Calgary Flames vs. Chicago Blackhawks: My thoughts

The Calgary Flames started 2022 off in Chicago with a game against the Blackhawks.  Here are my thoughts on the first game of the new year.

One game into the new year, their second after missing 19 games in COVID protocol, the Calgary Flames put away the Chicago Blackhawks with a 5-1 victory on Sunday.  After such a lengthy hiatus, the team is starting to look like the group we watched in the first quarter of the season.  What started as a slow game for the group would crescendo into one of the better second periods this team has played in a long time.  Here is what I observed.

The Calgary Flames Did Not Score First…Again

As was the case in their previous outing against the Seattle Kraken, the Flames were not first on the board.  Chicago’s Alex DeBrincat was able to put one past a heavily screened Jacob Markstrom.  Obviously, Calgary rallied back to win the game.  So no harm, no foul.  Plus, I have DeBrincat in my hockey pool, so I’m not totally disappointed.

Nonetheless, as the four people who read my posts regularly (hi Mom!) will tell you, Scoring First is a telling statistic to me.  As I wrote in my post game piece on the game in Seattle, and not to be repetitive, but it is less about playing with the lead as it is a symbol 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.

In fact, the Flames were uncharacteristically unimpressive for most of the first period.  Generating just 6 shots to Chicago’s 11, Calgary was lucky to come out of the period with a 1-1 tie.

In his post-game media availability, Darryl Sutter was quick to call out a disadvantageous travel schedule when asked about the team’s start.  Seems a bit soft to me.  But, whatever the reason, there is cause for concern.  The Calgary Flames’ next 3 starts are against some of the best teams in the Eastern Conference: the Florida Panthers, then back-to-back games against the Tampa Bay Lightning and Carolina Hurricanes.  None of these teams will be as forgiving of a slow start as perhaps the Blackhawks were.

Special Teams and Secondary Scoring

The team’s second period more than made up for the disappointing first.  Throughout the game, special teams were standout.  Calgary scored once in 3 power plays with a beautiful snipe from Elias Lindholm.  They were given a fourth opportunity in the third when Dillon Dube drew a penalty shot which he unfortunately did not convert.

Similarly, the penalty kill was perfect.  Not only did the Flames allow zero goals when down a man, they scored shorthanded.  In a beautiful display of effort, Blake Coleman chased down a cleared puck, beat the defender to the corner and fed it out to Trevor Lewis, who backhanded it into the net.

The Lewis goal is significant not only because it represents a great effort on the penalty kill, but because it is critical that the team gets scoring from anyone not named Gaudreau, Lindholm, Tkachuk or Mangiapane.

Johnny Gaudreau is an Elite Playmaker

With a goal and 2 assists on Sunday, and 2 goals and a single assist in the previous game against the Kraken, Johnny Gaudreau has shown no evidence that he and his team had been idle for 19 days.  He has been positively awesome.

To get a sense of just how good he’s been this year, it is worthwhile to drill down a bit.  As was pointed out on Sunday’s broadcast on Sportsnet, it is worthwhile to look at how Gaudreau’s playmaking ability compares to the rest of the league.  His 23 assists this year put him at 17th in the league in that category.  However, of those, 18 are primary assists (meaning he passed directly to the goal scorer), which puts him first in the league, tied with Columbus’ Jakub Voracek and some guy named McDavid who plays in Edmonton, I think.  In 5-on-5 play, he sits alone atop the league with 14 primary assists.

Gaudreau is clearly the best at what he does.

As mentioned, the Calgary Flames’ next 3 games are not gimmes.  Gaudreau’s play, along with the really strong special teams efforts displayed on Sunday are going to be heavily relied upon.  Scoring from players not in the top line is mandatory.  And I’m concerned about how the team has started games coming out of the COVID situation.  Showing up on time could be the difference between 2 points and a great big pile of nothin’.