Work to do – Flames still a work in progress

“It’s going to be a big game for us to bounce back. (San Jose) play hard and they play well at home. We have to limit our mistakes and play our game.” – Curtis Glencross

As the Flames prepare for one of the definitive games of the season – a road date with the San Jose Sharks – the club seems to have established itself as one of the NHL’s elite teams. Yet, they are rarely mentioned with the same esteem as the Chicago Blackhawks or the Sharks despite being the equal of those clubs – at least on paper. On closer examination, there are three statistical areas that contradict their lofty perch in the standings and raise the skeptical eyebrows of the sideline scribes.

Last Saturday night in Columbus, the Flames once again surrendered a pair of goals in rapid succession – this time it was two goals in 63 seconds – for the 12th time in only 25 games. The Flames have lost nine games this season – and in six of those defeats they have allowed the opposition to score two goals in less than 125 seconds. Actually, it’s rather remarkable that this lack of focus and inability to regroup after a defensive breakdown hasn’t cost the club more dearly in the win/loss column. This team’s uncanny ability to hit the score sheet first – 21 times in 27 games – and their resolve to rebound from devastating defeats and in-game breakdowns have allowed them to overcome this defensive deficiency.

The club continues to struggle on special teams. Again, the numbers are somewhat confounding. At home, where the Flames are a mediocre 7-5, their powerplay has been refreshingly effective. They stand 6th in the league with 10 goals in 39 chances for an efficiency rating of 25.6%. Away from the Saddledome, the Flames are road warriors with only two regulation time losses in 14 outings. Yet, their powerplay ranks a dismal 25th, connecting on just 14% of their extra-man opportunities.

On the penalty-kill, the statistics seem to more accurately reflect the home-road record. At the ‘dome, the Flames have been alarmingly inefficient – they rank 28th out of 30 teams with a 70.2 efficiency rate. On the road, where they gained points in ten consecutive games before the loss to Phoenix, they are the second-best team, keeping the opposition off the score board while playing shorthanded at an impressive 88.1% clip.

The third area where the team has been disconcertingly dismal has been in the face off circle. The Flames are dead last in the league when it comes to winning draws, starting the play with possession of the puck only 46% of the time. It’s a testament to the strength of the defensive unit and the remarkable play of Miikka Kiprusoff that this stat hasn’t yet caused more calamity on the score sheet.

And although they improved steadily in this department as the season has progressed, they still stand 20th in shots-against-per-game, allowing enemy shooters to pepper Kipper the Keeper and protegee Curtis McElhinney with an average of 30.6 pucks a night.

While there has been much to celebrate through the first 26 games – the balanced offensive attack led by Jarome Iginla, the emergence of Adam Pardy and Mark Giordano as reliable rearguards and the return to top-notch form of Miikka Kiprusoff – there is still work to do.

As we enjoy the team’s 17-7-3 mark through the first 27 games, let’s remember this is still virtually the same club that went 13-14 in the last 27 games of the 2008-09 season, a sputtering close that spawned the spill that followed in the playoff series with Chicago.

Flame Flicks:

Calgary went 1-2 against San Jose in 2008-09, including a 6-1 loss to the Sharks at the Shark Tank on November 13, 2008. San Jose had a 4-0 lead after the first period in that debacle and cruised from there.

Rene Bourque returned to action against Phoenix after missing six games with an injury of undisclosed nature. Bourque played 17 minutes and led all Flame skaters with four shots-on-goal.

Despite playing with energy and emotion during his brief stay with the club, Jamie Lundmark was dispatched back to Abbotsford when Rene Bourque returned from the clinic. Lundmark contributed a goal and two assists in his six pack of games, not including the shootout winner that unbuttoned the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Greg Nemisz, the Flames top selection (21st overall) in the 2008 Entry Draft, was invited to the Team Canada Juniors selection camp, where the club that will represent Canada at the 2010 IIHF World Junior Championship will be chosen. Nemisz has notched 22 goals and 21 assists for the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires.