More Than Just Defence: Considerations for betting the Flames

From the start of the NHL season, it’s been clear that the Calgary Flames are a different team than the one we saw last year.

The Darryl Sutter effect has whipped them into shape in a way that even the most optimistic Flames fan might not have expected.

Their defence core has made large strides to fill the void left by former captain Mark Giordano, after he was claimed by the Seattle Kraken in last year’s expansion draft. Oliver Kylington is having an explosive breakout year that very few expected to see. Chris Tanev has been an absolute rock in the defensive zone, looking like one of the best stay-at-home defencemen in the league. The most notable difference might be the big step forward that Noah Hanifin and Rasmus Andersson have taken in establishing themselves as a very steady top pair.

These defensive gains combined with a Vezina-calibre year from Jacob Markstrom, who has already posted eight shutouts, have led to the Flames allowing the fewest goals in the NHL this season. They have conceded only 114 goals in their first 49 games, which is seven fewer goals than the second-place team on that list in the Carolina Hurricanes.

Under Sutter, the Flames have built an identity based on hard-fought defensive hockey. However, it has become abundantly clear over the course of their franchise-record tying 10-game win streak that this team is about much more than just bruising defence.

With superstars Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk delivering career years, and getting help in terms of consistent secondary scoring, the Flames are proving to have one of the most potent offences in the NHL.

The recent addition of Tyler Toffoli could also be just the push that former 82-point scorer Sean Monahan needs to kickstart a