Flames @ Oilers Post-Game - Ambivalence
by Kent Wilson on Dec 29, 2009 12:06 PM PST
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It's always a good night when the Flames beat the Oilers. It was also nice to see the Flames end the losing streak. But that might be where the positives end. I re-watched the game this morning to tally scoring chances and the fact of the matter is the Oilers generated more and better scoring chances for most of the evening and it was only bounces and better goaltending that had Calgary ahead by the end of the contest.
The line shake-up worked and it didn't: Bourque, Jokinen and Dawes were by far the most dangerous trio for Calgary on the evening, with Bourque counting for 3 goals (is he the best forward on the team right now?) with all three players on the plus side of corsi and scoring chances. On the other hand, playing with Langkow and Glencross didn't do much for Iginla, who was underwater in terms of scoring chances at ES despite spending 60% of his night at 5on5 versus Horcoff, Brule and Jacques. That's Horcoff and two NHL tweeners, which is the type of opposition Iggy used to eat for breakfast. Bourque and Jokinen, it should be noted, spent more than half their ES ice against Penner and Gagner (that is, tougher opposition) and more than held their own.
Watching the game again today also highlighted to me the numerous times Calgary either iced the puck or banged it off the glass into the neutral zone in a panic: control coming out of the defensive zone was in short supply last night and it's not like the Flames were facing the Chicago Blackhawks. Versus a superior opponent with actual elite players, that type of play is going to result in a lot more goals against, either off the rush or after a face-off.
Of course, the main complaint from last night - and it's becoming a consistent issue with this team - was Calgary's inability to get the puck on net. The Flames blocked 5 Edmonton shots at ES. The Oilers blocked 18(!). Calgary also fired 15 ES shots wide. So, out of the 46 pucks they directed at Deslauriers last night at 5on5, just 13 made it through to the Oilers goalie. That's a ghastly 28%. Edmonton, in contrast, fired 43 ES pucks at Kipper, with 24 (55%) making it through. So while the two teams spent about the same amount of time in offensive zone at ES, the Oilers generated far more shots and scoring chances.
I don't know what the cause or cure is. Is it lack of creativity up front? Bad bounces? Whatever it is, it's becoming a significant cause of concern for me.
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Good stuff, Kent. You know things are bad in Alberta when both of our game reviews dwell on the negative.
The blocked shot component is always high in Oilers shots data, especially in home games. Partly team tendencies, partly the scorer, I would say. I often think the Fenwick number might be a more accurate barometer with the Oilers.
Kipper had a fantastic game last night in my view, a terrific bounceback from the disaster against Vancouver on Sunday. I was a little disappointed the Oilers didn’t test him with a couple of J.C. Tremblay-style bounce shots.
Writer for The Copper & Blue and primary shareholder of Zorg Industries
The blocked shots issue is a recurring one for Calgary. The same thing happened against the Blues recently and pretty much every game against the Avalanche this year. I’m starting think the low shot per game average (and resultant poor shot differential) may be in part due to this club’s inability to get shots onto the net.
That said, maybe it’s a bounces thing and we’ll start seeing pucks go through again.
I think it is a lack of offensive talent up front (as you say, creativity). Even when the Flames have zone time, they don’t generate much in the way of scoring chances. I’ll use David Moss as an example. He works hard, cycles a lot, but I can remember only a handful of real chances he’s generated. Same goes for many of the forwards – they play hard on the boards, the cycle, but inevitably the puck leaves the zone with nothing more than a half-shot that gets blocked. And we always hear that this kind of hockey pays off in the 3rd period when the other team is tired, but I don’t think that’s true because a) the other team is often giving as hard as it takes and b) the Flames aren’t working hard enough in the first 40 minutes to make the last 20 count.
Good stuff Kent. I was at the game. It didn’t appear as though the Glencross-Langkow_Iginla line was as bad as you’ve shown.
I guess sometimes being there live you may see some things not seen on tv and vice versa.
I’d still like to see Sutter stick with those two lines for awhile.
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