The NHLFlames had one of the league's top offences through the qualifying round. The DallasStars had one of the stingiest defences all season long. Which wins out? Here's all you need to know about the match-up before the two clubs meet for Game 1:
Clearly, the main storyline for Calgary was all the injuries the Jets sustained. Losing both Mark Scheifele and Patrik Laine was a huge blow for Winnipeg, and Calgary took full advantage. The Flames put forth a balanced effort up front, averaging four goals per game with 11 different players scoring.
In fact, the blue line only contributed one goal in the series and it was a redundantThe special teams were solid with the power play clicking at 29.4 per cent and the penalty kill at 88.2 per cent while adding a shorthanded goal. A strong performance from certainly didn’t hurt either. The netminder went 12-10-1 with average numbers in the regular season but posted a .945 save percentage, 1.51 goals-against average and one shutout in four starts against the Jets.Get the best of our NHL coverage and exclusives delivered directly to your inbox!also pointed to Ward’s leadership and tweaks to the defensive scheme as contributing factors. The Flames went 24-15-3 after Ward replaced Bill Peters in late November. “He’s brought our group way closer together,” Giordano told reporters following the series. “Just a guy who demands respect. He’s been there, he’s won before, so his words carry a lot of weight. For him to come in and change our D-zone and tighten it up, I believe we’re a better defensive team than we were before the break. Credit to him for having the guts to make that change and credit to the guys for buying in.” The Stars, meantime, came out of the round robin with a 1-2-0 record, finishing as the third seed after a 2-1 shootout win against St. Louis. And though those games were less intense without the threat of elimination, there were still some concerning signs for Dallas. One of the toughest defensive teams in the regular season, Dallas allowed 36.5 shots against per game in the three round-robin games, better than only Arizona, Columbus and St. Louis. The trouble with that is if Dallas’ defence becomes an issue, it’s unlikely they’ll score their way out of it. The Stars’ offence ranked 26th in the regular season and managed only three goals in the four round-robin games. It’s hard to read what will stick and what won’t out of those games because now everything takes on new meaning for the teams that got a bye. The Stars were a fairly consistent team through the season, but really leaned on that defence and strong goaltending from
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