After an emotional win in the home opener on Saturday night, the Calgary Flames went into Edmonton for the first Battle of Alberta of the season and did not miss a beat as they downed the Edmonton Oilers 4–1. The game started off slow for the Flames as they gave up a goal just over a minute into the contest. However, with a little bit of luck on their side from a couple of coach’s challenges, the Flames were able to get their feet under them and dominate the rest of the game en route to a victory.
The Flames have started the season 3–0 for the second time in three years and have looked quite good in doing so. There has been some luck on their side for sure, and the team shooting percentage will surely come back down to earth at some point, but it has been fun to watch three games in.
The video staff deserves some praise
The Flames could have been down 3–0 in this game if it weren’t for the work of the video coaches on the Flames side. A goal by Corey Perry was taken away in the first that kept the game at 1–0 after Perry interfered with Dan Vladar. Then, early in the second period, a goal by Derek Ryan was waved off as Viktor Arvidsson entered the Flames zone early and was deemed offside.
It is not every day that a team gets two coach’s challenges to go their way, but tonight, the Flames were on the right side of it, and it was crucial in their victory.
Justin Kirkland makes his mark
Justin Kirkland was called up on Thursday after Kevin Rooney went down with an injury, and in his second game this year, he picked up his first career NHL goal.
It was a fantastic shift that saw the Flames pressure the Oilers, and Kirkland picked up a rebound off a point shot from Kevin Bahl. He made a slick move to his backhand and put it top shelf over Stuart Skinner. The goal proved to be an insurance marker in the Flames win.
It is always great to see anyone score their first, but in this case, Kirkland has worked his way through the minors to get his chance, and he has made the most of his opportunity so far.
The Flames clamped down when they had to
The Oilers dominated the first period, and the Flames were lucky to get out just down by one. However, after that the Flames took over, they dominated on the offensive side and they did their best to keep the Oilers to the outside and limit high danger chances.
The Flames did a very good job at keeping Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl to the outside, and they limited their chances. Considering what those two have done to the Flames over the years, it was pretty impressive to keep those two to just one point on the night.
I also wanted to shout out Vladar, who had a great night. He settled in after giving up an early one, and he looked calm and collected in the net. It was a really good game for him, and he needed it.
Keep the good times going
I don’t think any of us expected the Flames to start the year 3–0, yet here we are. The team looks like they are having so much fun regardless if you think they deserved to win these games or not. Everyone has a smile on their face. Rasmus Andersson continues to stare down the opposing teams’ fans, and the Flames are playing a brand of hockey that is really infectious.
It may not be sustainable as the year goes on, but if they continue to play this way, this season will be a fun one regardless if they win a lot of games or not. Let’s see if they can continue to keep the vibes up on Tuesday when they welcome Connor Bedard into town.
