The Calgary Flames are among the best teams in the National Hockey League at the start of the season, having won five of their six games.
They beat the defending Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche in their home opener Oct. 13, then defeated strong contenders at 2022-23 — the Edmonton Oilers, Golden Vegas Knights, Carolina Hurricanes and Pittsburgh Penguins – with their only loss to the upstart Buffalo Sabers last Thursday.
The Flames’ public comments, however, paint a picture of a group that did the opposite.
After getting off to their best six-game start in franchise history, the Flames feel their game is far from complete and there is another level to be reached. Several players highlighted their even strength game. One of the few stats Calgary is below average this season is in 5-on-5 goals, where they rank 18th.
“We have a lot to do,” head coach Darryl Sutter said after Tuesday’s 4-1 win over the Penguins. “We allowed (21) shots in the second period. You think it’s close to 60 minutes? »
Nazem Kadri, who scored twice on Tuesday and leads the team with nine points in six games, echoed his coach.
“We haven’t really pieced together a full, full 60 [minute effort] again,” he said.
“There were fifties and thereabouts, but there are still gaps and that’s what we’re trying to fix… we’re holding ourselves to a high standard here. We understand it’s a rollercoaster ride throughout the season, but it’s definitely more enjoyable to get wins.
While Jonathan Huberdeau (who scored his first goal as a Flame on Tuesday), Elias Lindholm and Tyler Toffoli find chemistry with each other, Kadri’s trio of Dillon Dube and Andrew Mangiapane have established themselves as the first line of the team.
They constantly circle other teams in their defensive zone, grinding along the boards and ending up in the open space. They combined for seven goals and 17 points. At five-on-five, Mangiapane, Dube and Kadri are among the team’s top five in terms of high danger scoring chances (Toffoli and Mikael Backlund are the others).
“He’s smart and knows where to be on the ice at all times,” Mangiapane said of Kadri.
“As a line, there’s still room to grow, and it’s just playing and knowing where each other is on the ice. He’s a smart player. Dubes and I just want to work hard and do our best and help the team win and that’s why we succeed… that’s when we’re at our best, that’s when we work together, play together, play fast, hard-working, tenacious on the puck, getting teams to force turnovers, and I think we can capitalize on their mistakes. This all happens with the work ethic.
Rasmus Andersson woke up Wednesday to find himself among the league leaders in points by a defenseman with seven points in six games. He too is not yet fully satisfied.
“It’s kind of funny because I’m not super happy with my five-on-five game so far,” he said.
“I feel like I spend too much time in [defensive] area. It’s one of those things, just kill the game a bit faster and pass it to the attackers and then play in the [offensive] area. But it feels like we’re in the D zone for X seconds and we need to change, so just play a little more aggressive down low and join the rush.
Andersson, 25, has been doing more cardio this summer, and he’s now playing more than ever. His ice time is up more than a minute from last season, and he’s playing more than three minutes a night on one of the league’s top shorthanded units (ranked 10th overall before the action Wednesday evening).
“I feel like I did my job this summer,” he said. “My body feels good. I was ready to play bigger minutes this year.
Andersson is the Flames’ top power-play quarterback, a role he took on last season and has continued to develop. Like Huberdeau, Andersson tried to suppress his pass-first instinct and shoot more. So far, he’s averaging two shots per game, up slightly from 2021-22.
“I feel like I’m hitting the puck more this year than I did last year on the power play,” he said.
“Johnny, Naz, Lindy and Toff, they push me to shoot more too, so that obviously makes it easier.”
Kadri acknowledged the team’s strong start, adding that there could still be bumps in the road as the team strives to reach the next level they are perpetually trying to achieve under Sutter.
“It’s not all going to be pretty,” Kadri said, “but at the end of the day, we work and get the job done.”
The Flames, who play nine of their first 10 games at the Saddledome, next host the Oilers on Saturday night.
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