Beyond the Boxscore: Calgary Flames roll into Dallas and come out with impressive come from behind victory

To come out and put pressure on a very skilled Dallas team in their own barn was impressive. The Flames crawled back from three different deficits and ended it with 5 straight on their way to a huge victory. The goaltending was a bit shaky for the first time in a while, but the team had Markstrom’s back. After a complete lacklustre effort in Nashville to respond the way this team did means adversity doesn’t scare them. The wildcard playoff race in the west is wide open – the Flames could continue to get younger, faster, and more skilled while also being competitive enough to get to the postseason. It’s quite possible.

It’s a Team Game – The Flames were a quick strike team in this game. They made a concerted effort after getting across the blueline to get the puck into the center lane to a player driving with speed. Dallas and their defence couldn’t always catch the pass and it led to some amazing scoring opportunities. The creativity took a serious boost and the energy remained at a high all game. The boys were clearly fired up to play one of the big dogs in the West and show they have what it takes to win. It doesn’t get any easier now as they elevate roughly 5000 feet to play the Avalanche in Denver.

Corsi King – Andrew Mangiapane (74.46%) could be the most consistent veteran not named Backlund (57.97%) on this team. Kadri (51.85%) started in a lull but since being with the kids he’s improved, Mangiapane never had that lull. He’s constantly around the net trying to smash home a goal and is a great creator of chances out of the corners. If there is one guy I think needs re-extended and not moved its Mangiapane, your young players can learn a lot from watching someone with his level of compete. They can’t do that until the summer, but I’m of the ilk they should keep him – they will certainly have the cap space if they’re going younger.

Corsi Clown – Dennis Gilbert (36.80%) being the low guy when he’s played 2 games in the last two weeks is perfectly fine. His partner, Zadorov (38.74%), leaves him back by himself all the time. Too busy missing the net while looking off one of the hottest forwards on a 2-on-0 against a top goaltender. Not the best decision to make. That stuff can happen when you’re playing for a contract – you don’t help the team – I will re-iterate that waiting on most guys is acceptable to up the return, but Zadorov being moved early would not rock the boat in my opinion.

Taken By Chance – There was some confusion in the chat last time so I will clarify – these metrics I discuss are about 5v5 play with all else falling under “Today’s Specials.” So if I say Mangiapane (72.14 SCF% // 100 HDCF%) and his line didn’t surrender a high danger chance I mean they didn’t do that during 5v5 play. His whole line kept the Stars away from Markstrom all night. Being involved in 6 high danger chances Rasmus Andersson (71.57% // 85.78%) earns a first time BTB award. Most improved metrics on a game-by-game basis. He had one of the worst games of his career in Nashville – yes, career – and in Dallas he was lights out. Makes a massive difference in your team performance if your number 1 defenceman is pushing play.

xGF% – Cannot speak to how well Elias Lindholm (79.67%) and company fared against the Stars. They barely saw anything come back there way all night. Some lines will go through sections of a game in control, let it slip, grab it back and so on and so on. The Lindholm line was on the ball from their first shift together. The rest of the team may not have finished high in the spreadsheet, but they did finish strong in the third period. Connor Zary (47.69%) showed once again why he belongs in the NHL with a dirty saucer pass that had captain Mikael Backlund (45.03%) bamboozled for the sixth goal. Jonathan Huberdeau (35.03%) came in as the lowest rated Flames forward in quality share as his up and down season continues.

In The Crease – For a guy that’s already stolen his fair share of games it’s nice the team could give him some run support after letting in a stinker (Johnston’s second). Markstrom wasn’t anything spectacular all night, but he made every single save for his team after they finally crawled back for their first lead. 2.06 expected goals against with 3 goals against (5v5). Hey – they aren’t all going to be perfect. Better to have a bad game than win than a good game and lose, right? That’s today’s outlook anyways – it’s always subject to change based on the vibe.

Player Spotlight – Yegor Sharangovich – Breakout performance as a Flame? Certainly his most impressive performance for sure. In the research article I did after they acquired him his performances showed he could be a reliable 25-20-45 guy for this team and based on one game I’m not going to veer off that. The Flames don’t have a clear-cut number one line, more like 3 second lines, so his projection of being a goal scoring middle-six forward is intact. He’s shown lately he has some nice hands in tight if need be and isn’t completely reliant on his rapid shot. Excited to have seen him have such a fantastic outing.