Coming into this season, the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers were expected to build on their playoff appearances and were the two favourites to win the Pacific Division.
Now, more than a quarter of the way through 2017-18, the two are in very different places after cold starts in October. While the Oilers continue to struggle through their “death by 1,000 cuts” that has them sitting 29th in the NHL, the Flames have started to recover with a 7-3-1 record in their past 11.
When you’re looking for the team’s MVP of the first quarter, the decision comes down to two players: goaltender Mike Smith and star forward Johnny Gaudreau. Smith is a top-10 goalie in GAA and save percentage, but Gaudreau has made his own solid case by getting in on more than half of Calgary’s goals and is tied for second in league scoring.
That Gaudreau-Sean Monahan–Micheal Ferland line has been one of the best in the league, taking advantage of the NHL’s crackdown on slashing to the hands at one end of the rink and growing as a unit at the other.
“They’re dialled in right now,” Flames general manager Brad Treliving said about his top line on Hockey Central at Noon. “Johnny just looks real dangerous — all three. Sean just is as lethal as anybody around the net. Micheal Ferland has been terrific, he’s a big body and can skate. And I think people have seen recently his ability to shoot and think the game with those two. He’s a great complement on that line. And as I said, Johnny just looks like he’s on another level.
“What they’re doing offensively and how they’re driving our group offensively everybody sees and the numbers are indicative of that. But Glen (Gulutzan) has really challenged them, specifically Sean and Johnny, on both sides of the puck this year. And I think you’re seeing it. They’re playing against other team’s top lines. They’re sound defensively, highly competitive, but really trying to play a strong 200-foot game and not just relying on scoring.”
Still a young team up front, it was curious to many when the Flames signed 45-year-old Jaromir Jagr to a one-year contract after he missed training camp and all the pre-season games. The vet has found a home on the third line with Mark Jankowski and Sam Bennett, but his influence on the roster extends beyond those to early-20s players.
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Treliving said that Jagr is rubbing off on every player on the roster with his work ethic and the messaging he’s drilling on how to be an impact player in the NHL. And when the guy saying these things has been playing in the NHL longer than 10 of his teammates have been alive, you listen to what he says.
This is an overlooked reason why the Flames were interested in Jagr in the first place.
“He’s a hard guy not to take cues from. The work ethic,” Treliving said.
“What I found just talking with him and a guy like Johnny for instance, it’s just a mindset. He’s helped in talking about how to be a top player in this league you have the daily challenge to be great every day. He talks to Johnny about it every day. Even when you’re not playing great, top players need to impact the game on a daily basis and that’s how you become a top player.
“Obviously there’s a god-given skill set that needs to be there, but there’s a mindset that goes along with that and I think that’s where he spends a lot of time talking with our younger guys about that mindset of being great not only in games, but the importance of being great in practice. There’s no question it’s had an impact on our group.”
The Flames return home from a pretty successful six-game road trip and will follow it up with four games at the Saddledome, starting with the visiting Maple Leafs on Tuesday night that in many ways is a measuring-stick game for them.
Smith will get the start and he’ll be backed up by David Rittich, the 25-year-old Czech goalie who earned his first career win in his first career start on Saturday night.
Rittich was somewhat of a surprise call-up last week after Eddie Lack cleared waivers, because the Flames have two other highly-touted young goalies in the system. Jon Gillies has been the No. 1 for the AHL’s Stockton Flames this season, while Tyler Parsons has been the lead dog with the ECHL’s Kansas City Mavericks.
Treliving discussed the decision to bring up Rittich and how having so many goalies is both a blessing and a curse as you have to find a place for each of them to play and not grow stale. And he left the door open for the 29-year-old Lack to return to the big club at some point.
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“Our schedule to begin was such that we had a couple early back-to-backs, but not that difficult so unfortunately for Eddie Lack there wasn’t a lot of games to be had,” Treliving said. “I think with anybody it’s difficult you go two months almost with starting one or two games so we wanted to get Eddie down. We think he’s a quality NHL goaltender, we wanted him to get some reps. We feel comfortable with some of the young goalies we have in the organization. That’s an area we tried to build some depth in.
“From Gillies to Rittich to Parsons, we feel comfortable that first of all, we want to get a look at what we have in David, who’s been real good at the American League level the past couple years. Jon Gillies is a top-end prospect we think is going to be a real good goaltender. The challenge is to see what you got there, but also make sure there is enough nets that they’re all seeing time and developing.
“As it is with all young players, you want them playing.”
Treliving said that while his team’s start has been “a little uneven” that better days are ahead. The defence, which was anticipated to be a team strength coming into the season, hasn’t quite settled beyond the first pair or Mark Giordano and Dougie Hamilton yet. But Treliving believes the second pair of T.J. Brodie and Travis Hamonic is starting to develop chemistry and that Brett Kulak has grabbed the No. 6 spot on the blue line with his great play.
As it all starts to come together from the Flames, so far they look like the one Alberta team that could hit its pre-season expectations. The final ruling is a long way off yet, but the improvement already seen over the first quarter has the Flames on a track they planned to take.
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