GDT - Krackers vs Flames; 27 December 2023; 7:30pm MDT; SN (various after Leafs)

[travel_dude]

5 Things - Flames vs. Kraken

The Flames return from the Christmas break looking to get back to .500 (7:30 p.m. MT/Sportsnet)

 

ByRyan Dittrick

@ryandittrick CalgaryFlames.com

8:00 AM

1. Turning The Tide(ings)

‘Good.’

But not ‘great.’

That’s how the Flames characterize a punishing pre-holiday stretch that saw them cultivate a 7-6-2 record – but ending in a disappointing 5-3 loss on Saturday to the Pacific rival LA Kings.

“I think our game's gotten better as we've progressed throughout the season here,” assessed Head Coach Ryan Huska, whose charges pocketed points in each of their previous five (3-0-2) prior to the Festivus tilt. “There are areas that when you play against the top teams in your division and league that you have to be really good at. There are certain things that you can do a little bit differently that will allow you to have a little more success than we did (Saturday).

“But it's things we're going to continue to work on.”

Among them, the powerplay – which, indeed, showed improvement on Saturday – is at the top, highlighted in yellow.

But the penalty kill?

It’s the best thing going right now.

The PK was a perfect 4-for-4 in Tinseltown, improving to 83.3% on the year, and with Blake Coleman scoring the Flames’ league-leading ninth shorthanded goal of the season. He added another on the powerplay (which finished 1-for-5 and had a number of good looks) to take sole possession of the team scoring lead with 12.

His four shorthanded tallies rank second in the NHL, one back of New York Islanders forward Simon Holmstrom. (Coleman’s penalty-killing partner, Yegor Sharangovich, holds down the eighth spot with two.)

 

Play Video

Natasha Staniszewski sets up tonight's tilt

Rasmus Andersson rounded out the offence, while Jacob Markstrom had a sublime night between the pipes, finishing with 29 stops, including a litany of 10-bellers.

Twice in the past month (Nov. 30 vs. Dallas), the Flames have pulled back to the .500 mark, but have yet to push above since opening night. 

Saturday’s defeat, again, puts them one game under at 14-15-5.

Tonight, followed by Sunday’s New Year’s Eve bash against the Philadelphia Flyers, could offer them that chance to rise above it once again.

It’s a crucial stretch for the Flames, who will then play six of their next seven on the road in tough buildings to begin 2024. 

“We're a good team,” Coleman said, sizing up the unofficial first half of the campaign. “We don't have a superstar or superstars that are going to carry us on off nights. That's the difficulty of our game, is we need all four lines and all three pairs and you need it every night. We've had different guys step up in different moments. When you look at it that way, it can be a strength.

“I don't want to say we're happy to just be in these games, because we want to win these games and it's frustrating – we felt like we can play with these teams and beat these teams – but we left a few too many points on this stretch everybody's talking about. 

“I feel like we should have had two or three more wins in this stretch and we left a few points on the table.”

It’s time to fix that. 

And with some turkey in their bellies and plenty of family time to help reset their minds, when better?

 

Play Video

Watch all the highlights from Saturday's clash in Tinseltown

2. Know Your Enemy

The Kraken finished off their pre-holiday schedule with a 3-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday, improving to 4-0-2 in their last six.

They’re now tied with the Flames with 33 points but have played one more game (12-14-9).

Vince Dunn led the way with a three-point effort (1G, 2A), while Oliver Bjorkstrand and newcomer Tomas Tatar had a goal apiece.

Dunn now leads the Kraken in scoring with 28 points (5G, 23A) on the year, one up on Bjorkstrand and six clear of third-place Jared McCann and Eeli Tolvanen.

Tatar, meanwhile, now has two goals and two assists in four games since being acquired from the Colorado Avalanche on Dec. 16. The 33-year-old had one goal and nine points in 27 games prior to the trade.

“It feels great to have that opportunity,” Tatar told reporters in Anaheim. “Hockey feels 'right' again. I'm very grateful for the guys and how they've welcomed me here in Seattle. ... It looks like me, Matty (Beniers) and Ebs (Jordan Eberle) are building some chemistry and I'm having a lot of fun.”

Joey Daccord – who’s been ‘The Guy’ throughout Seattle’s six-game heater – made 32 saves, but was all over the highlight reels for giving up a ‘Michigan’ goal to the filthy-mitted Trevor Zegras.

No matter.

Daccord has been a godsend for the Kraken, who have been without starter Philipp Grubauer since the second period of their Dec. 9 game against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Daccord has taken the ball and run with it, going 4-1-3 and leading the NHL with a .937 save percentage in that span.

It's all part of the Kraken's next-man-up mentality, with all of Grubauer, Jaden Schwartz, Andre Burakovsky and Pierre-Edouard Bellemare all entering the Christmas break on the IR.

