The Calgary Flames were able to make it three straight victories with a decisive 3-0 win over the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday night. They have now recorded at least a point in their past five outings, and now sit 14-14-5 on the season.
Related: Flames Should Be Gauging Trade Interest for Markstrom
This game was the perfect example of why this Flames team has been so frustrating this season. They were dominant from the second the puck dropped until the final horn sounded. At times, they are capable of this performance, but far too often they take a major step back shortly after. Perhaps this is finally the beginning of them becoming more consistent. With that said, here are the three main takeaways from Thursday’s big win.
DeSimone Scores First NHL Goal
While the name Nick DeSimone may not be known to many other fanbases in the NHL, he is one of the best stories going in the league right now. The 29-year-old was able to suit up for the first four games of his NHL career last season, and has gotten in two more stints with the Flames in 2023-24.
Let it fly! pic.twitter.com/u056GQjQH6
— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) December 22, 2023
DeSimone came into last night’s outing with four assists in 12 games, the first four of his NHL career. In this one, he was able to hit his biggest milestone yet, beating Lukas Dostal for his first career goal. As big of a moment as it was, the journeyman defenceman played it quite cool on his celebration, though one can only imagine how overjoyed he was on the inside.
Power Play Finally Strikes
The Flames’ power play has been downright abysmal this season, as they entered last night’s game with a conversion rate of 11.3 percent. They were able to get things figured out on the man advantage in this one, however, as Elias Lindholm potted his eighth on the season. The tally marked the Flames’ first on the power play in three games.
Related: Flames and Avalanche Are Perfect Trading Partners for Lindholm
Now, for the bad news. While they were able to get a power play goal, they went just 1/7 on the night. That does up their season total ever so slightly, but is still quite concerning. Let’s just hope Lindholm’s tally carries some momentum moving forward whenever the Flames find themselves up a man.
Markstrom’s Brilliance Continues
To this point in the 2023-24 season, Jacob Markstrom’s play has been rather subpar. Before being forced to miss time recently with a fractured finger, he had a goals-against average (GAA) near three, and a save percentage (SV%) below .900. That said, he has looked like the elite Markstrom of old since returning from his injury.
While it’s only been two starts, Markstrom has kicked aside 60 of the 61 shots he has faced, and has seen his GAA on the season drop to 2.67, while his SV% has improved to .906. His play has been a great reminder to fans that, despite some questionable games here and there, he remains the best goaltender in the Flames’ system at this point in time. With how well he is playing, expect head coach Ryan Huska to continue running with him for the time being.
Looking Ahead for the Flames
With this win, the Flames now sit just a single point shy of the Arizona Coyotes for a wild-card position in the Western Conference. They will look to stay in the race and win their fourth straight on Saturday in what will be a tough matchup against a very good LA Kings team. They will then have three days off before getting back in action at home on Wednesday versus the Seattle Kraken. Though their first 33 games of the season haven’t been pretty, they are still very much alive in the playoff hunt. If they continue playing how they have been over the past week, there is a true shot they make it.
