Flames' defence has been club's biggest surprise this season

Ryan Leslie and Eric Francis break down the Calgary Flames' 9-1 win over the Arizona Coyotes, discussing the team's offensive outburst in the second and third periods, and what the group's focus is after clinching a playoff berth.

CALGARY - The top line has been shockingly dominant, Andrew Mangiapane’s scoring pace is somewhat unexpected and Darryl Sutter’s impact on the club has been transformative.

But nothing has been a bigger surprise in Calgary this season than the blue line. Stats aren’t needed to back that up, but the numbers are staggering.

Defensively, they’ve anchored a team that sits second in the league in goals against. Offensively they’ve blown the roof off expectations.

Last season the Flames’ blue liners finished 23rd in the league with 97 points. This year they may just double that.

So far the group has racked up 183 points to sit fifth in the league, behind Colorado, Florida, Nashville and Carolina. No other team in the league has made as monumental a jump as Calgary’s starting sextet.    

It’s a stunning turnaround for a group that started the season with plenty of questions, including how the team would replace the minutes, points and leadership of captain Mark Giordano?

As promised, they did it by committee, with three shocking additions to the top six no one could have predicted would be so integral to the team’s success: Oliver Kylington, Erik Gudbranson and Nikita Zadorov. Before camp, the former appeared destined for the AHL and the latter two were punching bags for a fan base unsure of either veteran acquisition.

“Kylington, in my estimation, is the most improved player in the NHL,” said Sportsnet’s Kelly Hrudey, who agrees the team’s defence has been the most surprising development this season. 

“I had no idea he could get to this level. I was unsure what Zadorov and Gudbranson could be.  I would say they were sluggish the first month or so, and then they’ve just been a complete surprise. I’m so happy for them because you can see the pride they take.”

In many ways, the two beefy veterans have become the face of Sutter’s back end.

No other third pairing in the NHL can say that. But by flexing their muscle nightly, they not only give skill players more room to move, they remind opponents that facing the Flames will be a punishing endeavour.

None of this is meant to be a slight on the top pair of Rasmus Andersson and Noah Hanifin, who’ve both shattered previous highs for points while simultaneously shutting down the opposition’s top players. Both are at plus-27.

Andersson has flourished as Giordano’s replacement on the top power-play unit, distributing the puck judiciously to sit 18th amongst NHL defencemen with 46 points, more than twice as many points as his previous high.

Hanifin isn’t far behind at 42 points.

Five of the team’s six defenceman have already eclipsed career highs for points this season. The only one who hasn’t is Zadorov, whose 18 points are just two off his best year in Colorado.  

The knock on Kylington had long been that he could be a bit of an adventure defensively. Yet, he sits 12th amongst NHL defencemen at plus-29, which is just a smidge behind partner Chris Tanev, who everyone knows is a rock star in his own zone.

Four of them sit top-15 amongst NHL defencemen in plus-minus.  

So, why has the group been able to have so much success?

“I think there has been success because they all feel valued in the role they are being asked to play,” said Flames assistant coach Ryan Huska, who oversees the defence.

“We don’t rely on one or two guys to play huge minutes, or in all situations. All of our D are expected to contribute and play to their identity. We ask the same out of all of them in regards to checking first. How they check is different for each guy but the expectation is the same.”

The Flames truly roll all three pairings, with Andersson’s power play time helping him pace the team at 22:30 minutes a night, while Zadorov plays the least at 17 minutes.

Not much of a spread at all. 

Longtime Flames defenceman Robyn Regehr believes the group’s success is a product of Darryl Sutter’s system, which the team finally seemed to buy into a few games into this season. 

“When they buy in, there’s structure and it allows them to not have to read and react to their own players, freeing them up to focus on the opposition,” said Regehr, who played for Sutter in Calgary and Los Angeles.

“They know what they’re supposed to do and where they are supposed to be. That leads to less chances in your own zone and more offensive zone time, shots and chances. All of that has led to more offence from the group.”

That offence includes seven game-winners of the 36 goals they’ve scored a group, putting them one ahead of the 35 Sutter has said all year long that a playoff team needs from its back end. 

He said the players have all relished and benefitted from the opportunity of more ice time and responsibility when Giordano left. Even seventh defenceman Michael Stone has stepped seamlessly into the lineup when called upon, scoring twice and adding six points in ten games.

“I think it has to do a lot with our shot mentality,” said Huska.

“We expect all the defencemen to shoot the puck.  We want to be a shot volume team and the defencemen play a big part in that. It isn’t necessarily the original shot that is dangerous, it is what comes after it, for example, tips and rebounds.”  

Mangiapane is a beneficiary of that shot volume, converting several of his goals via rebounds from the point.

“I think we’re all just playing together as a five-man unit when we’re on the ice,” he said when asked to explain the blue line’s breakout.

“It starts in our defensive zone for them when we’re breaking pucks out clean and they’re getting up in the rush. They get more chances in the offensive zone when we’re all in there cycling and getting pucks from low to high and they’re shooting pucks and getting traffic, good things happen.”

Good things indeed.

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