[Dion]

“I liked his game. I really liked it,” praised Flames captain Mark Giordano, who personally potted a pair in the opener of the 2018 O.R.G. China Games. “He had a deadly shot with a half a wrist. So now that he’s fully healed, his hips are good, his groins are good, his wrist is good … I’m excited.

“I think it’s going to be a good year for him.”

The sharpshooting centre nearly waited too long before zipping the puck just inside the far post with 0.1 seconds showing before the intermission.

“I never really talk numbers-wise … but I have high expectations for myself,” said Monahan, who has scored 27-plus times in each of his past four campaigns. “Obviously I get a lot of opportunity — I play overtime, power-play, five-on-three and stuff like that — and my job is to produce. So I have to put the puck in the net, and I expect a lot better than my previous seasons.”

“You want to save them for the regular season, I guess,” Giordano grinned after his two-goal showing in Shenzhen. “But it feels good anytime you can put ’em in like that. For me and for most players, you get confidence. And you want to get confidence no matter what game it is. It’s all about feeling good for that season-opener.”

“Once you have that confidence in your body, you go into a game and you have confidence on the ice,” Monahan said. “Leading up to a game last year, you don’t know how you’re going to feel going into the game. And now I do. That goes a long way.

“Right now, I’m trying to get back on track and get ready for the season.”

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