Hot Topics: Why have the Calgary Flames slowed down?

24 days ago

Calgary Herald

Flames forward Anthony Mantha reaches for the puck during a game against the Vegas Golden Knights on Monday. Ethan Miller/Getty Images

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Flames - Figure 1 — Photo Calgary Herald

A week ago, it was all sunshine and roses around the Calgary Flames.

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It feels a bit different as we sit here today.

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The Flames have lost three games in a row and haven’t won a game in regulation in their last five. They were sitting atop the Pacific Division a week ago. As of Tuesday afternoon, they’re in fourth.

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It’s not all doom-and-gloom, though. Monday’s 5-0 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights was ugly, but they played well enough in their defeats to the Winnipeg Jets and Carolina Hurricanes. They’re still 5-3-1 and have lots of winnable games on the horizon.

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With the Utah Hockey Club on tap for Thursday night, Postmedia’s beat reporters Wes Gilbertson and Danny Austin debate this week’s Hot Topics:

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After a strong start Flames forward Jonathan Huberdeau has managed only one goal in five games. Brent Calver/Postmedia

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1. During the Flames’ current losing skid, what has been the biggest cause for concern?

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GILBERTSON: I didn’t want to jump to conclusions during the 5-0-1 start, so it’s only fair to stick in wait-and-see mode as they try to snap out of their first skid of the season. There is no doubt that Monday’s shutout loss in Sin City was by far the Flames’ worst performance so far, and you’d expect much better Wednesday in what will be Game 1,000 for captain Mikael Backlund. From my vantage point, the biggest cause for concern is the offence seems to be drying up. We wondered if the Flames had enough pop on their roster, and the scoring-by-committee approach isn’t going to work with too many passengers or with a struggling power-play. The question now is whether this is simply a cold spell or a sign of things to come?

Flames - Figure 2 — Photo Calgary Herald

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AUSTIN: There’s a few things, although I may be over-reacting somewhat to Monday’s game against the Vegas Golden Knights, which was the worst the Flames have looked through nine games. While Jonathan Huberdeau’s hot start was a great story, the Flames aren’t getting the production you’d like to see from the winger or linemates Anthony Mantha and Martin Pospisil. Mantha’s gone six games without a point and has managed only two shots in that stretch. Remember, this is a guy who head coach Ryan Huska wanted to see shooting the puck 300 times this year. Pospisil has no points in his past six outings, although he’s contributing in other ways, and Huberdeau has managed only a goal and no assists in five games. Head coach Ryan Huska broke up the trio in the third period against the Golden Knights and they’re not alone in slowing down, but the Flames need more from the line.

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Flames forward Matt Coronato scores on Chicago Blackhawks goalie Petr Mrazek on Oct. 15. Darren Makowichuk/Postmedia

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2. Several readers and fans submitted a similar topic idea … Was Matt Coronato the right candidate to be assigned to the minors when Yegor Sharangovich returned from injury? Should it have been somebody else?

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GILBERTSON: I’ll be honest, I didn’t expect Coronato’s demotion to create such controversy. Then again, I wasn’t expecting that his agent would be retweeting a couple of social media posts that were critical of that decision. Coronato is still just 21, and his game has grown a lot over the past year. His details are better. His skating has improved. Some of his analytics are really strong. He was solid in five games this fall, but what he hasn’t done — at least in my opinion — is play so well that the Flames simply can’t send him back to the minors. That’s what Connor Zary and Martin Pospisil did last season. That’s what I’ll be looking for on Coronato’s next call-up, which is going to come sooner than later.

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AUSTIN: I don’t see anything wrong with sending Coronato down for a hopefully brief stint with the Wranglers and don’t know that there was a better candidate. I do think, however, that it’s incumbent on the Flames to make sure there is a path for their younger players to earn playing time going forward. That was a stated goal last season, but this year it seems less obvious how guys like Coronato and Jakob Pelletier — who entered Tuesday’s action as the AHL’s assists leader with 10 helpers in eight games — are going to earn consistent NHL playing time unless there are injuries. This team’s path back towards contention is still through its youth ranks, and I hope we’re seeing those young guys getting the NHL time they need going forward this year.