Overall it was a good game. Calgary was absolutely dominated in the first 5 on 5, and Chicago was the better team in the second as well. I thought the flames were the better team in the third, especially near the end, but it was all for naught. To limit the Blackhawks like they did really shows how much they've improved since the first time we faced them.
The flames are good enough now to hang with Chicago, though they clearly are the better team. It seems to me that Calgary is exactly where they should be in the standings. Sprinkle in a few more home wins and keep things solid on the road and we have ourselves a playoff team.
Some interesting Johnny things
-Johnny Gaudreau leads this team in team goal differential (goals scored while on the ice minus goals against while he's on the ice). The flames have scored 21 goals while he's playing, yet surrendered only 7. The first thing I said when I saw that was: it must be the powerplay. Nope. Leads the team at even strength as well (15-6).
-He's second in team goals/60 minutes with 3.72 at even strength (first if you discount the few games Granlund has played). That means if he could play the whole 60 minutes, the flames would average almost 4 goals a game!! And that's at even strength!!! It's over 4 with pp time included. Crazy
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