Down the Frozen River

Author: Jess Belmosto

  • Flames Beat Vancouver 4-3 in OT

    Flames Beat Vancouver 4-3 in OT

    The Calgary Flames earned two points after a 4-3 OT win over Vancouver, Monday night. It was not a pretty game by any means but good is sometimes good enough.

    A Much Improved First Period

    The Flames had a horrific first period in their last meeting. They were outshot 20-3 and not recording a shot until 11 minutes in.. The penalty kill struck early after Dillion Dube was called for hooking and naturally, the Flames would lose steam early. It didn’t take long for the Canucks to take advantage of that, putting them ahead by two.Milan Lucic cut the deficit in half after scoring his forth goal of the year.

    It was not a pretty period for the Flames PK either. They found themselves on the kill four times in the first 20. Connor Mackey earned two trips to the box in his second NHL game. Calgary’s golden child, Johnny Gaudreau found himself in there on an interference call.

    Relying On Momentum

    One of the most frustrating things about the Flames is how heavily they rely on positive momentum. If things are going south, expect them to keep spiraling but if things are good, they’ll be really good. Elias Lindholm tied it up before Dube redeemed himself with a goal. There was a bit of confusion around the goal, though. Vancouver’s Nate Schmidt tried to pass the puck to goalie Thatcher Demko but Dube’s stick tipped it in. Thanks for that, Nate.

    Dube’s go ahead goal set the tone for a good portion of the third period. One thing I did want to touch on was Elias Lindholm and Tyler Myers. Lindholm was called for elbowing Myers. Elbows to the head are never good or acceptable but I believe it was an unfortunate collision as Myers was already falling.

    The Friendship Tour Continues

    It shouldn’t come to a surprise that the Flames are ranked the best third period team in the league. For some reason, they find themselves playing their best hockey at crunch time.

    The Flames are also great at getting under their opponents’ skin. Tonight, it was Andrew Mangiapane’s turn.

    A fantastic defensive play turned into Tyler Myers needing a hug, Mangiapane getting the Brad Marchand treatment, and of course- Matthew Tkachuk and Mackey in the penalty box.

    Tkachuk has fallen into a slight slump. He appears afraid to shoot the puck which leads to overpassing which is never good. It’s no surprise that he chimed in on this scrum. Although, he does appear to be picking his battles these days.

    In true Flames fashion, they got too comfortable on the ice and allowed the Canucks to tie it up. Jacob Markström was visibly upset. How many dinners does this team owe him now?

    Overtime was over before it really started when Gaudreau buried one. It wasn’t time to call it a night just yet though. The Canucks would not go down without a fight and challenged the goal. Toronto reviewed the offside challenge and the call on the ice stood.

    Everyone say thank you, Johnny and Toronto for allowing Calgary to go to bed before too much free hockey.

    Takeaways

    The Flames walked away with two points. That’s all you can ask for. It was an improvement from Saturday’s performance but certainly not the full sixty they need to be playing.

    Captain Mark Giordano and Rasmus Andersson were split up and demoted from the first pairing. Chris Tanev and Noah Hanifin rightly slid up to that first pair. Giordano was paired with Valimaki on the second line. While Andersson earned a spot with Mackey on the back end.

    Goaltending cannot keep saving this team. The Flames are lucky they have Markström and I hope everyone has pitched in to buy him a new car or something really nice. He’s carrying the weight of this team on his back. Even after facing 47 shots, the team couldn’t bail him out.

    Being outshot two games in a row is not ideal but the deficit tonight was far less. 33-27 is more ideal but still a heavy workload for Markstrom. It was Gaudreau who bailed him out but before taking it to OT.

    The Flames wrap up their four game trip to Vancouver on Wednesday.

  • Calgary: Studs, Standouts and Suckers

    Calgary: Studs, Standouts and Suckers

    With 14 games behind them, the Calgary Flames advance to 7-6-1. The new acquisitions have made themselves right at home and the core reignite themselves after a quiet 2019-20 season. As the season progresses it appears that the team has found themselves in the same book, not the same page quite yet but the gap is closing. The Flames are on their way to being a cohesive unit. Before we get there, we need to take a look at the players so far.

