The Calgary Flames weren’t as polished as the game against the Bruins, but still managed to keep their offensive momentum up. Despite the return of Jack Hughes the Devils weren’t able to overwhelm the Flames whose new additions to the lineup continue to make a difference. Both of those realities combined to send the Flames into the win column on Thursday night.

CF% &#8211; 51.35%, SCF% &#8211; 49.76%, HDCF% &#8211; 48.29%, xGF% &#8211; 52.8%
It’s a Team Game – The Devils should have left the first period with at least three goals but ran into the wall of Markstrom. The second period was where Calgary found their pushback being able to find 7 high danger looks at 5v5. The Devils are consistent though and found a large pushback in the third frame. The main difference largely came down to the quality of each teams goaltending which was a clear advantage for the Flames. The Devils certainly had more players with some flashy plays, but when your goaltender lets in soft goals it’s hard to get anywhere.
Corsi King – Walker Duehr (68.90%), Kevin Rooney (62.90%), and Jakob Pelletier (55.85%) have given the Flames the most reliable fourth line stretch of play they have seen since before Christmas. Yes, I know it’s been two games, but that’s how long it’s been since the coach had enough trust to send that group out on a consistent basis. Yegor Sharangovich (65.52%) had another game where he didn’t look out of place as a centre – a trend that everyone will be keeping a close eye on.
Corsi Clown – A rare game where the Backlund (31.8%) line got hemmed in their own zone. There’s only one man left to shoulder the defensive responsibility. The proof is in the zone starts where the Backlund line started 9 times in their own end compared to just once in the offensive zone and once in the neutral zone. They still managed to score too! They had a very minimal amount of raw expected goals against for the amount of shot attempts they faced – all of this with the amount of defensive zone responsibility is crazy stuff.
Under Pressure &#8211; 
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-121619" src="https://publish.flamesnation.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/G51-at-NJD-SP.png" alt="" width="1015" height="1827" srcset="https://publish.flamesnation.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/G51-at-NJD-SP.png 1015w, https://publish.flamesnation.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/G51-at-NJD-SP-167x300.png 167w, https://publish.flamesnation.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/G51-at-NJD-SP-569x1024.png 569w, https://publish.flamesnation.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/G51-at-NJD-SP-768x1382.png 768w, https://publish.flamesnation.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/G51-at-NJD-SP-853x1536.png 853w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1015px) 100vw, 1015px" />
Taken By Chance – The 123 line needs to take a bow. Huberdeau (82.19 SCF% // 100 HDCF%), Kuzmenko (73.29% // 100%), and Sharangovich (82.19% // 100%) all were involved in 6 high danger chances for and zero against. They were completely sheltered from any defensive zone starts but the offensive gusto Kuzmenko adds to the other two has made for a thrill ride in the offensive zone at least once a period. Dynamite game that should ensure an extended run together – if Coach Huska keeps the offensive focus on them up they could find some fire results. Don’t need to worry about their defensive effort if they are attacking every shift.
xG Breakdown &#8211; 
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-121618" src="https://publish.flamesnation.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/G51-at-NJD-xG.png" alt="" width="888" height="1142" srcset="https://publish.flamesnation.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/G51-at-NJD-xG.png 888w, https://publish.flamesnation.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/G51-at-NJD-xG-233x300.png 233w, https://publish.flamesnation.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/G51-at-NJD-xG-796x1024.png 796w, https://publish.flamesnation.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/G51-at-NJD-xG-768x988.png 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 888px) 100vw, 888px" />
xGF% &#8211; Enough about the forwards, who I really have no formal complaints over. Even the guys with nights below their averages – like Kadri (36.61%) – managed to contribute to some offence. On defence we had the Flames top 4 D all look sharp and then had Pachal (35.15%) and Kylington (44.64%) subject to over a full expected goal of chances against. Since we are talking zone starts it’s worth noting Pachal had none – at all. 14:09 of 5v5 ice all coming from on-the-fly shifts. Noah Hanifin (59.76%) continues to shine with creativity in the offensive zone. He’s really increased his offensive approach in the attacking zone as the years gone on.
Game Flow – 
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-121620" src="https://publish.flamesnation.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/G51-at-NJD-GF.png" alt="" width="751" height="350" srcset="https://publish.flamesnation.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/G51-at-NJD-GF.png 751w, https://publish.flamesnation.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/G51-at-NJD-GF-300x140.png 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 751px) 100vw, 751px" />
