{"id":317029,"date":"2025-11-30T20:10:14","date_gmt":"2025-11-30T20:10:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/317029\/"},"modified":"2025-11-30T20:10:14","modified_gmt":"2025-11-30T20:10:14","slug":"have-the-flames-improved-from-their-rough-start-to-the-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/317029\/","title":{"rendered":"Have the Flames improved from their rough start to the season?"},"content":{"rendered":"

But for the few die-hards that insist that the Flames weren\u2019t as bad as their record indicated, they\u2019ve followed their first rough 13 games with a pretty solid run of results in their subsequent 13, going 7-5-1. A disclaimer: a 7-5-1 record would translate to a .577 points percentage and 95 points over an 82-game schedule \u2013 not quite enough to be a playoff team<\/a>.<\/p>\n

We were curious, though: do the Flames\u2019 improved results coincide with a marked uptick in how they were playing?<\/p>\n

We decided to dig into the numbers to find out.<\/p>\n

Team metrics<\/p>\n

First 13<\/p>\n

Next 13<\/p>\n

Record (Pct.)<\/p>\n

2-9-2 (.231)<\/p>\n

7-5-1 (.577)<\/p>\n

GF\/GP<\/p>\n

2.15<\/p>\n

2.69<\/p>\n

GA\/GP<\/p>\n

3.54<\/p>\n

2.54<\/p>\n

PP<\/p>\n

14.0%<\/p>\n

12.8%<\/p>\n

PK<\/p>\n

76.9%<\/p>\n

88.6%<\/p>\n

xGF (5v5)<\/p>\n

54.2%<\/p>\n

54.1%<\/p>\n

xGF\/60 (5v5)<\/p>\n

2.54<\/p>\n

2.81<\/p>\n

xGA\/60 (5v5)<\/p>\n

2.15<\/p>\n

2.38<\/p>\n

Sh% (5v5)<\/p>\n

7.1%<\/p>\n

7.6%<\/p>\n

Sv% (5v5)<\/p>\n

89.7%<\/p>\n

90.0%<\/p>\n

If you look at the \u201cresults\u201d based stats \u2013 goals for and against, and the two special teams units \u2013 the Flames have scored more, allowed fewer goals, and their penalty kill is performing much better. The power play? Still rough.<\/p>\n

If you look at the process stats \u2013 basically everything else \u2013 they tell the real story. They have the puck about as much as they did in their first segment. They\u2019re generating slightly more offensively and allowing slightly more offensively, but they\u2019ve got a 0.5% uptick in shooting percentage and a 0.3% uptick in save percentage.<\/p>\n

In their first 13 games, the Flames were out-scored 27-20 at five-on-five and 46-28 overall. In their next 13 games, they were out-scored 26-25 at five-on-five and out-scored their opponents 35-33 overall. Those minuscule percentage changes are essentially nothing, but they were enough for the Flames to win five more games.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve broken things down by player, too, with everyone sorted by position and jersey number.<\/p>\n

Goaltenders<\/p>\n

First 13<\/p>\n

Next 13<\/p>\n

Cooley (#1)<\/p>\n

0-1-1, 1.98 GAA, .933 SV%<\/p>\n

3-1-0, 2.02 GAA, 927 SV%<\/p>\n

Wolf (#32)<\/p>\n

2-8-1, 3.63 GAA, .881 SV%<\/p>\n

4-4-1, 2.60 GAA, .903 SV%<\/p>\n

Devin Cooley\u2019s numbers have taken a slight dip, but they\u2019re still very solid and combined with him playing a bit more, he\u2019s gotten some nice results. Dustin Wolf has played slightly less and seen his numbers recover quite a bit from his rough start.<\/p>\n

