team.