Game Score –
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NHL?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NHL</a> GameScore Impact Card for Calgary Flames on 2024-02-08:
 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Flames?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Flames</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CofRed?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CofRed</a> <a href="https://t.co/oQsN1akrUX">pic.twitter.com/oQsN1akrUX</a>
&mdash; HockeyStatCards (@hockeystatcards) <a href="https://twitter.com/hockeystatcards/status/1755808912798896392?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 9, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Shot Heatmap – 
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-121621" src="https://publish.flamesnation.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/G51-at-NJD-SH.png" alt="" width="803" height="422" srcset="https://publish.flamesnation.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/G51-at-NJD-SH.png 803w, https://publish.flamesnation.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/G51-at-NJD-SH-300x158.png 300w, https://publish.flamesnation.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/G51-at-NJD-SH-768x404.png 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 803px) 100vw, 803px" />
In The Crease – Markstrom did everything you want your starting goaltender to do, and then some, but he does that seemingly every night for the Flames. Without Markstrom there’s no playoff talk after trading your number 1 centre away, he showed that tonight in a duel he won quite handily against the opposition. 2.87 expected goals against at 5v5 with just 2 getting past him. A .941 save percentage against an offensively charged, youthful team with consistent scoring veterans. One heck of a job.
The Goals &#8211; 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
Mikael Backlund scores! He ties the game. 
📽️: Sportsnet | NHL <a href="https://t.co/1hOEzkMgpn">pic.twitter.com/1hOEzkMgpn</a>
&mdash; Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) <a href="https://twitter.com/RingOfFireCGY/status/1755754120504377841?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 9, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
Connor Zary puts the Flames up by one! 
2-1 Calgary!
📽️: Sportsnet | NHL <a href="https://t.co/KMmEA1PoDB">pic.twitter.com/KMmEA1PoDB</a>
&mdash; Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) <a href="https://twitter.com/RingOfFireCGY/status/1755760989721522393?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 9, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
Kevin Rooney scores his first goal as a Calgary Flame! 
3-1 Flames 
📽️: Sportsnet | NHL <a href="https://t.co/f1GWNXS4HB">pic.twitter.com/f1GWNXS4HB</a>
&mdash; Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) <a href="https://twitter.com/RingOfFireCGY/status/1755773822593126614?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 9, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
Andrei Kuzmenko scores in back to back games! 
It&#39;s 4-2 Flames! 
📽️: Sportsnet | NHL <a href="https://t.co/6e7jMcontK">pic.twitter.com/6e7jMcontK</a>
&mdash; Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) <a href="https://twitter.com/RingOfFireCGY/status/1755777448526954944?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 9, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
*The Empty-Net Goal was not found within 30 seconds of searching so I&#8217;ll just describe it to you: It went in an empty-net, the end.
Flashalytic’s 3 Stars – 
 1) Andrei Kuzmenko
2) Jacob Markstrom
3) Kevin Rooney
(Stats compiled from Naturalstattrick.com // Game Score from Hockeystatcards.com // xG and Under Pressure charts from HockeyViz.com // Game Flow and Shot Heatmap from NaturalStatTrick.com)
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-121511" src="https://publish.flamesnation.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/GRETA-NationEvents-2024-YYC-Articles.png" alt="" width="969" height="539" srcset="https://publish.flamesnation.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/GRETA-NationEvents-2024-YYC-Articles.png 969w, https://publish.flamesnation.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/GRETA-NationEvents-2024-YYC-Articles-300x167.png 300w, https://publish.flamesnation.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/GRETA-NationEvents-2024-YYC-Articles-768x427.png 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 969px) 100vw, 969px" />
GAME DAY hosted by Flamesnation &amp; Barn Burner at Greta Bar YYC is BACK! Join the crew at our favorite Game Day Watch Party spot, Greta, on Saturday Feb 24, 2024 for the next BOA! Doors open at 7pm. Tickets are $10 with proceeds going to support Closer to Home Community Services! Good food, a good cause and a guaranteed good time. This event is brought to you by McLeod Law LLP and Village Honda. Get your tickets at nationgear.ca before they sell out!

