From start to finish the Calgary Flames swarmed the New York Rangers with shots on their way to a 3-2 victory.

It’s a Team Game – The final team stat line is one of the most unique I’ve come across yet. The Flames dominated shot attempts, reaching over 30 shots on goal before the halfway mark of the game. Yet, the Rangers found a way to recover and push back after being thrown onto their heels. Dustin Wolf bounced right back from the two quick goals against in the second period to shut down the Rangers the rest of the way. In my opinion, Calgary really deserved this win in one of their strongest efforts of the season against a high-quality Rangers team.

Corsi King – One of the reasons I love doing these is because it gives a glimpse into how Ryan Huska uses his lineups. In this one he limited the third pair and really leaned into the top four on defence – and why wouldn’t you? With the massively improved play of Daniil Miromanov (65.31 CF%) and the gift that has become Kevin Bahl (57.39%) to complement the Flames two studs in Andersson (52.16 per cent) and Weegar (58.86 per cent) I would be rolling them back-to-back whenever it was close, especially against a good opponent. The Flames goaltending has been getting a lot of love these days, but the defence playing as well as they have makes life a little bit easier for the pipe patrollers.

Taken By Chance – I’m glad Blake Coleman (49.91 SCF% || 49.52 HDCF%) is getting a chance on a line away from Mikael Backlund (52.37 per cent || 49.27 per cent). Both are high quality players that can complement and accent others – having them together sure makes one heck of a line but you lose defensive depth on different lines. Coleman is as responsible a player as they come, two-time Stanley Cup Champions usually are. His line wasn’t smooth sailing in this one, but they were the ones that came in with the clutch go-ahead goal. We also know Backlund has worked with everyone since his Frolik days – spreading the wealth is something I really support. By having them on two lines they’ve started to see more consistent transitions out of their own zone. When they get stuck they go into a tremendous box formation with a rover at 5v5 – a lot of responsibility for the centre but the Flames have guys that are doing their jobs well enough to stay relevant.

xGF% – Ryan Lomberg with the 97.84 expected goals percentage. Two high danger chances for with none against as well as the fact he was in the Rangers grill all night. They have some guys that aren’t afraid to get physical, but we all know Ryan Lomberg won’t back down from anyone. It never did get to the point anyone got into fisticuffs, but the game was quite physical. Now many might read and see that Zary (39.61 per cent) finished last on the team here. That’s because no other forward line got hemmed in their own end as often as his did. That goal he scored should replay on the highlight packages for over a month – and nobody on the team can stick-handle anywhere close to him – but next on the learning curve for the centre is how to limit chances in his own end. Getting to watch Backlund (75.43 per cent) as an example is not going to hurt him.

In The Crease – While Dustin Wolf was still top notch this game probably ends the consecutive starts at three. What do I usually talk about here? Athleticism – still elite, speed – still elite, vibes – immaculate. Wolf is out here kissing his post and giving shot blockers taps on the shins all while playing like he’s been in the NHL for half a decade already. 1.85 expected goals against at 5v5 with 2 high danger chances getting behind him. Take the weekend off man and rest up for the next run of games. Vladar can handle the matinee on Saturday.

Player Spotlight – Nazem Kadri – I get a little disturbed when I’ve been going on multiple weeks and I still can’t find a reason to really praise a player. Nazem Kadri has looked better since Pospisil got put back with him, but he still hasn’t found his way to the scoresheet. Those two are real board warriors in the offensive zone and play off each other well, however, it has not led to much real 5v5 offence. It would be simple to point to Kuzmenko as a catalyst for the problems these days, but Kadri was also struggling to produce with Zary next to him too. Forty days have passed since the Flames have scored more than three goals in a game. That’s eighteen games with three goals and three assists for six points for Kadri in that span. You do not play out a season for a high draft pick, no matter what the chatter online says, you play each game to win every single time. Kadri is at the point where it’s time to start helping on a more regular basis because the Flames are going to keep pushing no matter what. Kadri producing makes that reality easier to enjoy.