Calgary Flames vs. Seattle Kraken: My thoughts

After an outrageous 19-day layoff, the Calgary Flames finally played a real-life NHL game against the Seattle Kraken.  And what a game it was!  Here are my thoughts on last night’s dramatic showing.

I’m not sure what I was expecting when the Calgary Flames played their first post-COVID-protocol game against the Seattle Kraken on Thursday.  But it wasn’t what I saw.

I expected the Flames to win.  And they did, 6-4.  I expected them to start slowly.  I got that too, with the Kraken scoring under 6 minutes into the game.  I did NOT expect an insane third period that saw the Flames lose, then regain, the lead…twice.  Mostly, I did NOT expect a 40-second, 3-goal, flurry late in the game that would lead to the win.

It was an incredible game with lots of drama.  Here are the good, bad and ugly observations that I made.

The Calgary Flames Did Not Score First

There were some mixed emotions when, at 5:48 into the first period, former Flames captain and fan favourite, Mark Giordano ripped the first goal of Thursday’s game under Jacob Markstrom’s glove.  On one hand, Gio is a hard guy to dislike.  So it was awesome to see him in top form playing the way he had during his career as a Flame.  On the other, his goal was the result of an uncharacteristic defensive breakdown by the Flames.  One that their goalie should have been easily able to bail them out of.

The Scoring First (SF) stat is one that I tend to focus on.  Not so much because of the obvious notion that playing with the lead is easier than playing without it (which is true).  More so it is emblematic of the Flames’ commitment to Head Coach Darryl Sutter’s system of defense first and quick puck movement out of the defensive zone.  A system which had them leading the Pacific Division before their COVID-mandated vacation.

Prior to Thursday’s game, Calgary’s SF% was 46% in 28 games compared to 36% in the entire 56-game 2020-2021 season.

Starting slowly is to be expected after a long hiatus.  However, I hope this is a statistic that trends upward as the season continues.

Milan Lucic

Holy , he was good!

Lucic was in the second announcement of players added to the COVID protocol.  But on Thursday he looked like he didn’t miss a second.  He played the physical role we all expect out of him, roughing it up with Seattle’s Will Borgen in the second period. But he also sniped a beauty later in the period to put the Flames up 3-2.

Lucic is quietly working his way towards his first 20-goal season since 2016-17.  This is paramount for a team like the Calgary Flames that badly needs secondary scoring.

Off the scoresheet, Lucic also looked like the hardest-working guy on the ice.  Midway through the third, he could be seen driving up boards, pushing through a check to get the puck deep in Seattle territory.  It was the kind of play that won’t show up on any highlight reel. But it was the effort a team needs to push them through.

Focus & Goaltending

It wasn’t so much lack of fitness as it was lack of focus that allowed the Seattle Kraken into the game.  This is supported by the fact Seattle scored within 6 minutes of the start of each of the the 3 periods.  Clearly, the Flames did not start each period “on time”.

As mentioned above, Seattle’s first goal was caused by a defensive breakdown that left Giordano wide open to score.  Similarly, Calle Jarnkrok’s goal, scored off the opening faceoff in the second period, was a direct result of lazy play off the draw.  As for the odd-man rush that led to Yanni Gourde’s early third period goal, the Flames simply did not get back fast enough to defend.

Fortunately, focus problems can be fixed as the Calgary Flames play more games.  Goaltending is more worrisome.  In his post-game media appearance (video above), Darryl Sutter was quick to compliment Markstrom on his performance.  This was a dramatic swing from Sutter’s comments on the 4-game losing streak before the COVID break, where he described the goaltending as “really average”.

Perhaps I’m taking an overly dramatic stance, but I am concerned.  A lot can be explained away by sitting idle for 19 days.  But Markstrom allowed four goals on 22 shots for an uncharacteristically low .818 SV%.  The defensive breakdown in front of him notwithstanding, he was square to the shooter and not screened when Giordano scored his goal, making it very saveable.  Add Sutter’s assessment of his pre-COVID form, and we’re trending in the wrong direction.

This was, by no means, going be a perfect outing for the Calgary Flames.  As such, I think there is more cause for optimism than pessimism.  Improvement after a break such as the team had can easily be assumed.  Focus and goaltending will only get better.  A secondary scorer is emerging.  Both will translate into more games where they score first.

Looking forward to the next game vs. the Blackhawks.