“We're played very consistent over the last few weeks,” said Kraken Head Coach Dave Hakstol. “We've got one game in our last eight where we haven't gotten points. Our guys are playing hard regardless of what our lineup may or may not look like. Whoever's available is going out and doing a job and working hard together.

“We've put a nice string together here.

“I want guys to be able to go home, enjoy Christmas with their families and when we come back, we quickly get back on the gas pedal.”

 

 

 

 

 

+18

Photo Gallery - Morning Skate 27.12.23

Check out the action from Wednesday's morning skate. Photos by Ryan Dittrick

2023-24 Stats

Powerplay	Rate	Rank
Flames	11.8%	30th
Kraken	20.8%	16th
Penalty Kill
Flames	83.3%	7th
Kraken	79.2%	19th
5-on-5 Shot Attempts (via NaturalStatTrick)
Flames	51.12%	11th
Kraken	51.82%	9th
5-on-5 High-Danger Scoring Chances (via NaturalStatTrick)
Flames	51.33%	14th
Kraken	52.44	13th

3. Fast Facts

The Flames are 8-1-0 all-time against the Kraken including a 2-1-0 mark at the Scotiabank Saddledome. ... Mikael Backlund is now only seven games away from tying Mark Giordano for the second-most games played in Flames franchise history at 949. ... A pair of Flames marked firsts of their NHL careers against the Kraken earlier this season. Martin Pospisil scored his first-career goal on Nov. 4 at Climate Pledge Arena, while defenceman Nick DeSimone recorded his first big-league point that same night.

picture_as_pdf

Game Notes - Flames vs. Kraken 27.12.23

Dec 26, 2023 - 0.28 MB

Download Game Notes - Flames vs. Kraken 27.12.23download

4. Quotable

Head Coach Ryan Huska on what he’s learned about his team in the first 34 games:

“They're competitive. Every night. When you look at our team and the way they play the games, they're never out of a game. They always stick around and they always fight back in those games. They can compete with the best teams. You've seen a team that... They've been good with their work ethic. There have a couple games, only, this year where we've been disappointed with that. ... We had a three-game winning streak, but now we need to string more than that together.”

 

Play Video

"Keep your game simple"

5. Players To Watch

Flames - Blake Coleman

The numbers don’t lie.

With a team-leading 12 goals, Coleman is now only eight back of his career-high (22), set more than six years ago as a member of the New Jersey Devils. With 24 points, he’s on track to smash the career-high 38 he tallied last year, too. His four shorthanded markers are tops on the team and second only to New York Islanders forward Simon Holmstrom, league-wide. 

(The last Flames player to score more shorthanded goals in a single season was Mark Jankowski (5) in 2018-19.)

While we know Coleman would happily trade some of his goals for a few more wins, what we’re seeing from the veteran this year is truly impressive.

And he still has another 48 games left to build on it.

 

Play Video

Coleman cleans up the rebound and the Flames strike on the PP

Kraken - Matty Beniers

With zero goals and only six helpers in his first 13 games, it wasn’t the dream start the sophomore envisioned. 

But with five goals and 12 points in the 22 games since, the reigning Calder Trophy winner is (slowly) showing signs of the elite sniper we saw score 24 times last year. 

The 21-year-old enters tonight’s game on a three-point streak point (1G, 4A) after being held off the scoresheet in each of the previous six.

[travel_dude]

Flames Lineup

 

FORWARDS

Andrew Mangiapane - Elias Lindholm - Yegor Sharangovich

Connor Zary - Nazem Kadri - Martin Pospisil

Jonathan Huberdeau - Mikael Backlund - Blake Coleman

A.J. Greer - Dillon Dube - Walker Duehr

DEFENCE

MacKenzie Weegar - Rasmus Andersson

Noah Hanifin - Chris Tanev

Dennis Gilbert - Nick DeSimone

GOALTENDER

Jacob Markstrom

[travel_dude]

The Kraken

Projected lines courtesy Daily Faceoff:

Tatar – Beniers – Eberle
McCann – Wennberg – Tanev
Tolvanen – Gourde – Bjorkstrand
Kartye – Shore – Yamamoto

 

Dunn – Larsson
Oleksiak – Borgen
Dumoulin – Evans

 

We’re projecting Joey Daccord to start in net

[travel_dude]

Posting open.....

More Cowbell

Daccord SHUTOUT, Shut Out, Shutout

[travel_dude]

Videos didn't load, so just look at the fancy pics.

[travel_dude]

Gru in net.

[flames-fan-in-jets-land]

Duher in Rozie out? 

[travel_dude]

As usual, Ruzicka is the only scratch.

[travel_dude]

NO defense playing tonight.

Way too deep on a good chance and not able to get back.

[flames-fan-in-jets-land]

Well, first shot in again. Hard to blame Marky for it tho.

[travel_dude]

3 minutes ago, flames-fan-in-jets-land said:

Well, first shot in again. Hard to blame Marky for it tho.

