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There was trigger for celebration, and trigger for concern.
Sam Honzek buried a magnificence for the Calgary Flames in Monday’s 4-3 additional time victory in exhibition motion in opposition to the Seattle Kraken, one other assertion second because the 19-year-old winger goals to interrupt camp with the large membership.
Filed underneath the not-so-good, Mikael Backlund made an early exit. The very last thing you need in pre-season is an harm to your captain and most trusted defensive centre.
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Requested post-game if he had any replace on the standing of the 35-year-old Backlund, head coach Ryan Huska replied: “No, we don’t truly. Not but”
Nazem Kadri scored a gimme in additional time Monday, ending off a candy feed from Andrei Kuzmenko, whereas Brayden Pachal and Blake Coleman additionally bulged twine for the hosts and tryout hopeful Tyson Barrie contributed two helpers.
Dan Vladar went the space between the pipes, one other necessary mileage marker in his return from hip surgical procedure. Vladar had performed two durations in every of his earlier begins, all a part of the plan to steadily up his workload. On this evening, he completed with 30 saves.
The Flames, who have been 5-0-1 on their September slate, will wrap their exhibition schedule with a home-and-home in opposition to the Winnipeg Jets — Wednesday in Pleasant Manitoba, adopted by Friday on the Saddledome.
Listed below are three takeaways from Monday’s matchup …
HONZEK HIGHLIGHT
Honzek danced round an NHL defenceman — arguably, Seattle’s greatest blue-liner in Vince Dunn — after which deked round a confirmed puck-stopper for a shorthanded strike.
In what has been an excellent pre-season exhibiting, this was his greatest spotlight but.
“I simply advised him it was sick,” mentioned Vladar, noticed chatting with Honzek shortly after his snipe. “I feel I mentioned one thing that he is perhaps too younger to be doing that.”
Two nights after Huska advised reporters that the rookie left-winger is “going to make it actually arduous on us,” Honzek continued to do exactly that in opposition to the Kraken.
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He’s now as much as seven factors — two objectives and 5 assists — in a handful of exhibition outings.
It at all times appeared to take advantage of sense for Honzek to begin his professional climb with the AHL’s Wranglers, and possibly it nonetheless does, however how will you presumably reduce the child if he’s outperforming each different man on the roster?
Whereas Honzek has being doing his greatest to play it cool, insisting a number of days again that he wasn’t conscious of his perch because the NHL’s pre-season scoring chief, he couldn’t conceal a large smile after Monday’s beautiful objective. It was the look of a man who is aware of he’s inching nearer to realizing a dream.
“You understand that cuts are occurring and I’m between the final guys to be determined, so it’s getting tougher,” Honzek mentioned. “The stress is sort of developing as a result of I do know two pre-season video games are left. I’m simply attempting to place every little thing I’ve in it.
“If I make the staff (or) if I don’t, I depart every little thing right here.”
Even when he begins this season within the minors, this power-forward prospect has proven that he deserves a glance ahead of later.
“Simply proceed to do what you’re doing,” Huska mentioned. “You may’t be something however comfortable for the younger man. I do know, after final 12 months, everybody was speaking about, ‘Oh, jeez, the place is that this Honzek man? Is he going to be a participant?’ Effectively, he’s a participant. He’s a fairly good participant. We’re fairly enthusiastic about the place he’s at proper now.”
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CONVINCING CASE
Monday was robust on PTOs across the NHL, with Mike Hoffman being launched from his tryout with the Edmonton Oilers, Sammy Blais reduce free by the Vancouver Canucks and Nikolay Kulemin hitting a road-block in his comeback try with the Ottawa Senators.
Barrie, however, was busy bolstering his case for a contract supply from the Flames.
The 33-year-old picked up a pair of assists within the opening interval in opposition to the Kraken. On Pachal’s potting, Barrie made a wise play to assist seal the blue-line. He later wired a shot by visitors on the power-play, resulting in a greasy objective by Coleman.
Simply as necessary, Barrie seemed comparatively snug on the left aspect of the third pairing, particularly spectacular for the reason that right-hander revealed that he hasn’t been requested to try this since his junior days. This appears like a very good time to remind you Huska was his bench boss with the WHL’s Kelowna Rockets.
“I feel it’s an opportunity so as to add one thing to your recreation and work in your craft and present them you’re versatile and you’ll sort of slot in the place they want you to,” Barrie mentioned. “That’s my mindset, for certain, not a lot getting caught about taking part in on the appropriate.”
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That versatility might be a figuring out issue on a Flames’ defensive depth chart that’s already loaded with righties in common roles, with Rasmus Andersson, MacKenzie Weegar, Daniil Miromanov and Pachal all having that very same curve on their stick-blades.
Kevin Bahl and Jake Bean appear locked in as lefties, which leaves Barrie within the battle for the remaining job on the back-end. Additionally in that blend are Joel Hanley, Artem Grushnikov, Ilya Solovyov and Jarred Tinordi. There are stay-at-home types and toughies on that listing, however Barrie’s edge might be his offensive acumen and it confirmed Monday.
ROUGH NIGHT
Plus-minus isn’t at all times essentially the most insightful stat however should you’re one of many bubble boys, you don’t wish to end the night with a touch beside your title.
Jakob Pelletier posted a minus-2 score in opposition to the Kraken. Not splendid, particularly for the reason that 23-year-old was auditioning with Backlund and Coleman on Calgary’s shutdown line.
It’s been an underwhelming pre-season for Pelletier, maybe not surprising since accidents restricted the should-be buzzsaw to 31 appearances — together with simply 13 within the NHL — through the 2023-24 marketing campaign.
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After Monday’s morning skate, Huska was requested about Pelletier’s efficiency in three earlier tuneup twirls and supplied a lukewarm assessment.
“I feel he’s been just a little bit out and in at instances,” Huska mentioned. “We wish to see that consistency from him. What separates Jakob from everyone else is his potential to skate and stress groups into errors. So when he’s on the ice, that’s what we wish to see. Whether or not or not it’s a penalty-kill position or a five-on-five position, that’s how he’s best, in order that’s what we’re in search of.”
Pelletier wasn’t among the many shorthanded staffers Monday night, so he in the end logged solely 11:12 of even-strength in a penalty-filled affair. He was credited with one hit and one shot on internet.
What’s complicating issues with Pelletier is he now wants waivers to be reassigned to the minors. Would the Flames take that danger with their first-round choose from 2019? They might profit from Pelletier’s pace and his positivity, however has he earned a spot?
BONUS TAKEAWAYS
Any type of harm to Backlund could be a significant blow to the Flames, with Kadri and Kevin Rooney as the one different skilled pivots on their roster. They’re already auditioning Martin Pospisil and Yegor Sharangovich to skate up the center, whereas faculty free-agent signing Sam Morton has made a constructive impression in his first professional camp. At 25, Morton is extra mature than your common prospect, however it might be an enormous ask to attempt to slide him into Backlund’s slot … Huska was happy with the outcomes of 1 experiment Monday — sending Kuzmenko over the boards in additional time. “That’s the primary time we’ve used him in three-on-three,” Huska grinned. “So we’ll in all probability do it once more” … Vladar, who ought to see yet one more begin earlier than the tip of the pre-season, on his surgically-repaired proper hip: “Day by day, I really feel higher and higher, and I simply comprehend it’s going to get higher and higher. I’m tremendous constructive and assured about that, so let’s go.”
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