Flames make up for sloppy second periods with tremendous thirds

Synonymous with Calgary weather, the Flames had an inconsistent October. The opening month of the 2018-19 season featured the highest of highs, like beating the Vancouver Canucks in the home opener, and the lowest of lows, like the crushing 9-1 defeat on home ice to the Pittsburgh Penguins. After adding several new key pieces this offseason, including a new bench boss, this is still very much a team finding itself.

The jury still isn’t out on whether this version of the Flames will end up being as good as it looks on paper, and despite the season still being young, there are a few trends that have emerged. To their credit, the Flames have seemingly turned the corner in terms of resiliency. Last year, there was almost no hope for the team once they faced any kind of setback. In the face of adversity, Glen Gulutzan’s Flames would crumble. Bill Peters’ Flames, however, have demonstrated a refreshing ability to rebound from deficits and mount comebacks. That being said, this year’s Flames have more often than not come out of the gate flatfooted. They haven’t really started games out strong, and their slow starts have required good third periods to compensate.

One of the most interesting statistics from last season’s Flames is how shockingly awful they were in the third period. In the 2017-18 season, the Flames ranked dead last in goals scored in the third. For perspective, only three of the 16 playoff teams were in the bottom half of the league in third period goals. It’s an important metric, and good teams, successful teams, are ones that you can never count of of hockey games, regardless of the score.

In comparison to last season, the Flames really have done a better job at finishing games strong. It’s not surprising that their splits this season are starkly different.

One area of significant improvement so far this year is the Flames’ ability to score in the opening frame, currently ranked seventh in the league for goals scored in the first period. They’re still hovering around 30% of their total goals scored in the first, but the overall number relative to the rest of the league has dramatically increased.

It’s no secret that this year’s Flames are more prolific at scoring in general, but what is concerning at this point is their goals allowed. Where they have improved from 22nd in goals for last year to seventh so far this year, they have regressed from 13th in goals against last year to 30th this year.

The Flames might be scoring more in the first, but relative to the league, they’re allowing many more goals as well. It’s not a recipe for success to be outscored in any period, but getting the first lead of the game has historically proven to be important in winning. The Flames definitely need to clean up their play in the first, and start their games with the kind of jump we see from them as the game goes on.

Elias Lindholm leads the Flames with four first period goals this year, followed by Johnny Gaudreau and Michael Frolik with two each.

The second period was definitely the Flames’ best last season, but this year it’s the exact opposite. The Flames are 30th in goals scored and 28th in goals allowed in the middle frame through the opening month of the season, and this is easily the most glaring problem in terms of period splits. They have scored just seven goals in the second period so far, and have allowed nearly 30% more.

This is the period that teams do the most damage against the Flames and seems to be where the team breaks down. It’s always tough coming back onto the ice after an intermission and having to deal with the long change in the second period, but if the Flames are to start being more consistent through 60 minutes of play, that has to start with sticking to their game in the second period.

Gaudreau leads the team with two second period goals, while five players are tied for second with just one each.

Fortunately, the Flames have managed to offset their brutal second periods with magnificent thirds. After finishing last season 31st in goals for, the Flames are sitting in first place so far this season. They’ve scored almost half of their total goals this year in the third period, though two of their 20 were empty netters.

Defensively it’s more of the same. The Flames have allowed the 10th fewest goals in the third through October, up from 19th last year. Just 24% of their total allowed goals have come in the final frame, and it’s paying dividends.

They actually lead the league with three wins after trailing entering the third period, and are tied for the fourth best winning percentage when trailing after 40 minutes. This is a clear indication of the resiliency Peters’ Flames has shown over Gulutzan’s. They haven’t taken their foot off the gas in the third and it’s led to some really exciting Flames games this year.

Once again, Lindholm leads the Flames with four third period goals. Matthew Tkachuk and Sean Monahan are tied for second with three each.

The overtime period, especially since it switched over to 3-on-3, has been owned by Gaudreau. He has always been electric in overtime, and this year is no different. The Flames are first in goals against with zero allowed, and are seventh in goals for with two. They are currently 2-0 in overtime with Gaudreau scoring both winning goals.

The Flames are a much improved offensive team this year. They are on pace to score 259 goals, 43 more than they scored last year. They are one of the best teams in the league in the third period and can never be counted out of games they are trailing in.

Their first periods have been strong in terms of goal scoring, but they’ve done a poor job keeping pucks out of their net in the first. The most concerning area is the second period where they are one of the worst teams in the league for both scoring and allowing goals in the middle frame.

All in all, the Flames are an improved team and, when they decide to play strong team defense, rival even the best teams in the league. Going forward, it’s all about keeping things together for a full 60.