It was the sixth loss in a row for the Calgary Flames when they fell 4–3 against the Dallas Stars. They saw their record drop to 2–7–1, but the game was probably their best up until this point in the year. Going into the contest, all eyes were on one man, and that was Connor Zary. He was the Flames’ first-round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft and after a roaring start to the year with the Calgary Wranglers, Zary was called-up to the big club where he played his first career NHL game.
Zary did more than just hold his own—he was fantastic. And if the first game is any indication, he will not be going back to the Wranglers anytime soon.
First game, first shot, first goal
Zary came out of the gates flying, and just 6:28 into his first NHL game, Zary drove to the net after a point shot by Chris Tanev and was able to find the loose puck and bang it in for his first goal on his first shot. Zary joined a short list of players who scored in their NHL debut for the Flames, including former Flames superstar, Johnny Gaudreau, and if he can turn out anything like him, we may have a star on our hands.
Zary’s energetic and fearless debut
Zary was absolutely fearless in his first go around against the Stars, he was crashing the net, getting to all of the dirty areas of the ice, was getting a ton of shots off, and was not getting intimidated by the veterans on the Stars. Sure, he only logged 12:09 of total ice time through his debut (that’s a whole lot more than Jakob Pelletier’s debut last season), but Ryan Huska was already trusting him in some key situations.
Zary played on the second power play unit and was on the ice in the late moments trying to get the game tied while Calgary’s 84-million-dollar man, Jonathan Huberdeau, was stapled to the bench. That’s some real trust for Zary. He was making plays happen all night long. He had seven shots on goal and had one of the most exciting end-to-end rushes that I have seen in almost two seasons. Zary was all over it, and quite honestly, he could have finished the game with more than a couple of points.
If you dive deeper into the numbers, it wouldn’t be your eyes playing tricks on you, Zary had an incredibly productive night in a limited amount of ice time. According to MoneyPuck.com, in all situations Zary posted a CF% of 71.4, an xGF% of 71.5, and he led all Flames in an expected goals rate of 0.732, the next closest Flame was 0.528. He had a legitimately fantastic night.
Zary and Kadri’s early chemistry
Zary did more than just make a night for himself, Nazem Kadri probably had one of his best games a Flame tonight, and after such a horrific start to his season, can it be Zary to help boost him up? Kadri finished the night with two assists and was great at 5-on-5, most notably when he was on the ice with Zary.
When both Zary and Kadri were on the ice together, they posted a CF% of 76.92, and xGF% of 76.65, a SCF% of 76.92 and a HDCF% of 83.33. Those are some very good numbers. Now, when you take Kadri away from Zary, Kadri posted a CF% of 50.42, a xGF% of 46.81, a SCF% 47.37 and a HDCF% of 46.94. All of Kadri’s metrics plummeted when he was away from Zary, and I don’t think it’s some coincidence. Zary had a legit impact, and maybe he is the guy Kadri needs to get going.
Keep Zary with the Flames
A one-game sample size is extremely small to measure a player by, but in this case with Zary, we have enough evidence to go by to know he has earned an extended look with the Flames while they try to figure out their future. He has done everything he can in the AHL to prove he is ready, and based on his first game, he can keep up with the speed of the game, and he should be able to produce. He is the exact type of player the Flames need right now, fast, skilled and energetic.
The game against Dallas was one of the more fun ones to watch in recent memory, and I personally know that I would rather watch a young and fast team that gives everything through a rebuild, than an old and boring team that is extremely mediocre.
Zary very well could be the real deal, the time is now for him to prove that to everyone on the Flames.
Photo by @AHLWranglers.
