CALGARY – Sitting fourth in the west with an 11-6-3 record no one saw coming, the Calgary Flames are one of the league’s most pleasant surprises at the quarter mark.
They’ve done it with goaltending, discipline, tenacity and a commitment to defence that has made them one of the league’s stingiest teams.
Their special teams have struggled, their leading scorer has just 12 points, they’ve allowed just as many goals as they’ve scored and they spend most nights trailing.
Yet, there they are almost every night, clawing their way back in third periods, which has become their hallmark.
As unsustainable as it all feels, the adversity they continue to battle back from has only served to further endear this team to the locals, whose excitement for the future continues to grow.
Wherever this season goes, it’s an exciting time for Flames fans.
MOST ENCOURAGING DEVELOPMENT
The goaltending.
What was supposed to be the team’s biggest question mark has turned out to be its biggest strength.
Dustin Wolf is for real.
No longer is anyone questioning whether his size will hinder him from excelling in the NHL.
With 12 wins in his last 15 starts dating back to last season, there are plenty of reasons to believe the two-time CHL goalie of the year, AHL goalie of the year and AHL MVP can continue to dominate at the highest level.
There’s already Calder talk surrounding the team’s designated goalie of the future.
Amongst NHL starters, he’s tied for second with a .926 save percentage and sits eighth in the league with a 2.33 GAA.
His 8-2-1 record comes despite the fact his team has scored three goals or less in 17-straight outings.
Dan Vladar has also been fantastic for the club, combining with Wolf to give the Flames a chance to win every night.
With goaltending like they’ve provided, the Flames may be able to stay in the playoff hunt longer than anyone expected.
MOST CONCERNING DEVELOPMENT
They can’t score.
The Flames just can’t seem to find the right chemistry on their power play or top-nine forwards, prompting endless mixing and matching by Ryan Huska.
Nothing has worked.
Connor Zary is the latest to try his hand up the middle, following failed attempts by Martin Pospisil and Yegor Sharangovich.
Jonathan Huberdeau is the leading point-getter amongst forwards at 11, with Nazem Kadri as the only other lad up front to crack double digits.
Give ’em credit, this never-say-die group often finds a way to score a crucial goal or two in the third period of close games.
But if this team is going to stay in the playoff race, more goals are needed, especially via the power play.
TOP SIX FORWARDS GRADE: D
This is the most important area of growth for the Flames if they are to remain relevant past the halfway mark.
The lines have been tweaked several times a week, but nothing has moved the needle.
Despite strong finishes from all five at the end of last year, Nazem Kadri (five goals), Andrei Kuzmenko (1g), Sharangovich (3g), Huberdeau (6g) and Pospisil (1g) have all had rough starts.
Zary and Coronato have rotated in and out of the top six when not spending time with Mikael Backlund and Blake Coleman on the third line.
While an emphasis has long been put on defensive responsibility and playing on the right side of the puck, this group is capable of doing so much more offensively.
After a slow start that saw him make a couple of stops in the minors, Coronato seems to have the most momentum going right now, tying the team lead with his sixth goal in Thursday’s win over the Rangers.
BOTTOM SIX FORWARDS GRADE: B
The Flames’ fourth line has been one of its most consistent, despite the fact fan favourite Ryan Lomberg is the only constant on it.
Whether he’s playing with Kevin Rooney, Justin Kirkland, or Adam Klapka, Lomberg’s trio has continued to create momentum with a relentless forecheck the coach wants to be the team’s identity.
Backlund and Coleman have anchored a third line that still draws the toughest assignment every night, shutting down top lines while helping elevate the games of both Zary and Coronato by their side.
In his ongoing effort to create a spark offensively Huska made the unusual move of separating Backlund and Coleman Thursday, which likely won’t last long.
DEFENCE GRADE: B
With last year’s departure of Chris Tanev, Noah Hanifin and Nikita Zadorov, this year’s group was cobbled together this fall with plenty of unknowns.
So far so good.
Kevin Bahl, acquired in the Markstrom trade, has been the most pleasant of surprises, meshing brilliantly with Rasmus Andersson despite missing training camp with an injury.
Andersson leads the team in points (12) and alternates nightly with Tanev as the NHL’s shot block leader – a relatively new element to his game.
MacKenzie Weegar has done well to demonstrate why he should garner consideration for Team Canada with a strong overall game, but his chemistry with Daniil Miromanov has only recently shown signs of improvement.
The third pairing has seen big-hitting Brayden Pachal teamed up with an alternating battery of Jake Bean and Tyson Barrie, which has done well to seal things up in their own zone.
With Andersson and Weegar shouldering the heaviest of workloads, the group has done well to reduce the number of high-danger chances the team gave up last year, which has helped the club sit top ten in goals against. Both continue to lead the charge offensively, sitting first and second (12 and 11 points respectively) in team scoring.
GOALTENDING GRADE: A
You can’t ask any more of a tandem than to help one of the lowest-scoring teams in the league find a way to sit 10th overall in the standings.
Dustin Wolf is by far the best prospect and most popular player in town, doing well to earn wolf howls from the crowd after every save.
He is as legitimate a contender as there can be for the Calder Trophy this early in the season.
Vladar has drawn the harder of opponents and played more games on the road, but has also given the team enough big saves to keep them around for late heroics.
The team will have a tough decision to make at the trade deadline in terms of whether to entertain re-signing Vladar, or trading him for a few more assets.
Third-stringer Devin Cooley is ripping it up in the AHL, where he is 10-2 with a 1.63 GAA and .947 save percentage. He’s on a one-way contract next season, thickening the plot.
Trading Jacob Markstrom is proving to be a savvy move indeed.
QUARTER MARK AWARDS
MVP: Dustin Wolf
Most improved player: Matt Coronato
Best defensive player: Kevin Bahl
