The Calgary Flames lost 5-0 to the Vegas Golden Knights on Monday night.

It’s a Team Game – I thought the first period was fairly well played. Calgary was not making many mistakes, and the game was fairly even. Vegas did score in the first and followed it up with a quick pounce off a turnover early in the second period. This is the part where things get interesting. The second period had two things occur – the Flames did not register a shot on net in the first 15 minutes of the period and they out chanced Vegas in 5v5 high danger looks 2-0. Positives in that even though the Flames were being pressed into their own defensive zone they had at least made the middle of the ice hard to get to, but then they went and leaked six high danger chances against in the third period to counter that so everything averages out to match the overall result.

Corsi King – A lack of tangible shots on net does not mean the Flames were not attempting shots. This category here at least accounts for all the blocks, misses and posts as well as the shots and goals. In simpler terms – we are tracking shot attempts. CF specifically is Corsi-Fenwick where Corsi is all shot attempts and Fenwick is all shot attempts minus the ones that were blocked. In case you ever wondered what lab this was cooked up in – it’s all just game results simplified into a category (CF%) so we don’t have to repeatedly type the full names out time and time again. Oh right, Miromanov (69.94 CF%) led for the Flames as he only saw 7 shot attempts against him in 18:34 of 5v5 ice time.

Taken By Chance – The high danger chances against didn’t start coming until the third period and they pretty much all came against Nazem Kadri (28.36 SCF% || 16.11 HDCF%) and Connor Zary (43.15 percent || 16.11 percent). I’m not really to concerned about two guys who haven’t played on the same line in months having some chemistry issues back together again in a pinch. Even on a night where things went pretty rough for the top defence pairing, Rasmus Andersson (34.36 percent || 33.31 percent) still lead the team being on the ice for two high danger chances for.

So i switched up the xG chart because I feel this one shows better where individuals and lines kind of stacked up for the night. The bottom axis is the players overall quality of chances all summed up while the vertical axis is the amount of chances against. Translated: Up is good defence, down is bad defence, right is good offence, left is bad offence.

xGF% – You can mix up their third linemate however you see fit, but that will not stop Mikael Backlund (54.62 percent) and Blake Coleman (59.49 percent) from playing positive possession and chance-based hockey. The two are always on the same wavelength up and down the ice and are always reliable in a defensive support role too – this frees up the wing opposite of Coleman to find some offence. Connor Zary (33.14 percent) had been creating a ton of chances – maybe after a practice him and Kadri can re-find their spark. It’s a long season, they aren’t losing the next 73 games like this and there is time to work at improving some things. Clamping down on turnovers inside the Flames own half of the ice is number one on the list.

In The Crease – I’m not going to pin this game on poor Dan Vladar who was left out to dry in the third period. He didn’t do anything sensational to steal the game, but he also never got any run support. The five high danger looks on 2.31 expected goals against at 5v5 SVA aren’t great, but it’s one game. The rotating starts were fine to begin the season, because the Flames were winning, but with them losing three in a row now if Dustin Wolf wins the next game against Utah, he could steal the crease for a bit. That or they go right back to the platoon and stick with it as long as the results are manageable.

I was going to insert the Looney Toons “That’s All Folks” here but it’s late and I don’t feel like e-mailing anyone about copyright law.

Don’t let the hassles and risks of travel keep you from making connections that matter. From lost baggage and trip cancellation to medical emergencies, Alberta Blue Cross has you covered on every adventure. Best of all, Flight Delay Service is included. Travel worry-free with travel insurance from Alberta Blue Cross and get access to 24/7 assistance if you need it. If you’re traveling to the U.S. – you’ll get access to one of their largest healthcare networks which provides direct payment to hospitals. This means you won’t have to pay medical expenses out of pocket. Protect your next trip today at ab.bluecross.ca/travel.