    Marking His Territory

    Jacob Markstrom has been beyond consistent for the team. Through 10 starts he is 6-3-1 and earned himself a .916 SV% with a 2.5 GAA. Every night you can count on a remarkable save. There are times where he leaves the crease and your heart finds itself in your throat but he never misses a beat.

    One of the more terrifying moments of the season was when Connor McDavid crashed into the net, running over Markstrom. Of course everyone remembers what happens the last time McDavid crashed the net. Markstrom was slow to get up but he returned to play as if nothing happened. And of course the true test was if he got the start against Winnipeg on Tuesday night. He recorded a .926 SV%. Safe to say things are going alright there.

    Finding Their Footing

    Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan were the subjects of trade rumors this offseason. In fact, Gaudreau was on TSN Trade Bait board a few times. After the short lived playoff run, fans were certain there would be a drastic change in the lineup. The question was, would it be Gaudreau or Monahan? General Manager Brad Treliving decided blowing up the team was not the way to go.

    Gaudreau is leading the team with 15 points ( 8G, 7A) and had an 8 game point streak going. We’re seeing a version of Johnny Hockey that fans have longed for these last few seasons. To my knowledge, he has not mentioned what changed or if he had shaken up his routine. Could the change in coaching and better key players around him be it?

    Monahan passes the blind eye test with flying colors. His passes are smoother than butter and he isn’t afraid to shoot. Both him and Gaudreau appear more confident when it comes to shooting. There is no overpassing or hesitation. Monahan has 11 points ( 3rd on the team ) through 14 games. He has recorded 7 even strength assists and one even strength goal. Monahan is 4 goals shy of 200. That milestone will likely be accomplished this season.

    Streaky Starts

    Matthew Tkachuk came out of the gate hot. He recorded 3 goals in the first five games and was not hesitant to shoot the puck. On January 24th, he recorded 9 SOG against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Since the Jake Muzzin incident just two days later, Tkachuk has been a little less noticeable.

    It was reported that the Flames had a players only meeting after a loss to Montreal. It’s speculated that Tkachuk was told his antics needed to stop and it, “couldn’t be a riot every night.”

    Tkachuk has just 2 assists in the last five games. Unfortunately, he hasn’t looked like the same player we saw a month ago. Before we break out the pitchforks for a trade or demotion, let’s remember that players do have streaky moments. Could this be a typical slump we see from players? After all, he did lead the team with 61 points last season. Is this the same type of regression we saw from teammate Gaudreau after his point heavy season?

    Andrew Mangiapane inked a deal that would bring him back to Calgary for 2 more years. He ended last season with a career high 32 points. There were high expectations for him coming into the season. While he was putting in the work every game, he just couldn’t finish. It wasn’t until the 8th game of the season that he notched his first goal. He hasn’t slowed down since. He has 4 goals and 2 assists in the last 6 games. The expectations are high for Mangiapane and it’s expected that he will continue to meet them.

    Dynamic Duo

    The Flames signed 31 year old, Chris Tanev to a four year $18 million deal back in October. The biggest concern about this signing was of course, Tanev’s injury history. He is an older, injury prone player who would be eating up a lot Calgary’s money.

    Tanev and D partner Noah Hanifin have been the stars of the show each and every game this season. Both fall under heavy scrutiny for their contracts and performance. The both of them have proved everyone wrong. They did not allow and even strength goal against through 8 games, nearly 2 hours of gameplay.

    If the time comes were headcoach Geoff Ward wants to limit Mark Giordano’s ice time, I think making this pairing the top pair is an obvious choice. Though the pair is off to a hot start, that does not mean they are out of the woods just yet. There is still plenty of time for things to turn sour.

