The Calgary Flames managed to come back from the brink of defeat against the Carolina Hurricanes on Dec. 7. After going down 2-0 just nine minutes into the first period, the Flames put up three goals in the third period to rise above the Hurricanes. The win might have come as a shock to anyone who only watched the first period, as the Flames were not at their best. They came out after the first intermission, however, with a different offensive strategy that led them to the win.
Understandably, the Flames are going through a learning period this season. A lot of changes have been made over the past few seasons. Star players Matthew Tkachuk and Johnny Gaudreau left the organization at the end of the 2021-22 season and the Flames’ less-than-stellar performance during the 2022-23 season led to the firing of head coach Darryl Sutter. They’ve slowly been finding their feet again and the improvements they made against the Hurricanes show that.
Flames Played More Aggressively
The Flames have not been playing as aggressively as they used to during the 2023-24 season. They’ve struggled to have a consistent and winning style of play. It’s been all over the place, as evidenced by their 11-12-3 record. They are continuing a trend seen during the 2022-23 season, the first season without Gaudreau and Tkachuk. The Flames finished one point short of the playoffs to cap off a fairly disappointing season. Lately, they’ve been showing some of that aggressive play that took them to the playoffs a few seasons ago.
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Aggression doesn’t just have to be players giving out hits on the ice. Although there are plenty of Flames willing to do so, it doesn’t do much good if they’re not being aggressive with the puck as well. The Flames started out playing rather timidly against the Hurricanes. They weren’t putting a lot of pressure on their opponent, leading to a lot of scoring opportunities that Dustin Wolf had to handle.
In the second period, the Flames came out onto the ice with more purpose. They started fighting for the puck more and put pressure on the Hurricanes when they were in their zone. Blake Coleman’s game-winning goal even came shorthanded during a power play for the Hurricanes.
This aggressive playing style meant that the Flames were able to control the game. During the first period, the Hurricanes dominated the Flames and continuously pushed them back into their own zone. As the Flames began pushing back, they also started getting more time with the puck.
Better Puck Management Gave Flames Opportunities
Part of the Flames’ biggest issues in the first period came from their inability to keep the puck under control. They kept turning the puck over, both robbing themselves of scoring opportunities and giving the Hurricanes some. The Hurricanes’ second goal, scored by Michael Bunting, came about due to a loose puck that Rasmus Andersson was unable to corral.
While turnovers are inevitable in every game, the Flames have struggled with puck management all season. They’ve allowed 28.77 shots on average over the 26 games they’ve played so far. That equals out to 748 shots against. Quite a few of these shots, and subsequent goals against, have been attributed to poor puck management.
As the Flames controlled the puck better, they increased their shots on goal while decreasing those of the Hurricanes. They were outshot 11-7 in the first period but managed to flip it in the third, outshooting the Hurricanes 11-9. When they keep a hold of the puck, the Flames can settle themselves down and get some good scoring opportunities.
Flames Made Steadier Plays To Score Goals
Good puck management goes hand-in-hand with the Flames’ ability to make solid plays on the ice. In the latter two-thirds of the game against the Hurricanes, they made steadier plays. They looked more relaxed and confident in their strategies, unlike in the first period where they seemed lost. Now that they weren’t constantly having to chase the puck back into their own zone, the Flames were able to create goal scoring opportunities. Rather than just throwing the puck at the net in a desperate attempt to even the score, the Flames made calculated moves and forced the Hurricanes to be on the defensive for longer.
Flames players started to be on the lookout for when the play was breaking down, as well. Rather than immediately turning on the defensive, the Flames fought for the puck. Andersson’s goal, the first for the Flames that game, came from a loose puck in front of the goal. After a pass from MacKenzie Weegar failed to make it to Coleman, the 27-year-old defenceman skated across to backhand the puck past Pyotr Kochetkov.
Connor Zary has put on a masterclass performance so far this season, and his goal seven minutes into the third period was the best example of how much the Flames improved their gameplay. Andersson was being pressured, but rather than sending the puck back to Wolf, he sent it between two Hurricanes players to Nazem Kadri. The 33-year-old was surrounded but managed to tip the puck to Adam Ružička who put the puck on net for the young forward to tap in.
It was a beautifully improvised play from everyone involved. The Flames didn’t bow to the pressure of the Hurricanes and maintained their composure to even the score. Earlier in the game, it wouldn’t have been surprising to see any one of those passes turn into a giveaway and a possible goal for the Hurricanes.
Improvements Give Flames Hope For Future
The Flames’ ability to come back from such a rough start to their game against the Hurricanes is a good sign for the future. Although they still have a long road ahead of them to make the playoffs this season, it’s a step in the right direction. With all of the changes the Flames have gone through over the last few seasons, seeing them find their feet again is encouraging. If they continue to make improvements and learn from games like these, the Flames will have a better chance of becoming a formidable team in the league like they were two seasons ago.