NUMBERS DOWN ON OFFENCE
Monahan stuck on 2 goals so far
Mikael Backlund isn’t the only Calgary Flames centreman that is experiencing struggles in his game.
But, much like his approach to the Swedish pivot, head coach Bob Hartley has faith that Sean Monahan will emerge from his early season funk.
“I think Sean Monahan is probably the best two- way 21- year old player in this league,” Hartley said, immediately coming to the defence of Calgary’s sixth overall pick in 2013.
“I would put him in every situation. You’re going to see him 3- on3. You’re going to see him 4- on- 5. You’re going to see him PK. You’re going to see him 5- on- 5. I have the utmost trust in him because he’s fully committed.
“Plus- minus ... obviously we have lots of minuses and it’s a sign we have to be better defensively.”
Similar to Backlund, Monahan is struggling to produce offensively with two goals and five assists and is minus- seven. He’s converted on 10.5 per cent of his shots so far and has only taken 19 on net ( which is equal to Mason Raymond’s total only one more shot than Deryk Engelland).
The third- year NHL- er is also in a six- game scoring slump.
“But at the same time, am I ready to throw rocks at Sean Monahan? Absolutely not,” Hartley said.
“This guy is working hard, he’s playing well, he’s trying to play both sides of the puck. The way we want our guys to play. “I’ll keep supporting him.”
ICE CHIPS: It looks like Joe Colborne is set to play another game on a line with Jiri Hudler and Monahan. Johnny Gaudreau will be with Sam Bennett and David Jones, the same trio that lined up against the Edmonton Oilers in Saturday’s 5- 4 win. The intention? To distribute the offensive wealth after an extended dry spout. “We’re looking to split up offence,” Hartley said. “We’re trying to get offence through four lines. It’s good, we’re starting to score more goals. That’s a real big positive. It’s important for us to keep looking. Lines for me, they’re as good as your last shift. You have to keep going. I like the balance we have on our lines right now.” ... D Dennis Wideman missed Monday’s skate for maintenance ... G Karri Ramo will start against the Avalanche.