The Calgary Flames may be in for a long season. But even through one of their worst stretches, they still won at Honda Center.
Things couldn’t have been worse for the Flames when they skated into Honda Center to take on the Anaheim Ducks for a Tuesday night Frozen Frenzy showdown.
Opponents outscored Calgary 27-to-8 through five games, and the Flames could never seem to finish offensively or stop anyone in their own zone. That’s 1.6 goals for vs. 5.4 goals against, on average.
Calgary Flames Were Getting Blown Out Despite Halfway Decent Metrics
This awful stretch came despite the Flames posting a 55.0 Corsi For Percentage and getting a respectable 28.0 shots on goal compared to opponents landing 28.6 shots.
Calgary’s penalty-kill unit stopped 13 out of 15 power-play opportunities, and even their power play converted 20 percent of the time. That said, they weren’t drawing enough penalties and were going on the penalty kill far too often.
Still, halfway decent underlying numbers didn’t align well with the Flames’ 8-to-27 goals-scored-to-goals-allowed ratio. It was only a matter of time before someone slipped up.
And, perhaps predictably, it occurred against Anaheim at Honda Center, where the Flames have historically performed well.
Anaheim Has Been An Unlikely Sanctuary For The Flames
The Flames have been hotter at Honda Center than some fans may think. Per Field Level Media via Reuters, “…(The Flames) have won 11 of the last 13 visits to Anaheim (11-0-2).”
That success stands in sharp contrast to how Calgary opened its season. Another interesting takeaway from this home-and-home matchup (Calgary lost to Anaheim on Oct. 10 at the Saddledome) is that each matchup ended with the road team winning 4-2.
Perhaps the most interesting, however, is the Flames’ winning streak that Field Level Media also mentioned. They stated that “…(The Flames) have won 58 consecutive games when they score four or more goals.”
It gives the Flames, who are 30th in the league with 12 goals heading into Wednesday afternoon, a historical blueprint.
Flames Can Turn Their Fortunes Around If Scorers Step Up
Naturally, scoring more goals would help any team win more often. But if Calgary is boasting a 54.6 Corsi For following its win over the Ducks, they’re already in position to find the net more often.
Being just one shot on goal under the NHL average with 176 also helps, as does allowing just 168. Do the math, and the Flames, through six games, now have 29.3 shots per game vs. 28 shots allowed.
Their young core has an opportunity to step up as they venture into mid-October. Players like Joel Farabee (four assists), Matthew Coronato (three points, one goal), Morgan Frost (two goals), Simon Nemec (two assists), and Zayne Perekh (one assist) all need to step up. Aydar Suniev is another one showing scoring potential early with three points and two goals.
The Calgary Flames needed a four-goal game badly, as it has historically served them well. So has winning games at Honda Center. While they can’t play every game in Anaheim, they can start producing more efficiently in the points column. Their challenge on Thursday against the Vegas Golden Knights will be to see if they can enjoy a repeat effort.
Calgary Flames’ First Win Comes With A Remarkable Statistical Twist