Defencemen<\/p>\n

First 13<\/p>\n

Next 13<\/p>\n

Andersson (#4)<\/p>\n

13gp, 2g\/4pt, E, 50.9% xGF<\/p>\n

13gp, 3g\/14pt, +1, 52.2% xGF<\/p>\n

Bahl (#7)<\/p>\n

13gp, 1g\/3pt, +3, 45.3% xGF<\/p>\n

12gp, 2g\/3pt, +9, 55.7% xGF<\/p>\n

Parekh (#19)<\/p>\n

9gp, 0g\/1pt, -1, 58.0% xGF<\/p>\n

2gp, 0g\/0pt, +1, 24.2% xGF<\/p>\n

Bean (#24)<\/p>\n

10gp, 0g\/1pt, -7, 61.8% xGF<\/p>\n

3gp, 1g\/1pt, E, 59.0% xGF<\/p>\n

Kuznetsov (#37)<\/p>\n

n\/a<\/p>\n

12gp, 1g\/3pt, -2, 53.9% xGF<\/p>\n

Hanley (#44)<\/p>\n

13gp, 0g\/1pt, -3, 62.7% xGF<\/p>\n

10gp, 0g\/2pt, E, 53.0% xGF<\/p>\n

Weegar (#52)<\/p>\n

13gp, 0g\/3pt, -12, 54.2% xGF<\/p>\n

13gp, 1g\/2pt, -8, 50.7% xGF<\/p>\n

Miromanov (#62)<\/p>\n

1gp, 0g\/0pt, E, 19.1% xGF<\/p>\n

n\/a<\/p>\n

Pachal (#94)<\/p>\n

6gp, 0g\/0pt, -3, 54.4% xGF<\/p>\n

13gp, 0g\/3pt, +3, 61.7% xGF<\/p>\n

Pretty much all of the Flames\u2019 regular defenders had rock-solid underlyings (or better) in the second segment. Almost none of them put up impressive offensive numbers with the exception of Rasmus Andersson, whose offensive production has taken a huge leap forward \u2013 and that\u2019s with the power play still sputtering and him and Kevin Bahl operating as the shutdown pairing.<\/p>\n

