It’s a Team Game – The quick start ended up being beneficial for the Flames in a big way. A deflection from Morgan Frost and a sneaker from Blake Coleman. The earliest 2-0 lead the team had to play with in a long time. Dustin Wolf sure liked that lead and kept things close into the second period. That’s where Mr. 1000 games – Nazem Kadri – scored an odd man rush with Joel Farabee. I don’t know about you, but the second I saw Kadri was on that rush I never thought for a second Farabee was taking a shot. When the pass got through and Kadri potted the goal he created a memory that will last him a lifetime. Adam Klapka sniping one off the rush immediately after really let Dustin Wolf use his magic to get things over the finish line. Was it a perfect game? Not at all, but It really felt like a positive performance the now 4-9-2 Flames really needed.

Corsi King – Mikael Backlund (66.93 CF%), Samuel Honzek (56.16 per cent) and Blake Coleman (61.33 per cent) were not victims of the Blue Jackets shooting gallery. They doubled their total shot attempts and limited all high danger opportunities against at 5v5. They showed up big for their teammate on his big day. Throw two goals (though one was an empty net) into the fray and it was a darn good night for them. 2020 second round pick Yan Kuznetsov made his season debut – his second NHL game – and collected his first NHL point on an assist. He didn’t surrender any high danger looks either and looked more than comfortable defending on that third pair than some other skaters this season. Calgary’s getting a look at what they have there – that’s a darn good thing. (P.S. play the 19-year-old too, will ya?)

Under Pressure –

Taken By Chance – MacKenzie “Mac and Cheese” Weegar (60.00 SCF% // 44.96 HDCF%) participated in the most high danger chances for the home team. The rough start to the season has found its way out of his game this past week and coincidentally the team started to win more. If your number 1 defenceman plays like a number 1 defenceman you have more success – wild stuff. The fact he’s back playing strong puck is a positive sign for those that still want to see the Flames stay competitive in games.

xG Breakdown –

xGF% – I just want to point out that on a night the Flames were outshot and out chanced significantly the two players that have the least amount of NHL experience were third and fourth here. Limited sheltered minutes, sure, but it’s just a sign that they can handle it. For Kuznetsov (60.62 per cent) he’s going to have to do it consistently going forward, but for Honzek (65.23 per cent) I don’t think there are any plans for the team to send him anywhere. There is youth strewn throughout this lineup, more will come with time. (Again though, seriously, play Parekh.)

Game Flow –

Game Score –

Shot Heatmap –

In The Crease – Double digit games into the season and all Wolf did tonight was improve his save percentage by 11 pints. From 0.884 to 0.895 after this spectacular showing. He even attempted to shoot for a goal with the net empty. The competitive drive he shows on a nightly basis, the athleticism and compete, I would not want to face this as an opponent. Still in awe we get to watch this for the long term in the Flaming C. With how Calgary has been drafting of late I think they have an opportunity to get better while Wolf hits his prime.

The Goals –