Flames set to rack up the miles
Nine-day eastern road trip could produce some wins against weaker opposition
In this case, a carry-on isn’t going to cut it.
The Calgary Flames are embarking on their longest road-trip of the season, six games in nine nights, starting Sunday against the Detroit Red Wings and including stops in Buffalo, Columbus, Boston, Philadelphia and Brooklyn.
By our estimation, they’ll be away from Calgary for about 230 consecutive hours. By the time they return home, they’ll have covered more than 8,000 kilometres.
Here are some storylines to track on the Flames’ six-game swing through the Eastern Conference:
GOODBYE, JOE
With the Red Wings moving into a spiffy new palace next season, Sunday marks the Flames final trip to Joe Louis Arena.
It likely won’t be a tearful goodbye for the cast from Calgary, who don’t have a lot of fond memories with an all-time record of 22 wins, 34 losses, seven ties and three loser points in Detroit’s old rink.
Unless somebody pulls a double (or triple) Darryl Sittler Sunday, Jarome Iginla will finish the Flames’ all-time leader at The Joe with 11 goals and 29 points.
Can they bid farewell on a high note?
UP, UP WHILE AWAY
So far this fall, the Flames have looked better in white. That’s not a fashion commentary. Glen Gulutzan’s group has just three victories at the Saddledome, sputtering to a 7-11-1 start, but the positive news is they have a very respectable 4-4-1 record in their road whites.
Part of the explanation is that Calgary’s sagging special-teams units have been better in enemy territory.
The Flames power play operates at a 16.7-per-cent success rate on the road, a smidgen above the league average in that stat category and a vast improvement over their embarrassing 2.7-per-cent clip on home ice.
On the penalty kill, the Flames have survived 81.8 per cent of short-handed scenarios away from the Saddledome and scored all three of their shorties in other area codes.
LEAST OF THE EAST
The travel itinerary is intimidating, especially with two back-to-back sets on the same trip, but the lineup of opponents is not exactly a slate of Eastern Conference heavyweights.
Heading into action Saturday around the NHL, just one of Calgary’s upcoming hosts — the Blue Jackets — were sitting in a playoff position.
The Flames first two stops are against squads that are really struggling right now.
The Red Wings have dropped three in a row and have just two wins in eight tries in November while the Sabres had six straight losses before facing the Penguins.
SCORING SHORTAGE
Even before Johnny Gaudreau suffered a fractured finger, this crew struggled to light the lamp.
The Flames are averaging a measly 2.26 snipes per night, a number that has been trending the wrong direction. That doesn’t leave much room for defensive error.
They have scored two or fewer in seven straight, with their last threegoal outburst — it’s never good when three is considered a splurge — coming in a victory Nov. 3 in San Jose.
Calgary’s first-liners have been inconsistent, the blue-line brigade hasn’t contributed a goal in November and the third and fourth units are providing some energy, but almost zero offensive oomph.
They need a bit more production from everybody.
BENNETT GOES BOOM?
The Flames all repeated the same message — not one individual could replace the offence provided by Gaudreau.
Sam Bennett, it seems, took that as a challenge.
Now skating in Gaudreau’s usual spot as the first line left winger, Bennett snapped out of his nine-game goal-scoring drought and also collected an assist in Friday’s loss to the Blackhawks. With a game-high six shots on net, his stat line could have been even better.
The 20-year-old is a streaky sort — he racked up eight of his 18 goals last season during a five-game feast in January — so maybe Bennett is primed for a scoring spree. The Flames certainly hope so.