Forwards<\/p>\n

First 13<\/p>\n

Next 13<\/p>\n

Kerins (#6)<\/p>\n

n\/a<\/p>\n

2gp, 0g\/0pt, -1, 78.3% xGF<\/p>\n

Huberdeau (#10)<\/p>\n

8gp, 2g\/5pt, -1, 60.6% xGF<\/p>\n

13gp, 2g\/7pt, -3, 53.3% xGF<\/p>\n

Backlund (#11)<\/p>\n

13gp, 2g\/6pt, -2, 52.2% xGF<\/p>\n

13gp, 2g\/8pt, +7, 60.0% xGF<\/p>\n

Frost (#16)<\/p>\n

13gp, 2g\/7pt, +1, 53.8% xGF<\/p>\n

13gp, 3g\/7pt, -5, 53.6% xGF<\/p>\n

Sharangovich (#17)<\/p>\n

11gp, 2g\/3pt, -7, 51.0% xGF<\/p>\n

11gp, 1g\/4pt, -1, 55.8% xGF<\/p>\n

Beecher (#18)<\/p>\n

n\/a<\/p>\n

5gp, 0g\/1pt, -1, 33.5% xGF<\/p>\n

Coleman (#20)<\/p>\n

13gp, 5g\/6pt, E, 56.0% xGF<\/p>\n

13gp, 3g\/5pt, +4, 60.7% xGF<\/p>\n

Kirkland (#23)<\/p>\n

9gp, 0g\/1pt, -1, 57.3% xGF<\/p>\n

n\/a<\/p>\n

Coronato (#27)<\/p>\n

12gp, 3g\/5pt, -13, 49.5% xGF<\/p>\n

13gp, 5g\/9pt, -4, 53.4% xGF<\/p>\n

Honzek (#29)<\/p>\n

11gp, 1g\/2pt, -2, 60.6% xGF<\/p>\n

7gp, 1g\/2pt, +3, 61.2% xGF<\/p>\n

Klapka (#43)<\/p>\n

12gp, 1g\/3pt, E, 54.0% xGF<\/p>\n

13gp, 1g\/2pt, -2, 40.9% xGF<\/p>\n

Morton (#45)<\/p>\n

n\/a<\/p>\n

3gp, 0g\/0pt, -1, 50.2% xGF<\/p>\n

Zary (#47)<\/p>\n

11gp, 1g\/2pt, -5, 48.2% xGF<\/p>\n

13gp, 1g\/2pt, +2, 54.6% xGF<\/p>\n

Lomberg (#70)<\/p>\n

13gp, 0g\/1pt, E, 44.8% xGF<\/p>\n

11gp, 0g\/0pt, +2, 41.8% xGF<\/p>\n

Farabee (#86)<\/p>\n

13gp, 2g\/6pt, -4, 62.2% xGF<\/p>\n

13gp, 5g\/7pt, E, 57.7% xGF<\/p>\n

Kadri (#91)<\/p>\n

13gp, 3g\/10pt, -7, 55.5% xGF<\/p>\n

13gp, 2g\/11pt, -3, 56.8% xGF<\/p>\n

Gridin (#92)<\/p>\n

4gp, 1g\/1pt, -3, 42.6% xGF<\/p>\n

n\/a<\/p>\n

Among the regular forwards, everyone\u2019s underlying numbers are generally quite good \u2013 with the exceptions of Ryan Lomberg and John Beecher \u2013 and offensive performances are sort of split into two groupings.<\/p>\n

A handful of players are producing pretty consistently, like Nazem Kadri, Matt Coronato, Mikael Backlund, Joel Farabee, Morgan Frost and Jonathan Huberdeau. Everyone else? Hit and miss. And for a team that\u2019s generally bereft of stars and has to score by committee, it feels like several players expected to be part of that committee haven\u2019t been lately.<\/p>\n

And if you wanted a glimpse of the true value of Kadri: look at how consistent his performances were across these 13-game segments. Nearly identical. The player is not without his flaws, but man, he\u2019s reliable.<\/p>\n

Sum it up<\/p>\n

So, are the Flames playing all that much better than they were earlier on? Not especially. They\u2019re getting slightly more saves and burying slightly more chances, and they\u2019re generating slightly more offensively than they were earlier. But they\u2019re also a little bit leakier defensively based on the available metrics.<\/p>\n

They\u2019re still a team that wins or loses games on very tight margins and isn\u2019t a group that can out-score their mistakes, so they need to minimize them.<\/p>\n

Through 26 games, they\u2019ve made enough mistakes at key times that despite playing some pretty decent hockey, they find themselves looking up in the standings at the other 31 clubs in the NHL. We\u2019ll see if they can do enough good things in the next 13 games \u2013 between now and their 39th game on Dec. 29 \u2013 to move up in the standings, or if they\u2019ll remain firmly in the Gavin McKenna conversation.<\/p>\n

This article is presented by Bon Ton Meat Market\"\"<\/p>\n

A Tradition of quality products and personalized service for 104 years.<\/p>\n

Proud to feature only the finest premium AAA Alberta Beef, Locally raised fresh pork, locally raised fresh free range chicken and turkey, fresh Alberta lamb and milk fed veal.<\/p>\n

Over 20 varieties of in store made salads, delicious desserts and of course our famous in store made meat pies. Proud to be Calgary, and Southern Alberta\u2019s Consumers Choice Award Winner for best Meat and Deli for 24 consecutive years! Bon Ton Meat Market, 28 Crowfoot Circle NW.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"But for the few die-hards that insist that the Flames weren\u2019t as bad as their record indicated, they\u2019ve…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":317030,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[433],"tags":[49,48,448,82],"class_list":{"0":"post-317029","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nhl","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-nhl","11":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/317029","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=317029"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/317029\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/317030"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=317029"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=317029"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=317029"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}