The Calgary Flames are exactly halfway through the 2024-25 NHL regular season.
They’re not where anyone thought they’d be.
Written off as bottom-feeders in pre-season, the Flames have proven to be a hardier bunch than anyone gave them credit for and are right in the playoff mix.
Their 20-14-7 record heading into Monday night’s game against the Chicago Blackhawks has them exactly one point back of the Vancouver Canucks, who are sitting in the Western Conference’s second wildcard spot.
So what has the season taught us, so far? What do the Flames need to do to keep the dream alive?
Let’s take a look at 10 things we think we’ve learned:
DUSTIN WOLF IS AN NHLer
The biggest question surrounding Dustin Wolf right now seems to be whether he’s the Calder Trophy frontrunner or not.
There were still some lingering questions about the 23-year-old’s adaptability to the NHL game heading into the season, and the Flames have smartly managed his workload and split goaltending starts between the rookie and Dan Vladar – who has been very good, as well, and has played most of the more difficult opponents the Flames have faced.
There are no questions about whether he’s an NHL goalie anymore, though. Not after his first 22 starts of the year. He’s won 14 of them and has posted a .916 save percentage and a 2.53 goals-against average.
It’s still early, but it really does seem like the Flames’ goalie of the future has already arrived.
CLOSE GAMES ARE WHERE THE FLAMES LIVE
Of the 41 games the Flames have played this season as they arrive in Chicago, 17 of them have been decided by a goal.
And their record is actually pretty good in those games.
They’ve got 9-1-7 in one-goal games in 2024-25, and the fact that they’ve only lost one in regulation is certainly encouraging. It shows that they’re comfortable in tight, tense situations late in games, and that’s something every team strives for.
On the totally opposite end of the spectrum, they’re 5-8 in contests that have been decided by three goals or more. I’m not sure what exactly that tells us, as it’s a record that’s right in the middle of the NHL pack.
THE PENALTY KILL IS A PROBLEM
The Los Angeles Kings didn’t score on a power-play against the Flames on Saturday night, but that was the first time the Flames had finished a game without allowing a penalty-kill goal in seven games.
There are good, proven penalty-killers on the Flames roster, so it’s a little hard to figure out why the unit has struggled so much. But the numbers don’t lie.
The Flames have killed only 70.8% of their penalty kills, and that’s the third-worst percentage in the league.
For a team that prides itself on its defensive play, the PK needs to get better in the second half if they’re going to stick around this playoff race.
FIRST PERIOD SCORING IS AN ISSUE
The Flames are dead-last in the league in goals-for in first periods, with 24, as of Monday morning. Fortunately, they’ve also allowed the seventh-fewest goals in the opening frame, with 32, but that only helps so much.
We always hear how it’s much easier to play when you’re ahead in the NHL, and the Flames would definitely find life a little simpler if they could sit back and protect an early lead from time-to-time.
That just doesn’t seem to be their M.O., though.
Puck luck is part of the explanation. Anyone who has watched the Flames all season knows they’ve hit a few posts early in games, but it’s also true that there have been a fair number of matchups where their opponent has simply come out and played with more intensity.
IT’S GOING TO BE SCORING BY COMMITTEE
A lot has rightfully been made of Jonathan Huberdeau’s resurgence, particularly over the last month and a half.
It’s worth noting, though, that Huberdeau is currently leading the Flames with 31 points prior to Monday’s game. Again, that’s a positive story.
But if you look around the NHL, every single other team in the league has at least one player with more points than the Flames’ leader.
What does that mean, exactly? Well, it mostly means that the Flames are a team that has to rely on scoring from up-and-down the lineup, they don’t have one guy who is going to carry them.
That’s not exactly news. It’s consistent with what the players themselves were saying at their pre-season golf tournament way back in September.
SUPPOSED SNIPERS NEED TO DO MORE
This isn’t meant to be an attack on specific players, but the reality is that the Flames need more goals out of both Yegor Sharangovich and Andrei Kuzmenko.