 

Honestly, it was a breakaway, but make a freakin' save.

Saves matter and we have been losing for most of the season.

At some point every goalie faces a breakaway and has to make a save.

Some do.

[travel_dude]

That's more like it.  Good thing Gru is in net.

Now get the Cowbell going.

[travel_dude]

Untimely penalty by Backlund.

[medatswhoP]

Just tuned in, I don't understand why we are always down a goal every game the first few minutes?? 

Really tiring watching this team always start behind every game.

Cmon Flames, light it up..

[medatswhoP]

Just reviewed the GDT, thanks TD very cool...

[travel_dude]

Dube obviously has photos of Huska and a lama.

He doesn't necessarily do bad things, just that he is out there more on goals against.

He received a perfect pass into the slot and the play quickly turned the other way and it was a goal against.

[redfire11]

Huberdeau is having a decent game.

[conundrumed]

Heavy crosscheck on Sharky...

[conundrumed]

Wow, just looked at Grubauer's contract. $5.9 through 26-27 for hot garbage that is always injured. Dreidger can get another contract. What a messy goalie situation.

A total of $10.6 in goalies that are great big whatever.

[conundrumed]

This game is a snoozefest of 2 not-very-good teams. How did Mangiapane ever score 35 with that muffin of a shot? It's always Tanev and Hanifin letting a player sneak behind them...

[conundrumed]

Nice job by the bottom pairing to give options, make the short-side shot (Wennberg) or send it to the front for an easy tap-in. Nice D, might as well have been a 2-on-"oh, was I supposed to defend"?

[conundrumed]

All of that zone time and little more than perimeter play that teams will give you all day. So 12th in the conference, likely 13th when the Oilers make up the game deficit. We're better than Anaheim, Chicago and SJ, for now.

I can see us needing to address coaching after this season. Why are we resting on lines when we're a sub .500 team? Total FO domination from the Cs means absolutely nothing but perimeter play.

[travel_dude]

3 minutes ago, conundrumed said:

All of that zone time and little more than perimeter play that teams will give you all day. So 12th in the conference, likely 13th when the Oilers make up the game deficit. We're better than Anaheim, Chicago and SJ, for now.

I can see us needing to address coaching after this season. Why are we resting on lines when we're a sub .500 team? Total FO domination from the Cs means absolutely nothing but perimeter play.

 

I wouldn't fault Markstrom for the 2nd goal, but he was not covering either player for the shot or pass.

As you suggest, it was piss poor coverage forcing Marky to have to not challenge the shooter, no angle to take away the shot.

 

The B2B PP with the short 5v3 was just sad.

I am surprised we actually scored on the PP, considring all the predictable passing and nothing direct at the net.

Am I missing something?  Does the team believe they have anyone close to Ovi's one timer from the circle?

How many shot attempts didn't even come close to the goalie or net?

Not deflected, clear misses.

 

If we play like this against any team, we will lose.

We get a goalie that hasn't plyed since 2022.  Not late 2022, but early 2022.

I thought it was Gru, but it was Drieger.

 

Think for NY Eve I will just drink and not bother watching.

At least I will be a happy drunk.

[cross16]

Save for a few turnovers I didn't mind how the Flames played. Thought they did a lot of goof things and really lost the game because they just are not good enough of a team and don't have the high end talent you need. As a team I thought they played well and sure they could have gotten more quality chances in better areas but part of that is your roster construction too. I just felt last night was the type of game where you needed a player to step up and make a play and that type of player just isn't on this roster. 

[conundrumed]

11 hours ago, cross16 said:

Save for a few turnovers I didn't mind how the Flames played. Thought they did a lot of goof things and really lost the game because they just are not good enough of a team and don't have the high end talent you need. As a team I thought they played well and sure they could have gotten more quality chances in better areas but part of that is your roster construction too. I just felt last night was the type of game where you needed a player to step up and make a play and that type of player just isn't on this roster. 

Fair assessment. I noticed the practice lines now are Huberdeau and Mangiapane switching spots. Those 2 are pretty much the crux of where we're at, I think. Huby being the points leader and Mangiapane being closer to the goal leader was likely most fans' expectation. When we didn't think LW would be a problem, it's a pretty big one. It's really disappointing to me that there is no way to get Bread away from Backlund effectively. $5.8 for a player that is only effective due to 2 solid linemates is yet another stick in the mud to try to improve.

I'm starting to wonder if Kerins can handle a call-up, though I know that isn't optimal. Send Oesterle down, sit Dube for a couple.

I am now bitter.lol Wings and Flames, 21st and 24th overall, (dis)respectively...Reimer, why imaginary sky-daddy, why? If you ever feel like watching a goalie that can make the first save but always leave the rebound, I offer you James Reimer. 5.06gaa in his last 5. That's special.