1. Into The Fortress
The Flames are certainly acclimatized to the Vegas environs.
Two full days in Nevada – one an off day, the other a practice session – and tonight, a rematch against a Golden Knights club following a contest Tuesday at the Scotiabank Saddledome that slipped out of Calgary’s hands in the third period.
But as they say, bygones are bygones, and here in the Desert, the Flames will try and take advantage of their first Hockey Night in Canada showcase to get back into the win column.
On its base level, hockey’s a simple game. Score more goals than the other team, and you’ll end up a winner.
For a Calgary team that has lit the lamp only nine times to this point in the season, scoring goals is certainly the priority.
But despite their offensive woes, the Flames are in the top half of the league in Corsi for, and nowhere near the bottom of the league in high-danger opportunities, and for that reason, head coach Ryan Huska is optimistic that sometime – soon – his team might start to turn a corner, when it comes to lighting the lamp.
“Yes, I do,” he said Friday, when asked if the team is on the precipice of scoring more goals. “The challenge that I would have for our team is not just to kind of accept where it’s at, right? And that means that we have to be more committed to getting pucks to the net, for us to be able to score.
“It’s not looking off a shot or trying to find something that’s better, it’s almost like dumbing it down a touch and just being committed to getting pucks to the net as much as possible.
“Our work ethic has been great. I think we can do things faster as a team, and I think that’s going to help both on the offensive and defensive side. We have to make sure we find a way to turn the corner here sooner than later.”
One of the players potentially on the verge of turning the corner: Joel Farabee.
Through five games, he’s tied for second among Calgary’s top-six forwards in high-danger chances – both at even strength and in all situations – and tonight, he’ll get a look on the top line alongside Jonathan Huberdeau and Nazem Kadri.
And while he commented Friday that his role might be more bent on retrieving pucks for his linemates, Farabee is well aware he has the green light to shoot the puck with (somewhat) reckless abandon when the opportunity arises.
Helping lift up the team, too, is just as important.
“You can’t grip the stick too hard right now,” he said Friday. “It’s frustrating on everyone, we’re not scoring a lot of goals but at the same time, you’ve got to pump guys up, you’ve got to feel good; when you do that, you’re going to end up scoring goals.
“For us, just come in with a good mindset. We thought we outplayed Vegas when they were at the Saddledome. Just gotta get back to that and play our game.”
The Golden Knights have allowed five goals per game through their two home fixtures this season, too.
That makes the message even more clear. Get pucks and traffic to the net, and see what happens.
Maybe, two valuable points.
If the Flames play their cards right.
