Flames' Comeback Wins & Connor Zary a Calder Trophy Candidate
Plus, Yegor Sharagovich's strong 2023-24 season, the Flames' frustrating special teams play, and turning the season around
Welcome to the THW Calgary Flames Substack newsletter, with all the latest from our team of Flames writers.
In today’s edition, we discuss how the Flames have succeeded when trailing in the third period, why Connor Zary is a Calder candidate, and Yegor Sharangovich’s season. Plus, the team is finally starting to turn the season around and is showing signs of life and why has their special teams been so frustrating?
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Now, on to the good stuff…
Flames’ Zary Has Realistic Chance At Calder Trophy Win
January 15, 2024 by Derek Olsen
We are now over halfway through the 2023-24 NHL season, and the Calgary Flames are starting to pick up some steam. As the All-Star Break approaches, the team as a whole has seemingly bought into rookie head coach Ryan Huska’s system and has started to string together some more wins. The Flames have gone 5-2 since the new year began, most recently defeating the defending Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights by a score of 3-1. While there are still lots of games left, many fans were worried that this season would be a write-off, but the team’s recent stretches have helped rid them of that mantra.
The Flames brought in young forwards Connor Zary and Martin Pospisil, defenceman Nick DeSimone, and goalie Dustin Wolf at different points in the month. While Wolf, DeSimone, and Pospisil have all performed admirably, it is Zary who has taken his first NHL opportunity and run with it. After scoring his first career goal in his first career game against the Dallas Stars, he has found a home alongside centre Nazem Kadri and has played like he has been in the NHL for years. His solid production has placed him firmly in the conversation for the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s best rookie. Let’s have a look at his stats so far, his competition, and what needs to happen for him to win.
Flames Emerging as NHL’s Comeback Kids
January 14, 2024 by Gary Pearson
In a season with more ups and downs than a sailboat caught in a hurricane, the Calgary Flames’ ability to overturn third-period deficits has been an illuminating bright spot. Under Darryl Sutter’s dogmatic tutelage last season, the Flames couldn’t overturn a bucket of pucks, let alone a third-period deficit. Trailing entering the third period, the 2022-23 Flames won just two of 24 contests, level with the Detroit Red Wings and Philadelphia Flyers for the fewest victories in such scenarios.
Their 2-18-4 record when trailing after two periods, or an .083 winning percentage, directly reflected the collective’s inability to break free of Sutter’s uncompromising shackles. Hope gradually faded, transitioning to dread. Eventually, dread turned into acceptance.
Under Ryan Huska’s stewardship, hope has made a welcome and emphatic comeback. The 2023-24 Flames have turned last season’s woeful comeback stat on its head. Just past the halfway mark of the season, Calgary already has six third-period comeback victories, one behind the league-leading Colorado Avalanche.
Sharangovich’s Hat Trick Highlights Stellar Season with Flames
January 13, 2024 by Abigail Hubbard
Yegor Sharangovich has been having an incredible season so far with the Calgary Flames. The 25-year-old scored the second hat trick of his career on Jan. 11 when the Flames played the Arizona Coyotes. He’s found his place within the team very quickly and has proven his worth on the ice. He has added another level to the Flames’ play style with 17 goals and 13 assists.
The Flames acquired Sharangovich from the New Jersey Devils after the 2022-23 season along with a third-round pick in exchange for Tyler Toffoli. Despite only spending two seasons with the Devils, the 31-year-old was a fan favourite. He scored a career-high 34 goals in the 2022-23 season so the trade was a shock to many.
Flames’ Special Teams, a Frustrating Contradiction
January 12, 2024 by Gary Pearson
The Calgary Flames have the NHL’s third-worst power play, overshadowing their elite penalty kill and hampering the team’s chances of reining in a wild-card spot. It’s familiar territory for a hockey club that has seen its power play outrank the penalty kill just once in the past six seasons. That anomaly occurred in 2018-2019, when they ranked 18th with the man advantage, with the penalty kill reeling in 21st.
But 2018-19 was more a case of a floundering penalty kill than a prolific power play, which scored at a 19.3% efficacy rate. Last season, Calgary had the joint-12th-worst power play, a stark contrast to its joint-fourth-best penalty kill.
Unfortunately, the trend has not only persisted as we bust through the halfway mark of the 2023-24 campaign but it has gotten significantly worse, at least where the power play is concerned. Only the St. Louis Blues (12%) and the Philadelphia Flyers (11.4%) have a worse power play. On the opposite side of the spectrum, the Flames’ penalty kill ranks 5th with an 84% efficiency. Calgary finished the 2022-23 campaign with the league’s fourth-best penalty kill (83% efficiency).
Flames Show Signs of Life in First Games of 2024
January 11, 2024 by Abigail Hubbard
The Calgary Flames are five games into 2024 and showing early signs of improvement. After a rocky start to the season, including a six-game losing streak in late October, the Flames struggled to gain traction. Players weren’t putting up the numbers that were expected of them, and the season seemed like a loss. In these first five games of 2024, however, they are showing signs of life.
Since the start of the new year, the Flames have played the Minnesota Wild, Nashville Predators, Philadelphia Flyers, Chicago Blackhawks, and Ottawa Senators, earning a 3-2 record — losing to the Flyers and Blackhawks. Although it would have been nice to go 5-0-0 during that stretch, the improvement in their play is enough to give some hope for the future.