3 Things Week 7 Edition: Johnny Gaudreau Is Good, PK Is Bad & Bad Brodie D

The Flames went 2-1-0 over the week, beating the Blues (7-4) and Flyers (5-4), but they were demolished by the Red Wings 8-2 on Wednesday. It was a week full of ups and downs with a very solid performance and win over the first place Blues. Sean Monahan got a hat trick in the second period against Philly. The Flames showed resilience by battling out of holes and persevering when being dealt a bad hand. Mike Smith went down in the game against the Blues. Eddie Lack and Co. fell behind 4-1 and never recovered against Detroit. Travis Hamonic was assaulted on the ice. Matthew Tkachuk got suspended. That’s the kind of week the Flames had. Here’s 3 Things we didn’t cover in this paragraph.

7’s Are Good: That’s The Number Of Points Johnny Gaudreau Had This Week

Think Johnny Gaudreau is feeling it? The Flames stud winger had 7 points in the Flames 3 games this week. Against St. Louis Gaudreau had a goal and an assist. In the Detroit mess he had a goal and an assist. And in Saturday’s 5-4 win he had a goal and 2 assists. Gaudreau has been the fuel driving the Flames engine lately and even in the 8-2 loss to the Red Wings he lead the team is SOG with 4 and his shot totals for the week were 12, leading the Flames. He’s currently leading the Flames in points with 29 and second in goals with 9. He’s 3rd in the league in points and 2nd in the NHL in assists. See, we told you he was good.

What Once Was Glorious Is Now Rotten: The PK Is BAD

You may have heard or witnessed how BAD the Flames PK is. At one point they were a top 5 unit, now? They’re bottom of the league. Like, legit, the bottom. Calgary as of this writing sits at 31st in the NHL at killing penalties. The Flames had 10 short handed situations this week and surrendered 6 PPG. Four of those markers came in their 8-2 loss to Detroit and the last of the week came on Philadelphia’s first PP opportunity of the day, less than a minute in. The Flames are tops in the league in PPGA with 20 in 66 chances. Glass half full? The Flames killed a boneheaded Matt Stajan penalty with 2 minutes left Saturday to get the game to OT.

Brodie You Ok?: It Wasn’t The Best Week For T.J. Brodie

It was not a good week for Mr. Brodie this week…on defence. He was brutal against Detroit, directly responsible for two goals and he seemed out of sorts against the Flyers. While Brodie’s offensive numbers are up this season, he’s been struggling in the end that matters most. No one really played well against Detroit, but T.J. Brodie was an abysmal -4. He was a -1 in the Flames 7-4 win over the Blues and he “raised” his game to an even 0 against the Flyers. Brodie did manage to collect 4 assists over the course of the last 7 days, but his play on the blue has been concerning. He’s had trouble clearing the puck and relieving pressure and those are things to keep an eye on as the season progresses. You’d think being freed from Dennis Wideman would have let Brodie shine like we all thought he would, but he’s struggled defensively now that he’s paired with Travis Hamonic.

by Mark Parkinson