Calgary Flames Goal Deficit Will Lead to Big Fall – Hockey Writers – Calgary Flames

The Calgary Flames, overall, have had a strong start to the 2024-25 season. They are currently riding a four-game winning streak following Saturday's 4-3 victory over the Minnesota Wild, and as a result sit at 12-6-3 on the campaign. It's an incredibly good start that even their biggest fans didn't see coming.

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The main reason for their success has been scoring goals. Dustin Wolf was absolutely outstanding, and for many the Calder Trophy frontrunner. Meanwhile, his partner in Dan Vladar, while having small numbers, has impressed at the start.

The Flames' defensive play has been steady as well, with their blue liners exceeding expectations so far, while their forwards deserve that credit as well. That said, their top players also deserve some criticism despite the hot start, as they are all really struggling.

Flames Can't Buy Goals

The Flames have managed just 55 goals this season, which ranks 25th in the NHL. Only one team lower than that is in a playoff spot, the Boston Bruins, albeit narrowly, as they cling to the last Eastern wild card spot by a thread. Others, including St. Louis Blues, Nashville Predators, Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings and Anaheim Ducks have struggled the most.

A large part of this is due to their struggles on the power play. The Flames have converted just 18.3 percent of their power play opportunities this season, which ranks in the bottom half of the league. Additionally, Jonathan Huberdeau's 11 points led all Flames players in scoring. That's the lowest total of any forward leading his team among all 32 NHL organizations. It's a shocking statistic considering how few teams boast players with 30 or more points.

Leading the Flames in points are defenders Rasmus Andersson (13) and MacKenzie Weegar (12). The two have combined for eight goals this season, making it hard to imagine where this team would be without them. They were absolutely outstanding, but they will need some help going forward.

Flames Top Players Struggling

Without a doubt, the biggest disappointment for the Flames so far this season has been Nazem Kadri. After an impressive 75 points in 2023-24, he went 11-for-21. Even more disappointing is that his usual solid defensive play has gone completely by the wayside, as he carries a minus-12 average on the season. That number is the worst of any of his teammates, as Yegor Sharangovich's minus-6 is the second lowest.

Kadri isn't the only one struggling, as Andrei Kuzmenko has just one goal this season. Blake Coleman has been quiet compared to last season with four, and while Connor Zary has played well, his four goals and 10 points are somewhat disappointing. Sharangovich, while showing signs of life as of late, has been far from his overall best.

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Another thing that doesn't help is that Anthony Mantha, who was brought in to provide goals, suffered a season-ending injury at the beginning of the month. He would never solve these problems himself, but he would provide a lot of help.

It Takes Offense to Win Games

As good as the Flames' 21-game season-opening ride has been, they may come crashing down if they can't find a way to start putting goals on the board. It is by no means the most talented team, but they have players, like the ones mentioned above, who can do more than what they give. If they can get things going, this team could very well surprise and earn a playoff spot. If their struggles continue, it could all go downhill faster and more suddenly than fans expect.