They should probably be looked at individually, so let’s do that.
Sharangovich led the Flames in goals-scored last year, potting 31 lamp-lighters and adding 28 assists, too.
His numbers have fallen way off this season. Sharangovich has managed only six goals so far this season, and has gone 15 games without scoring before the Flames’ matchup with the Blackhawks. But even that is a little misleading, as his goal Dec. 3 against the Columbus Blue Jackets was an empty-netter. He hasn’t put one past a goaltender and into the back of the net since Nov. 25.
There have been signs of life recently, especially against the Anaheim Ducks this past week, and maybe the move to centre now that Connor Zary is sidelined indefinitely will help.
Kuzmenko is more concerning, though. This is a guy who scored 39 goals two years ago with the Vancouver Canucks and netted 14 more in 29 games after being acquired by the Flames last year.
This season, though? He’s scored one goal in 31 games. He’s been in-and-out of the lineup and has often been anonymous when he has played.
Kuzmenko’s utility is almost entirely his scoring ability, so the Flames have to hope and pray he figures it out in the back half.
THE MARKSTROM TRADE LOOKS GOOD
We mentioned how well Wolf and Vladar have played recently, and having them under contract meant that the Flames could afford to move Jacob Markstrom this summer. You could even argue that given the importance of getting Wolf games, it was a move they had to make.
We’re sure everybody in New Jersey is happy with the deal the Devils made. Markstrom’s been excellent for them, as you’d expect.
But getting Kevin Bahl in return is looking better by the day.
The 6-foot-6, 230-pound rearguard found quick chemistry with Rasmus Andersson and is third on the team in icetime per game, playing an average of 21:31 every night.
The 24-year-old doesn’t overwhelm you with his physicality, but his positioning is excellent and his defensive I.Q. allows Andersson to get a little more aggressive at the other end of the ice.
Bahl has been a great addition, plain and simple.
CORONATO’S EMERGENCE
It’s strange to even think about Matt Coronato getting sent down to the Calgary Wranglers earlier in the year. He’s in the NHL for good now, that’s for sure.
In 36 games this season prior to Monday, Coronato has 10 goals and 12 assists. That’s fifth on the team for points, but if you factor in the fact that he was down in the AHL for that brief stretch, he’s actually third on the team in points-per-game, at 0.61.
But the Flames’ first round pick, 13th overall, in the 2021 NHL Draft has done a lot more than just produce points. Since getting paired up with Blake Coleman and Mikael Backlund, he’s fought along the boards, been solid defensively and even dropped the gloves a few game back.
He’s an important player for the Flames and the future is oh-so-bright.
THE SEARCH FOR CENTRE
Connor Zary really seemed to be coming into his own at centre before suffering a knee injury last week that won’t require surgery but will keep him out of the lineup indefinitely.
It creates an issue for the Flames.
They lost Cole Schwindt on waivers at the end of training camp. They experimented with Martin Pospisil in the middle, but it didn’t go great. They called up Justin Kirkland, but he’s now out for the year due to injury.
Now, it’s back to Yegor Sharangovich moving to centre, with Rory Kerins earning a first call-up from the AHL, too.
Are either of them the solution? We’ll see, but the Flames have a striking lack of organizational depth at centre and it will no doubt be a priority both in the trade market and in future drafts.
THE FOUR NATIONS BREAK COULD BE A BOOST
The only player on the Flames roster who was invited to participate in the 4 Nations Face-Off was Rasmus Andersson.
When you consider that they’re fighting with the Vancouver Canucks for a playoff spot and their Pacific Division rivals have four players going to the international tournament, you have to wonder if that might be a bit of an advantage for the Flames?
They’ll basically have two weeks off to rest and recover, while four of the Canucks’ most important players will be playing what we’re being promised will be high-intensity games.
That can only be a good thing for the Flames, right?
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