We are eight games into the Calgary Flames 2024-25 campaign, and we have seen two different versions of this club so far.

There is the team from the first four games of the season. And we have the team from the last four games. Let’s take a look at the numbers and see what the differences has been between the two four game segments.

Through the first four games of the season, the Calgary Flames looked like a juggernaut in the offensive zone. They outscored their opposition 19-10. Their 19 goals ranked 7th in the NHL from the start of the season to Oct. 17. And when you break it down in terms of goals per game, they were second in the NHL.

The Flames had seven point per game players; Jonathan Huberdeau (6), Rasmus Andersson (6), Connor Zary (5), Martin Pospisil (5), Andrei Kuzmenko (5), Nazem Kadri (4), and Anthony Mantha (4).

The underlying numbers were solid too. The Flames ranked 5th in GF%, 15th in xGF%, and 16th in HDCF.

It’s been a different story over the last four games.

Since Oct. 17, the Flames are 1-2-1, being outscored 14-9. Those 9 goals are good for 29th in the NHL.

They only have one point per game player during this stretch, that being Andersson. Only seven players have at least two points in the last four games.

The eye test backs up a lot of the numbers from both the first four, and last four games.

The Flames looked like a team that was on the same page throughout their first four games of the season. Their passing was crisp. They were working well as a five-man unit. And

Unfortunately, the Flames have looked like a different team over the last ten days. They look discombobulated and out of sync. It looks like they don’t know where players are supposed to be when they’re breaking out the puck and moving the puck through the neutral zone. Passes are not on the tape a lot of the time. They’ve just looked off.

The best way to break down the defence will be to look at some shot metrics.

As you can see, one thing the Flames have struggled with all season is limiting shot attempts against. They ranked 28th and 26th in shot attempts against per 60 in the NHL. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing if you’re limiting those shots to the perimeter. And that’s what the Flames did in their first four games as they were 15th in HDCA/60. But that has changed in the last four games. Now they are giving up a lot of shots and high danger chances.

Despite putting up lacklustre defensive metrics, the Flames have still been able to outscore their opposition at 5-on-5 17-10 in their first 8 games. They can thank Dustin Wolf and Dan Vladar for that.

The one part of the Flames game that has remained at a high level throughout their first four games is their goaltending. Both Dustin Wolf and Dan Vladar have played well in each of their four starts.

Both goalies have given the Flames an opportunity to win every game this season which is all you can ask for.

If you had to pick one who has been better, it’s Dustin Wolf. The numbers show it and the eye test shows it. Wolf looks incredibly, calm, composed and athletic in his crease. He’s not giving up as much space in his net as he was last season.

This is where there has been a drastic difference when you compare the first and last four games of the Flames season.

The Flames power play was clicking at 28.6%, good for 9th in the NHL. But you could make an argument that they were riding a shooting percentage heater. In the first four games of the season on the power play, the Flames ranked 28th in CF/60, 21st in xGF/60. They did that while having the 4th best shooting percentage on the man advantage.

The power play has taken a significant hit over the last four games. In that time, the Flames have the 29th ranked power play at 7.7%. It looks like ran out of shooting luck because they are still generating a lot of high danger chances (4th in HDCF/60).

Normally, the Flames penalty kill is one of the better units in the NHL. From 2021-22 to 2023-24, the Flames have the 4th ranked PK in the NHL.

But that has changed so far this season and for good reason. The Flames lost some of their best penalty killers in Chris Tanev, Noah Hanifin, and Elias Lindholm. I don’t think they’ve been able to find suitable replacements just yet. And because of that, the Flames rank 23rd on the PK at 72.7% in their first four games. That number has dipped to 70.6% in their last four games.

The Calgary Flames hot start comes down to three main factors. Goaltending. The power play. And a shooting percentage heater. When those three elements are in your favour, you’re going to win a lot of hockey games.

But in the last four, the power play has let the team down immensely and they haven’t been able to convert on as many shots as they did in the first four games. Their goaltending duo of Dustin Wolf and Dan Vladar has kept them in the fight.

A lot of the Flames success is going to come down to special teams. If they can be in the top half of the league in both PP and PK, then they will be in the mix for a wild card spot come March.

If they can’t get their special teams going, they will be in trouble.