    Struggling Veterans

    One of the hardest part of the game is watching your favorite players age and decline. Unless you are Zdeno Chara, it is inevitable and coaches have to learn to adjust. Milan Lucic and Mark Giordano are two players that come to mind. Granted, Lucic has not been nearly as effective as Giordano but his presence needs to be talked about.

    Lucic had a great playoff run last year. It was as if 2011 Lucic had returned to the ice. That was shortlived of course as the Flames were knocked out after losing to the Dallas Stars in the first round.

    That Lucic was left in 2020. The Lucic we’ve seen for a majority of the season has been a liability. Turnovers and trips to the penalty box have been costly. On a positive note, he has three goals and three assists which is more than he was doing at the start of the 2019-20 season.

    He is averaging 11:57 a night and I do think that that’s acceptable for the time being. However, if you’re going to healthy scratch Sam Bennett, you’re going to need to hold Lucic accountable for his mistakes. Benching him for a game is the better option than walking away without a point.

    Captain Mark Giordano is on the final year of his contract. He has played a total of 907 NHL games, which is a rather impressive milestone. One might call this a crossroad in his career. Will the Flames offer him an extension or will they make him available for the Seattle Expansion draft? There are more questions than answers when it comes to Giordano.

    He is still playing on the top pairing with Rasmus Andersson. Many fans have called that decision into question after Gio’s slow shifts and turnovers. Whether it be a respect thing or not, you have to do what is best for your team. Geoff Ward has a hockey brain and is seeing it all up close so we can only assume he knows exactly what he’s doing and there is a method to his madness. I do think a demotion needs to happen at some point this season. The captain should be preparing to pass the reigns over to his younger defensemen, and setting them up for success.

    One Month Down, A Few More To Go

    Barring the league does not pause, the regular season is expected to wrap up in May and playoffs to follow right after. The Flames are currently out of the playoff picture but there is still time for them to turn it around. Don’t count anyone out just yet.

    Flames play Vancouver tonight at 8pm MT.

  • Calgary Flames Looks To Fight Off Red Hot Toronto Maple Leafs

    Calgary Flames Looks To Fight Off Red Hot Toronto Maple Leafs

    For the first time in nearly a week, the Calgary Flames are back. Puck drop’s at the Saddledome at 4:00pm. 

    Dillon Dube likely will not play, ( day to day with LBI ) did not skate during Saturday’s practice and there is no morning skate tomorrow. 

    Geoff Ward did say that they’ll take a look at how things look in the morning and go from there. 

    If Dube is unavailable, the lines will likely look like this: 

    Johnny Gaudreau – Sean Monahan – Dominik Simon

    Andrew Mangiapane – Elias Lindholm – Matthew Tkachuk

    Sam Bennett – Mikael Backlund – Josh Leivo

    Milan Lucic – Derek Ryan – Joakim Nordstrom

    Mark Giordano – Rasmus Andersson

    Noah Hanifin – Christopher Tanev

    Juuso Valimaki – Nikita Nesterov

    Jacob Markstrom 

    Things to watch: 

    The Flames will reunite with TJ Brodie for the first time this season, after he signed with the Maple Leafs in free agency. Brodie has been heavy on the assists so far this season with three points in six games.

    Chris Tanev has been an absolute beaut for the Flames. He took time to practice and shoot around with some of the younger guys yesterday.

    Not only is he playing an intricate role on the penalty kill, he is showing his leadership abilities.

    Goalie Frederik Andersen’s season has not been off to a hot start. With an .898 SV% and averaging nearly 3 goals against, he’s already in playoff form.

    The Flames are going to have to play another full sixty minutes of hockey on both ends of the ice. Toronto is a scary team when they’re healthy and on the same wave length. The Flames have their work cut out for them.

    Puck drops at 4:00pm EST. Make sure you check back for your postgame coverage!

  • Matthew Tkachuk is Your Next Flames Captain

    Matthew Tkachuk is Your Next Flames Captain

    Mark Giordano’s contract is up at the end of the season and with his age you have to think about him calling it a career. Who would be next to fill the Captain’s shoes? When looking at the Flames roster you see a few standout names. Matthew Tkachuk should fly off that paper. 

