Post by Calgary Flames on Jun 8, 2022 10:46:13 GMT -6
The Flames came into the playoffs as the 8th seed and had the unenviable task of facing the power house Chicago Blackhawks. Calgary had scuffled heading into the playoffs so confidence, at least among the media and fans, seemed to be low. However, the Flames pulled off an improbable upset and have advanced to Round 2. Let's have a closer look at how the did it.
1. Team Defense - After a 6-1 blowout in game one, the Flames reestablished a commitment to team defense. This really should have been the focus from the outset as the team's strength is in its back end anchored by Rasmus Dahlin and Miro Heiskanen. Two way forwards such as David Kreijci and TJ Oshie doubled down with defensive responsibility, especially on the PK.
2. Overtime Magic - 3 of the 4 Flames wins ended in OT. This really points to how tight the series was and it really could have gone in Chicago's favor. The Flames appeared to have ice in their veins and remained stalwart in very tight games coming up with that winning goal in all 3 overtime contests in the series.
3. Balanced Scoring - 9 players scored at least one goal in the 6 game series. Sean Monahan was a ppg player despite having a so-so regular season. Swapping spots with Kreijci and landing on the top line again after Game 1 appears to have worked. Dahlin and Heiskanen continued to produce from the backend.
4. Containing the Big 3 - Chicago's high-octane trio of Malkin, Panarin, and Rantanen were not going to be shut down, but could they be contained? The answer was likely yes. After the Game 1 blowout where the threesome combined for 9 points, they only scored another 7 points in the remaining 5 games. This was the biggest contributor to the Flames winning the series.
The Flames wanted to congratulate Tyler Hetherington and the Blackhawks organization on an excellent season. The SIM is fickle and can be downright unfair at times and I have been on the receiving end of that many times. I am sure the Hawks will be a force again next year and for years to come.
Looking forward, the Flames next matchup is against Jimmy Houghton and the Dallas Stars. The Stars are well known for frequent media hits and strong offensive play lead by Sasha Barkov with 115 points. Dallas finished second in the central with 107 points behind the aforementioned Blackhawks. Aside from Barkov, the Stars had strong regular season contributions from Pacioretty, Zibanejad, Hubredeau, Jack Hughes, and Doughty. All have been good in the playoffs and youngster Jesper Bratt has also stepped up. The Stars had a relatively quick series defeating the Minnesota Wild in 5 games and averaged an impressive 5 goals per game.
Let's have a look at how the Flames need to play if they win if they want to win the series.
1. Team Defense - Sound familiar? The Stars have a more balanced attack than the Blackhawks and are firing on all cylinders. The Flames need the same commitment to their own end as in round 1.
2. Win the tight games - as in Rd 1 the Flames are going to win more 3-2 games than 7-5 games. Keep the score tight and get the big goal.
3. Young Defense vs Old Defense - the Flames need to continue to lean on their young group of defenders whereas the Stars have a solid veteran group lead by Doughty, Spurgeon, Chara and Martinez. Aside from Doughty there is not a lot of offense from Dallas' backkend but they are tough to play against. Calgary's youthful blue line will have to outplay the veteran group in big D.
4. Goaltending - Mike Smith was up and down in the regular season but he was really solid in the Chicago series. He matches up against Pavel Francouz in round 2 which should give the Flames a decided advantage in goal. The will need to realize that advantage if they are to defeat Dallas.
Thanks for reading and good luck to all of the teams still in the hunt for Lord Stanley's Cup!
1. Team Defense - After a 6-1 blowout in game one, the Flames reestablished a commitment to team defense. This really should have been the focus from the outset as the team's strength is in its back end anchored by Rasmus Dahlin and Miro Heiskanen. Two way forwards such as David Kreijci and TJ Oshie doubled down with defensive responsibility, especially on the PK.
2. Overtime Magic - 3 of the 4 Flames wins ended in OT. This really points to how tight the series was and it really could have gone in Chicago's favor. The Flames appeared to have ice in their veins and remained stalwart in very tight games coming up with that winning goal in all 3 overtime contests in the series.
3. Balanced Scoring - 9 players scored at least one goal in the 6 game series. Sean Monahan was a ppg player despite having a so-so regular season. Swapping spots with Kreijci and landing on the top line again after Game 1 appears to have worked. Dahlin and Heiskanen continued to produce from the backend.
4. Containing the Big 3 - Chicago's high-octane trio of Malkin, Panarin, and Rantanen were not going to be shut down, but could they be contained? The answer was likely yes. After the Game 1 blowout where the threesome combined for 9 points, they only scored another 7 points in the remaining 5 games. This was the biggest contributor to the Flames winning the series.
The Flames wanted to congratulate Tyler Hetherington and the Blackhawks organization on an excellent season. The SIM is fickle and can be downright unfair at times and I have been on the receiving end of that many times. I am sure the Hawks will be a force again next year and for years to come.
Looking forward, the Flames next matchup is against Jimmy Houghton and the Dallas Stars. The Stars are well known for frequent media hits and strong offensive play lead by Sasha Barkov with 115 points. Dallas finished second in the central with 107 points behind the aforementioned Blackhawks. Aside from Barkov, the Stars had strong regular season contributions from Pacioretty, Zibanejad, Hubredeau, Jack Hughes, and Doughty. All have been good in the playoffs and youngster Jesper Bratt has also stepped up. The Stars had a relatively quick series defeating the Minnesota Wild in 5 games and averaged an impressive 5 goals per game.
Let's have a look at how the Flames need to play if they win if they want to win the series.
1. Team Defense - Sound familiar? The Stars have a more balanced attack than the Blackhawks and are firing on all cylinders. The Flames need the same commitment to their own end as in round 1.
2. Win the tight games - as in Rd 1 the Flames are going to win more 3-2 games than 7-5 games. Keep the score tight and get the big goal.
3. Young Defense vs Old Defense - the Flames need to continue to lean on their young group of defenders whereas the Stars have a solid veteran group lead by Doughty, Spurgeon, Chara and Martinez. Aside from Doughty there is not a lot of offense from Dallas' backkend but they are tough to play against. Calgary's youthful blue line will have to outplay the veteran group in big D.
4. Goaltending - Mike Smith was up and down in the regular season but he was really solid in the Chicago series. He matches up against Pavel Francouz in round 2 which should give the Flames a decided advantage in goal. The will need to realize that advantage if they are to defeat Dallas.
Thanks for reading and good luck to all of the teams still in the hunt for Lord Stanley's Cup!
