As winners of five of their last six, the Calgary Flames enter the All-Star break with the sort of swagger that saw them atop the NHL standings the first week in December.
It’s the six-week dip in between then and now that has everyone wondering who they really are.
At their best, the Flames are one of the league’s premier checking squads, applying a relentless forecheck that causes turnovers and helps generate more shots than all but one other team.
At their worst, they abandon the attention to detail and find themselves trying to play run-and-gun with teams that can capitalize on an otherwise stingy Flames defence.
The bedrock of it all is goaltending that has been so sublime that the duo of Jacob Markstrom Dan Vladar is on pace to shatter the modern-day record for team shutouts with 18.
Johnny Gaudreau, Elias Lindholm and Matthew Tkachuk have formed a line that has been the NHL’s best through 41 games, but secondary scoring continues to be a concern GM Brad Treliving will undoubtedly address by the trade deadline.
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As coach Darryl Sutter says, the team is a work in progress that has proven that its system, when applied, can help them run with big boys.
With their great start on the road, the preseason goal of simply making the playoffs is well within their sights as the Flames have an arduous, yet home-heavy schedule in a second half that promises to test their ability to outwork teams.
Key stats
Team record: 23-13-6 (4th in division, 16th in league)
Goals for per game: 3.19 (12th)
Goals against per game: 2.48 (2nd)
Power play: 21.1% (12th)
Penalty kill: 84.3% (4th)
Best surprise: Oliver Kylington
Those outside Calgary would likely expect to see Andrew Mangiapane in this space, but Flames fans could see him trending in the sort of direction that has him sitting at the midway point with 20 goals.
No one saw defenceman Kylington playing more than 18 minutes a night for a Flames team that desperately needed someone to step up in a top-four role.
One year after opening the season on waivers and playing just eight NHL games, Kylington made good on the preseason opportunity presented to him by Sutter, and hasn’t disappointed since.
The speedy 24-year-old has been such a reliable partner for Chris Tanev that they are the fourth-stingiest duo 5-on-5 in the league.
He leads all Flames defenders at plus-20 and his game-winning goal Tuesday in Dallas gave him 20 points, second amongst Flames blue-liners.
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Biggest disappointment: Sean Monahan
After opening his career with seven straight seasons scoring at least 22 goals, the 27-year-old centre has struggled to find his offensive touch after off-season hip surgery.
Last on the team at minus-13, the long-time first-liner has been relegated to third-line duties, where he has struggled at 5-on-5 without age-old linemate Johnny Gaudreau by his side.
The consummate team player, Monahan has scored just seven goals but hasn’t complained and has done well to stay on the top power-play unit, where he’s second only to Tkachuk, with 12 of his 19 points.
Biggest question for the second half: Can this team become more consistent?
The task will be a tough one, given how many games the Flames have to make up after having 10 games postponed through Christmas due to the league-wide COVID-19 outbreak that sidelined 20 Flames at the same time.
Sutter is as good as anyone in the league at keeping players focused on the task at hand, which has translated into solid starts on a nightly basis.
For a core that has struggled with consistency issues for years, he has been the perfect hire.
The pre- and post-game mantra from players revolves around maintaining an identity that revolves around dogged puck pursuit, getting shots on net and keeping the puck two zones away from danger.
With Sutter’s guidance, this group now understands what it takes.
The players did well to follow through on an increased focus on their fitness levels, which could be key as they battle to the wire with an exhaustive style they have not yet perfected at home.
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