    Making A Case For Himself

    The 23-year-old has already made a name for himself in the sense of being a well-rounded player and an agitator. Some call him a mini Brad Marchand. No matter which way you take that, it’s a compliment. After all, Marchand is one of the best left wingers in the game.  

    Captaincy doesn’t mean you’re the best player on the team and can put up the most numbers each season. You possess an unmatched level of dedication to the game and your teammates.

    Tkachuk is a player you can count on to retaliate if a teammate is hurt. He isn’t afraid to be the agitator. There’s a style to his gameplay that is gritty and he admits that he needs to be physical and not just a goal scorer.

    I don’t see his talent up for debate at all. As he led the team in points last season. In 293 regular-season games, he has a total of 235 points. There’s no denying he’s good at hockey and will continue to prosper in the league especially if the Flames use this mini rebuild as a chance to build around him. 

    Tkachuk is a very emotional athlete. You see it when he fights or when he’s in the press box watching an elimination game. 

    Tkachuk’s performance during the 2019-20 playoffs kept the team alive. He, unfortunately, had to be sidelined due to injury. Whenever they showed him in the pressbox, you could tell how frustrated he was and how desperately he wanted to be out on the ice with his teammates. This was the solidifying moment for me. The Flames played a tighter game when he was on the ice. His presence is a force to be reckoned with. You’re not “safe” when Chucky is on the ice. I’d imagine you’re always looking over your shoulder and not entirely focused, especially if you’re behind the net. Seems to be a sweet spot for the future captain. 

    Growing into the role 

    He isn’t afraid to step up and put an aggressor in their spot but he’s also not afraid to get under someone’s skin. His history with Drew Doughty comes to mind. In a way, he reminds me of Zdeno Chara. Granted, Chara is 7 feet on skates and it’s a little terrifying going up to him but Tkachuk still has people shaking in their boots if they decide to go after a Flames player. He’s not afraid to retaliate. The Flames power play can take care of the rest. 

    It may be next season or years from now, but expect a C on 19’s jersey. After all, like father, like son.

  • Calgary lands Markstrom in free agency

    Jacob Markstrom is the latest goalie off of the market, as he and the Calgary Flames agreed to a six-year, $36 million contract (worth $6.000 million per season). It was the longest unrestricted free agent signing of the day on Friday as the NHL’s free agency period began.

    A native of Gävle, Sweden, Markstrom was originally drafted in the second round (31st overall) by the Florida Panthers in the 2008 NHL Draft and made his league debut with Florida in the 2010-11 season before he was later traded during the 2013-14 season to the Vancouver Canucks ahead of the 2014 trade deadline.

    The 30-year-old goaltender had a 23-16-4 record in 43 games (43 starts) last season and amassed a 2.75 goals against average, as well as a .918 save percentage and two shutouts in that span.

    For the first time in his career, he made a postseason start in the 2020 playoff format and carried Vancouver in 14 games to an 8-6 record with a 2.85 GAA and a .919 SV%– as well as one shutout– until an injury forced Thatcher Demko to takeover in the crease for the Canucks in their ultimate Second Round series loss to the Vegas Golden Knights in seven games.

    Meanwhile, the Flames desperately needed an upgrade in net and can finally differentiate between having a starting goalie and a backup. For the first time in what feels like forever, this isn’t a 1A/1B situation.

    Markstrom is an elite goaltender that’s been in the Pacific Division since March 4, 2014, so there’s enough familiarity in what the Flames are getting and will more than likely provide the stability Calgary has been after.

  • Oilers add a bit of depth

    While the Oilers are out hunting for a goaltender, they’re also adding some depth in hopes for another winning season.

    After being bought out by the Nashville Predators, Kyle Turris looks to revitalize his career in Edmonton. He is signed through the 2021-22 season, earning money from his buy out and also an addition $1.65m from Edmonton.

