3 Things From Week 13: Wheel Of Transactions, Home Isn’t Kind & OT Is OK.

Happy New Year!

The Flames rounded out 2017 with a 1-1-1 week on the ice. Calgary scored only 3 goals in their losses to San Jose and Anaheim, but were able to pump in 4 goals in their OT win against the Blackhawks on New Year’s Eve. The Flames PP came to life this week, going 3-8 with Matthew Tkachuk getting two against Chicago. The Flames top line also pitched in this week with Micheal Ferland getting his 15th goal of the season, Sean Monahan breaking a drought with a goal and Johnny Gaudreau picked up 2 helpers. Earth shattering and season saving performances, no. But it’s a good sign that the Flames top trio was able to help the rest of the team out. Here’s the rest of the Flames week in 3 Things!

Comings & Goings: Some People Left, Some People Arrived

It was a bittersweet week for Calgary as fans got to see Andrew Mangiapane make his NHL debut Sunday night against the Chicago Blackhawks. The 2015 6th round pick has been lighting up the AHL with Stockton with 33 points in 29 games. Mangiapane got 7:26 of ice time on Sunday and managed two shots on goal in his first taste of NHL hockey.

The reason he is here is because the Flames are without Michael Frolik and they will be without one of their best penalty killers for a long time. Frolik took a puck in the face against the San Jose Sharks on Thursday night and did not return to the game. According to multiple sources Frolik has had surgery to repair a broken jaw, but a full recovery will take 4-6 weeks.

The last of this week’s coming and goings involved a trade and a signing. The Flames traded AHL goalie Eddie Lack to the NJ Devils for defenceman Dalton Prout. Not a major move, but it gives Tyler Parsons a roster spot in Stockton which he has earned this season. Prout has played in 4 games this season and collected 13 PIM. Lack meanwhile struggled with the Flames, going 1-2-0 with a GAA of 5.29 and a SV% of .813. He did, however, excel in the AHL splitting time with Jon Gillies. Lack went 2-2-1-0 and saw his GAA drop to 2.57 and his SV% rise to .916.

And finally, the Flames signed their 2016 6th round draft pick Matthew Phillips to a 3 year contract. Phillips is currently with the Victoria Royals of the WHL and has 59 points in 39 games.

New Year’s Resolutions: Be Better At Home

The Flames got themselves a win on home ice on Sunday night, but the Saddledome hasn’t been where the heart is. Calgary closed out the year with a 10-11-0 record on home ice. That has to change. If you look at the teams ahead of the Flames in the division they all play exceptionally well on home ice. Those who aren’t fighting for a playoff spot, don’t. While it’s nice that Calgary travels well (9-5-4), they need to tighten up their game in their own barn if they really want to sniff the playoffs this season. The Flames have 20 games left against teams in the Pacific at the Dome and 9 of those are against Edmonton, San Jose, LA and Vegas.

Vegas: 16-2-1

San Jose: 12-6-2

LA: 11-5-3

Anaheim: 10-8-3

Edmonton: 8-11-1

Vancouver: 7-11-3

Arizona: 4-13-1

OT Again!: If it’s not a shootout, the Flames are good.

Calgary got themselves another OT win with their 4-3 defeat of the Chicago Blackhawks. That makes Calgary’s record in 3 on 3 OT this season 5-1. Pretty impressive. Where the Flames struggle is in shoot outs. The Flames fell to the San Jose Sharks in a shoot out this week 3-2, making their record in the gimmick round 2-3. Calgary last won a shoot out game on November 5th against the Devils, 5-4. What’s the moral of the story? Win it in regulation or in OT. Also, shoot outs are dumb.

by Mark Parkinson