It was another night where the Flames’ sticks stayed stashed, and the offence sputtered on the way to a 3-1 loss in Utah against the Mammoth.

It’s a Team Game – The Calgary Flames simply are not doing enough to challenge the middle of the ice in the attacking zone. When they do get on the offensive it is all perimeter play and shots from the high slot. They are not winning battles for rebounds, they are not winning races for loose pucks, and it’s resulting in a lack of goals. It’s not a surprise that the roster from last year that could barely muster three goals a night is down a 60-point winger and is average less than two goals per game. Zayne Parekh and Matvei Gridin being asked to shoulder the load is way to much to ask of this club – the veterans need to find ways to execute and get on the scoreboard. It can start with a good drive to the crease. Take the puck and stuff it in the crease like a slam dunk, or Eichel the night previous. Just a little more offensive juice – at 5v5.

Also, analyzing 5v5 play in a game that was consistently broken up by a parade to the penalty box for the Flames is hard. Lines stay mixed and it’s hard to get into a flow. The Flames penalty kill deserves a tip of the cap, and Devin Cooley too, tremendous work from that group that led to Calgary even having a shot in the third period.

Corsi King – Kevin Bahl (73.97 CF%) has been noticeably more active and mobile to start this year. A bit more swagger from the long-term extension perhaps? He’s a player that is rapidly becoming extremely important to the Flames. If Weegar (32.05 per cent) or Andersson (64.71 per cent) are gone everything then lies in Bahl’s hands. Next in line after him would be Joel Hanley (22.66 per cent) or Brayden Pachal (55.34 per cent). Point is – Bahl is a fixture and him playing with a bit more pep in his step isn’t a bad thing.

Taken By Chance – Mikael Backlund (48.80 SCF% // 64.84 HDCF%) and his line once again remained on the positive side of all attempts. They went five high danger chances for to three against. All the chances in the world don’t mean a darn thing unless you can figure out how to get those pucks across the goal line. If they don’t then it’s just a bunch of sad cardio. MacKenzie Weegar (23.49 per cent // 20.87 per cent) has been getting beat or caught up the ice a fair amount of this year. I’m not concerned because once he finds his groove it will go well for a long stretch of time. To start this season though he’s not been winning his match-ups.

xGF% – I have been quite lenient on Nazem Kadri (37.01 per cent). He’s been noticeable on offence, but nowhere near the level this team needs him to be at. With Huberdeau out it’s got to be him that stirs the drink of this offence. They need Kadri to find some net and really dominate his shifts. His linemates keep shifting, but something has got to stick for a while eventually. The other centre in the top 6 – Morgan Frost (85.88 per cent) – is clicking at a high level. Spending most, if not all, of his 5v5 ice time pushing play into the attacking zone. It was a nifty tuck pass inside the driving lane that led to Andersson’s (72.20 per cent) power play goal. I think if this continues he’s going to start finding more guys open with better shooting opportunities.

In The Crease – Devin Cooley has a lot of people talking about how he can’t do it. It’s on social media, it’s on the regional and national broadcasts, it’s everywhere. All he did was go out and be one of the best players on the ice when he got a chance to play. His shorthanded work in particular was quite impressive. His form isn’t as smooth as Wolf’s – but nobody the Flames have access to is even close to that level of skill. If the team in front of him could figure out how to attack the middle of the ice he may have even earned himself a win. Alas, they did not and Cooley got stuck with an impressive L.