    The 31-year-old native of New Westminster, British Columbia, has 416 points (165 goals, 251 assists) in 726 career NHL games for the Phoenix Coyotes, Ottawa Senators and– most recently– the Nashville Predators.

    He was originally drafted by the Coyotes in the first round (3rd overall) of the 2007 NHL Draft.

    Former Calgary Flame, Alan Quine signs a one year $750,000 deal. Simple addition for some depth and more development. The Oilers are also adding Seth Griffith to their roster on a two-way two year deal that’s worth $750,000. Their minor league team will see some in net depth as Anton Forsberg signs a one year deal.

  • Evan Rodrigues Re-signs with the Penguins

    Forward, Evan Rodrigues, re-signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins for another year. The deal is worth $700,000.

    The 27-year-old had 6-4–10 totals in 45 games last season– including one goal in seven games with the Penguins after he was traded at the deadline by the Buffalo Sabres to Pittsburgh, having requested a trade due to a lack of playing time.

    One season removed from setting career-highs in goals (nine), assists (20) and points (29) in 74 games with the Sabres in 2018-19, Rodrigues wasn’t nearly consistent enough to make even Buffalo’s lineup.

    As a result, it’s been a bit of a tumultuous offseason for the Toronto, Ontario native.

    He was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs in the Kasperi Kapanen trade (part II) that sent Kapanen back to the team that drafted him (the Penguins) on Aug. 25th, but wasn’t tendered a qualifying offer by his hometown team.

    In the end, Rodrigues went back to the Pens on a one-year “prove it” deal as some added depth to Pittsburgh’s roster.

  • Arizona makes some noise at depth

    The Arizona Coyotes added some depth with the signings of Tyler Pitlick and John Hayden in free agency.

    Pitlick, 28, signed a two-year deal worth $1.750 million per season and had 20 points (eight goals, 12 assists) in 63 games with the Philadelphia Flyers last season.

    The Minneapolis, Minnesota native has 41-32–73 totals in 248 career NHL games with the Edmonton Oilers, Dallas Stars and Flyers since being drafted by Edmonton in the second round (31st overall) of the 2010 NHL Draft and making his league debut with the Oilers in the 2013-14 season.

    He’s a hard-nosed right wing that could add some bottom-six depth for the Coyotes.

    Hayden, 25, signed a one-year deal worth $750,000 and had three goals and one assist (four points) in 43 games with the New Jersey Devils last season.

    A native of Chicago, Illinois, he has 11-15–26 totals in 156 career NHL games with the Chicago Blackhawks and Devils since being drafted by Chicago in the third round (74th overall) of the 2013 NHL Draft and made his league debut with the Blackhawks in the 2016-17 season.

    He will more than likely slot in on occasion for Arizona, as his stats don’t exactly prove him worthy of consistent ice time.

  • Penguins sign Mark Jankowski

    The Pittsburgh Penguins signed penalty kill specialist, Mark Jankowski, to a one-year deal worth $700,000 on Friday.

    Jankowski, 26, is a solid depth player, but never made much of an impact at 5-on-5 play with the Calgary Flames in his tenure.

    A native of Hamilton, Ontario, he was drafted by the Flames in the first round (21st overall) in the 2012 NHL Draft and had seven points (five goals, two assists) last season in 56 games with Calgary and was a minus-12.

    His production fell off after setting career-highs in assists (18) and points (32), while amassing 14 goals in 79 hames in 2018-19, and had a career-high 17 goals in 72 games in the 2017-18 season with the Flames.

    He’s more of a bottom-six role player these days and has 36-28–64 totals in 208 career NHL games (all with Calgary).

  • Kevin Rooney signs with New York Rangers

    The New York Rangers have added Kevin Rooney to their Center depth. The former New Jersey Devil is packing it up and moving to the big apple for another team in a rebuild state.

    The center has played 95 games and tallied 19 points. He will continue to be a depth player or take a seat in the press box for less than a million dollars a year.

    CONTRACT BREAKDOWN

    Year 1: $700,000
    Year 2: $800.000