The Calgary Flames offence remained dry in a frustrating 2-1 overtime loss to the visiting Montreal Canadiens.

It’s a Team Game – Why so frustrating? That’s because for the second consecutive game the Flames played some decent hockey (not the first period, but they survived). They still aren’t generating anywhere near enough in terms of offence, but they are at least playing more sound defensive hockey. The turnovers that were causing earlier issues still sometimes arise, but they are down significantly from the start of the season. When they do happen, Dustin Wolf is there to handle them. He was lights out again for the second straight game, but with only a single goal in each one to help him out he got strapped with the OTL. If the Flames do not start utilizing the slot for passes or find ways to get off the perimeter to get scoring chances, the struggle for goals will continue. Right now, the majority of the attack comes from distant point shots and then a scramble for a rebound. With just 9 goals in their last 7 games, it’s clearly not working. Someone needs to take initiative and drive the middle of the ice off the half wall, or come from the gal line and create a goal mouth scramble. Settling for all these low percentage shots just results in a low shooting percentage. If you want to correct the drought you have to get more high danger net-front opportunities than they are currently getting.

Corsi King – Samuel Honzek (83.04 CF%) is quite effective at establishing a possessive forecheck. He’s got a good stick and finds ways to tie up the defender/puck until someone can support him and get possession. His size and strength are coming in handy playing the way Calgary has been playing. I’d like to see him not always go back up the boards for the cycle and take it upon himself to create some offence by driving the crease. Take the biscuit to the house and try and slam it home. He’s got the size, and is showing he knows how to use it, let’s get that going in the direction of the net a bit more. Zayne Parekh (70.76 per cent) got put with a steady defensive partner in Joel Hanley (62.07 per cent) and now his offensive instincts are helping Calgary stay out of their own zone. He’s been their best puck mover so far, and the forwards aren’t exactly aiding him in achieving offence. Asking the 19-year-old defenceman to take charge in that area would be completely unfair to him. He’s showcasing he clearly belongs here though and is only going to learn to see the space open on the ice more frequently.

Taken By Chance – MacKenzie Weegar (56.17 SCF% // 100 HDCF%) has had a rough start to the season, but he and his current partner Jake Bean (100 per cent // 100 per cent) had a sensational 5v5 performance. Not one single scoring chance, of any variety, went against Jake Bean in this one. Credit where it’s due – Bean gets the rough end of things frequently – when there’s a performance this good it’s worth mentioning. Now if only that strong performance actually resulted in goals for and wasn’t just about their defensive play. Calgary’s most consistent winger since the start of the season continues to be Joel Farabee (55.49 per cent // 100 per cent). He’s been all around the net for over a week but couldn’t buy a goal if they were giving them out for free. He’s certainly earned a right to top-6 minutes on this team, moreso than anyone else with the flaming C on their chest.

xGF% – The Flames need Nazem Kadri (58.20 per cent) and Jonathan Huberdeau (61.78 per cent) to provide at least one goal a game between them both. Kadri’s been all around it with his assists, but he has not been around the net very much. They need him to take charge – he’s the offensive leader of this entire squad. That has to be the guy to pull you out of this. It can’t continue to be the fourth line, nobody on defence has the ability to take over, and the middle six is only generating 3-4 decent chances a game. It has to be the two guys at the top of the payroll.

In The Crease – Dustin Wolf has been a brick wall for two games and has one out of four points to show for it. If he speaks with frustration, it is completely understandable. He’s doing everything, and then some, to try and earn that win the Flames need so desperately. Nobody out there can question if he’s ready to play on any given night. He’s a true superstar and the most important player on this team – I feel really bad for him because he’s more than done enough and deserves more success for his work.