It hasn’t happened often this season, but the Calgary Flames looked like an elite hockey team in their win on Thursday night. The effort given was perhaps the best we have seen since Ryan Huska has been the man in charge, and it came against a very good Vancouver Canucks team that had won six of their past seven outings.
While it was a solid effort, it can’t be ignored that the game happened to be the second in as many nights for the Canucks, who had just defeated the New York Islanders in overtime roughly 24 hours prior. Nonetheless, it was a dominant performance by the Flames and one that they can look to build on moving forward. Here are the three main takeaways from the big win.
Lindholm Breaks Out
Elias Lindholm’s play this season entering Thursday night’s game had been quite disappointing, to say the least. The usually dependable offensive producer had just two goals and eight points through 15 games and was in need of a big breakout performance both for himself and his teammates. Thankfully, he was able to have just that.
Lindholm finished the night with a goal and two helpers, along with a plus/minus of plus-4. It was a much-needed showing for the 28-year-old, who is in need of a big season to help secure a big contract this coming summer. At the same time, more performances like this could help this Flames team get back into the playoff picture.
Markstrom’s Hot Play Continues
After an ugly 2022-23 season, it appears that Jacob Markstrom is in the midst of a bounce back. The 33-year-old didn’t need to be spectacular in this one versus his former team, but was still able to kick aside 21 of the 23 shots he faced for a save percentage (SV%) of .913 on the night.
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This start was the second in a row in which Markstrom has looked like his former Vezina Trophy calibre self. While there have been plenty of negative stories surrounding the Flames through the first 16 games of the 2023-24 season, his play between the pipes is a very positive one after the doubts he faced this summer.
Crowd Shows Support for Huberdeau
As bad as things had been for Lindholm to start the season, they have been even worse for Jonathan Huberdeau. After a rough start for the second straight year, fans and pundits throughout the hockey world were ready to write off the 30-year-old, believing that he had simply lost a good part of the skill that helped him put up 115 points in 2021-22.
Recently, Huberdeau had been benched by Huska, and until Thursday night’s outing seemed destined to struggle all season long. In this one, however, he was able to not only record an assist but snap an 11-game goal drought. Those in attendance at the Saddledome showed great support for the struggling winger, which he was greatly appreciative of.
“It’s been awhile,” Huberdeau admitted. “I took it in. It’s nice to get the support from the crowd. They’ve been patient.”
Flames Can Make It Three Straight on Saturday
With this victory, the Flames have won back-to-back outings and have a chance to make it three in a row on Saturday when they take on the New York Islanders. The Isles have had their fair share of struggles this season as well, as they have a 5-6-4 record on the year and have dropped seven straight. They are a team who is in the dumps right now, and one that the Flames are more than capable of defeating if they put forth the performance they did against the Canucks.