The Calgary Flames weren’t as polished as the game against the Bruins, but still managed to keep their offensive momentum up. Despite the return of Jack Hughes the Devils weren’t able to overwhelm the Flames whose new additions to the lineup continue to make a difference. Both of those realities combined to send the Flames into the win column on Thursday night.



CF% - 51.35%, SCF% - 49.76%, HDCF% - 48.29%, xGF% - 52.8%

It’s a Team Game – The Devils should have left the first period with at least three goals but ran into the wall of Markstrom. The second period was where Calgary found their pushback being able to find 7 high danger looks at 5v5. The Devils are consistent though and found a large pushback in the third frame. The main difference largely came down to the quality of each teams goaltending which was a clear advantage for the Flames. The Devils certainly had more players with some flashy plays, but when your goaltender lets in soft goals it’s hard to get anywhere.

Corsi King – Walker Duehr (68.90%), Kevin Rooney (62.90%), and Jakob Pelletier (55.85%) have given the Flames the most reliable fourth line stretch of play they have seen since before Christmas. Yes, I know it’s been two games, but that’s how long it’s been since the coach had enough trust to send that group out on a consistent basis. Yegor Sharangovich (65.52%) had another game where he didn’t look out of place as a centre – a trend that everyone will be keeping a close eye on.

Corsi Clown – A rare game where the Backlund (31.8%) line got hemmed in their own zone. There’s only one man left to shoulder the defensive responsibility. The proof is in the zone starts where the Backlund line started 9 times in their own end compared to just once in the offensive zone and once in the neutral zone. They still managed to score too! They had a very minimal amount of raw expected goals against for the amount of shot attempts they faced – all of this with the amount of defensive zone responsibility is crazy stuff.

Under Pressure - 

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-121619" src="https://publish.flamesnation.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/G51-at-NJD-SP.png" alt="" width="1015" height="1827" />

Taken By Chance – The 123 line needs to take a bow. Huberdeau (82.19 SCF% // 100 HDCF%), Kuzmenko (73.29% // 100%), and Sharangovich (82.19% // 100%) all were involved in 6 high danger chances for and zero against. They were completely sheltered from any defensive zone starts but the offensive gusto Kuzmenko adds to the other two has made for a thrill ride in the offensive zone at least once a period. Dynamite game that should ensure an extended run together – if Coach Huska keeps the offensive focus on them up they could find some fire results. Don’t need to worry about their defensive effort if they are attacking every shift.

xG Breakdown - 

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-121618" src="https://publish.flamesnation.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/G51-at-NJD-xG.png" alt="" width="888" height="1142" />

xGF% - Enough about the forwards, who I really have no formal complaints over. Even the guys with nights below their averages – like Kadri (36.61%) – managed to contribute to some offence. On defence we had the Flames top 4 D all look sharp and then had Pachal (35.15%) and Kylington (44.64%) subject to over a full expected goal of chances against. Since we are talking zone starts it’s worth noting Pachal had none – at all. 14:09 of 5v5 ice all coming from on-the-fly shifts. Noah Hanifin (59.76%) continues to shine with creativity in the offensive zone. He’s really increased his offensive approach in the attacking zone as the years gone on.

Game Flow – 

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-121620" src="https://publish.flamesnation.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/G51-at-NJD-GF.png" alt="" width="751" height="350" />

Game Score –

[embed]https://twitter.com/hockeystatcards/status/1755808912798896392?s=61&amp;t=yZz6L8VmZ4IUOeId3iKsgw[/embed]

Shot Heatmap – 

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-121621" src="https://publish.flamesnation.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/G51-at-NJD-SH.png" alt="" width="803" height="422" />

In The Crease – Markstrom did everything you want your starting goaltender to do, and then some, but he does that seemingly every night for the Flames. Without Markstrom there’s no playoff talk after trading your number 1 centre away, he showed that tonight in a duel he won quite handily against the opposition. 2.87 expected goals against at 5v5 with just 2 getting past him. A .941 save percentage against an offensively charged, youthful team with consistent scoring veterans. One heck of a job.

The Goals - 

[embed]https://twitter.com/ringoffirecgy/status/1755754120504377841?s=61&amp;t=yZz6L8VmZ4IUOeId3iKsgw[/embed]

[embed]https://twitter.com/ringoffirecgy/status/1755760989721522393?s=61&amp;t=yZz6L8VmZ4IUOeId3iKsgw[/embed]

[embed]https://twitter.com/ringoffirecgy/status/1755773822593126614?s=61&amp;t=yZz6L8VmZ4IUOeId3iKsgw[/embed]

[embed]https://twitter.com/ringoffirecgy/status/1755777448526954944?s=61&amp;t=yZz6L8VmZ4IUOeId3iKsgw[/embed]

*The Empty-Net Goal was not found within 30 seconds of searching so I'll just describe it to you: It went in an empty-net, the end.

Flashalytic’s 3 Stars – 

 1) Andrei Kuzmenko

2) Jacob Markstrom

3) Kevin Rooney

(Stats compiled from Naturalstattrick.com // Game Score from Hockeystatcards.com // xG and Under Pressure charts from HockeyViz.com // Game Flow and Shot Heatmap from NaturalStatTrick.com)

<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-121511" src="https://publish.flamesnation.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/GRETA-NationEvents-2024-YYC-Articles.png" alt="" width="969" height="539" />

GAME DAY hosted by Flamesnation &amp; Barn Burner at Greta Bar YYC is BACK! Join the crew at our favorite Game Day Watch Party spot, Greta, on Saturday Feb 24, 2024 for the next BOA! Doors open at 7pm. Tickets are $10 with proceeds going to support Closer to Home Community Services! Good food, a good cause and a guaranteed good time. This event is brought to you by McLeod Law LLP and Village Honda. Get your tickets at nationgear.ca before they sell out!

Beyond the Boxscore: Calgary Flames defeat Devils with an advantage in the crease

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