It seems a uniquely Calgary Flames thing to host a firesale, pick ninth overall,and then start the season without a regulation loss.
Granted, we’re only talking about five games. Only about 6 per cent of the 2024-25 season.
A lot of strange things can happen in small samples and we shouldn’t assume the Flames are going to play like a contender all year.
Whatever happens, Calgary has played well out of the gate. Here are some of the most surprising and noteworthy stats from their 5-0-1 start.
League-best goaltending?
Puck stopping was one of the biggest question marks heading into the season. Dustin Wolf is a highly decorated but under-sized rookie. Dan Vladar has struggled to be anything but an inconsistent backup in the NHL so far.
But both guys have given the Flames the second-best netminding at 5-on-5 through six games, with a combined save rate of .951.
Wolf leads the way here, stopping over 95 per cent of the pucks he has faced at even strength in his three appearances.
Neither player has been granted the title of starting goalie so far, but people looking for signs that Wolf is ready to take the next step should be encouraged.
NHL’s best shot quality differential
This is especially surprising because thanks to Sutter’s high-shot volume system previously, the Flames used to suffer from some of the worst shot-quality differentials in the NHL.
But under Ryan Huska this year, Calgary is generating a wide edge in high-quality chances. According to stats database evolving-hockey.com, Calgary’s shot quality differential per 60 minutes is a league-best +0.95/60, with no other team breaking the +0.80/60 mark.
What this means, in non-math terms, is the Flames are getting a lot of good shots from the middle of the ice while keeping their opponents to the outside.
Is Huberdeau back?
Jonathan Huberdeau has played with Elias Lindholm, Nazem Kadri, Mikael Backlund, Tyler Toffoli, Andrew Mangiapane and Yegor Sharangovich during his time in town, but apparently the key to unlocking the (former?) star was … Martin Pospisil?
Huberdeau’s six points in six games currently is second on the Flames (behind Rasmus Andersson) and the player has certainly looked more comfortable playing with a sophomore centre and the big-bodied journeyman Anthony Mantha.
Scoring a point per game in a handful of contests doesn’t cement the former Florida Panther’s comeback, but it’s one of the first glimpses the Flames have seen of the talent that enabled him to garner 115 points only a few seasons ago.
Here comes Matthew Coronato
He sat out the first two games of the season, but 21-year-old Matthew Coronato has looked like a different player than the one who struggled to stay in the lineup so far.
In fact, no Flames skater has better shot or chance differentials than the rookie right winger. Calgary has owned 54 per cent of the shots at even strength and over 66 per cent of the expected goals with Coronato on the ice. And their goal share stands at 74 per cent.
These are dominant ratios, indicative of a wide edge in play which has been reflected by a young player who looks faster and more confident.
Coronato was benched partway through the most recent contest against Pittsburgh, so he remains a work in progress. But the early returns are still positive.
Brayden Pachal playing like Chris Tanev
When the Flames plucked Brayden Pachal off of waivers from the Vegas Golden Knights last year, he was an undrafted defender with 29 NHL games under his belt, a frequent healthy scratch and no noteworthy stats to recommend him.
But the hard-hitting right-handed defender has been a revelation through the early going. Mostly playing on a third pairing with Jake Bean, Pachal has been remarkably steady at both ends of the rink, mirroring the departed (and also undrafted) Chris Tanev.
This is probably an unfair comparison for the 25-year-old since Tanev turned out to be something of a unicorn defender. That said, no defender has better shot, chance or goal differentials at even strength than Pachal so far.
First pairing underwater
MacKenzie Weegar is coming off a career season-high 20 goals last year. The highly capable two-way defender settled quickly into a top role with Calgary when he arrived (unlike his Panthers teammate) and he already has three goals and four points to kick things off this year.
Unfortunately, the news isn’t as good at the other end of the ice. Weegar and regular partner Daniil Miromanov mostly have been run over at 5-on-5, posting by far the worst differentials on the team across the board (ratios in the 38 per cent range).
Their struggles led to Miromanov being healthy scratched in favour of Tyson Barrie recently.
Weegar has been one of the steadiest blueliners in the NHL over the past few years, and he and Miromanov seemed to play capably together at the end of last season. However, if the struggles persist, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Pachal elevated into the top four.
Obviously, none of these things are guaranteed to continue indefinitely. Calgary is destined to hit more than a few rough patches this year and you probably shouldn’t wager your house on them finishing with the league’s best goaltending or as a contender in the West.
But the team has played well. Both the coaching staff and the players deserve a lot of credit for starting the season on the front foot, even in the face of lowered expectations.