Changing the dynamic of a team is not resolved overnight. While some processes have taken several seasons to see any notable changes, the Calgary Flames only needed the offseason. On Nov 23, The Flames capped of the first quarter of their season and 20th game, with a win against Chicago. The 5-2 victory over the Blackhawks helped improved their record to 12 – 3 – 5 with 29 points.
The start of the 2021-22 season for the Flames has been complete turnaround to last season, as they have gone from a team struggling to reach a .500 record to a team battling for top spot in the NHL, let alone their division. As of Nov 23, the Flames sit in first place in the Pacific Division and are tied for fifth with the New York Rangers — who the Flames have outscored 11-1 in their two meetings already — in league standings.
Matthew Tkachuk celebrates with his teammates, Johnny Gaudreau
and Noah Hanifin, in a game against the Anaheim Ducks.
Photo Credit: Ronald Martinez / Getty Images
What’s Working?
Darryl Sutter, for starters. While his coaching style can be pegged as outdated or ‘old school,’ it is hard to argue that his teachings are not working. Due in part to Sutter, this Flames team is the polar opposite from last season. They are a more hard-nosed, tight checking, defensive first team, who play with pace. Pace that failed to exist last season. While Sutter does drive home a defensive first team, their offense has found lots of success at producing scoring chances. More specifically, Johnny Gaudreau, Matthew Tkachuk, and Elias Lindholm. The line made up of Gaudreau, Tkachuk, and Lindholm are the only line on the Flames that have yet to be broken up this season.
The Flames offense has been one of the best in the NHL this season. At the 20-game mark, The Flames sat in fourth in the NHL for goals for (GF) and second in goals against (GA). At that same mark, the Flames had posted a Corsi For (%) of 54.1 per cent. Which equates to the Flames spending 54.1 per cent of their games in the offensive zone. The Flames expected goals for (xGF) also sat at 44.2, which was much higher than the league average of 34.0 xGF. In Layman’s terms, the Flames have been scoring at much higher rate than expected from them. Aside from their offensive zone numbers and the rate in which they are scoring, this new look Flames team has no quit to them either. Regardless of whether they are finding the back of the net with ease or are fighting the puck, the Flames are relentless in their attacks to the net.
Teams across the NHL have also been taking notes about the Flames transition game as well, which is clearly above the league standard. After stripping the opponent of the puck, the Flames — within seconds — are already barreling back up the ice. Darryl Sutter and the rest of the Flames coaching staff have done a remarkable job with how seamless the Flames are able to transition with and without the puck.
Goaltending
While the Flames offense has been impressive as of late, we also can’t be forgetting about the stellar goaltending the Flames have been backed with. It’s the type of goaltending that breaks records, literally. Jacob Markstrom and Dan Vladar were the first goalie tandem since 1929 to record seven shutouts in just 19 games — a feat done just nine times previously and none in the era where forward passes were allowed. It is safe to say that both goalies have been lights out since the start of this season. On one hand, Markstrom has notched a record of 8 – 3 – 4 with a 0.940 save percentage (SV%), 1.73 goals against average (GAA), and 5 shutouts, while his counterpart, Dan Vladar has posted a record of 4 – 0 – 1 with a 0.946 SV%, 1.57 GAA, and 2 shutouts.
Individual Performances
In the first 20 games of the season, there have been three players who have caught out attention with their individual performances: Johnny Gaudreau, Andrew Mangiapane, and Oliver Kylington.
For starters, Johnny Gaudreau has been off to a red hot start this season. Regardless if you chalked last year up as an ‘off season’ or this year a ‘contract season,’ Johnny Gaudreau has arguably been the Flames best forward in the first quarter of their season. Through his first 20 games, Gaudreau has notched nine goals and 14 assists for 23 points, and a plus/minus of +15. This season, there seems to be an extra pep in Gaudreau’s step as he is seen making plays all across the ice, game in and game out. Even if ‘Johnny Hockey’ wasn’t able to hit the scoresheet in a select few games, he continued to be an offensive threat for his squad. While his line mates, Matthew Tkachuk and Elias Lindholm, have also found success early on in the season, much of it has come with the help from #13.
Andrew Mangiapane has not stopped producing since his stint at the World Championships this past summer. Since puck drop began this season Mangiapane has been scoring at an alarming pace, notching 15 goals in just 20 games. The Bolton, Ont., native has scored over seven times more goals than he has assists (2), and at one point was in third in league scoring. The most impressive part of Mangiapane’s production is that he has been doing it with significant less ice time. The former sixth-round draft pick has been playing, on average, 3-4 less minutes than his first line counterparts. This offensive output from ‘Andrew Eat Bread’ has also been turning some Olympic heads for the upcoming winter games. Some believe Mangiapane’s recent performances may have been enough to put his name on the shortlist for Canada’s Olympic roster.
Lastly, Oliver Kylington, has surprised both Flames management as well as their fan base, as he has been the most promising Flame in the first 20 games. Kylington, whom many thought - myself included - would once again be the seventh defenseman for the Flames, has fought and clawed his way onto the teams blueline pairings. The Swedish-born defensemen has, for the most part, beaten out the likes of Nikita Zadorov, Micheal Stone, and Juuso Valimaki for the final slot. In his 19 games played so far, Kylington sits in fifth in team scoring with three goals, nine assists, and 12 points. Those 12 points also lead the Flames defensemen. Rasmus Andersson is just one point shy with 11.
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