December 12, 2022 | 12:51pm ET
By Anthony Di Marco, TheFourthPeriod.com

GOALTENDING TAKING CENTRE STAGE IN CALGARY

Jacob Markstrom, goalie

MONTREAL, QC — After a rocky start to the season after a summer full of change, a lot of focus has shifted to a growing question in Calgary’s crease.

Since last spring’s NHL playoffs, Flames starter Jacob Markstrom has been dealing with heavy adversity. A finalist for the Vezina Trophy in 2021-22, Markstrom struggled in the playoffs, finishing with a .901 save percentage and considered the primary reason for the team’s loss to the Edmonton Oilers in the second-round.

Hoping to rebound this season, Markstrom’s play has continued to struggle, sporting an .891 save percentage through 18 games. Things have not been great under the hood, either, as Markstrom has a Goals Saved Above Expected per 60 of just 1.1, per moneypuck.com, placing him 32nd in the NHL among goaltenders who have played at least five games.

The Flames have recently turned to Dan Vladar, who has gotten the lion’s share of starts in recent weeks. Entering Saturday night’s contest against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Vladar won four games in-a-row and was riding a hot streak, which game to a halt at the hands of the Buds as Vladar yielded five goals in a 5-4 overtime loss.

While his recent play, prior to Saturday’s loss, has been solid, Vladar’s overall game has not been much to write home about, either. In 11 games this season, Vladar has a modest .905 save percentage and a goals-against-average of 2.81. His Goals Saved Above Expected is actually inferior to Markstrom with a -2.5, good for 50th among goaltenders who have played at least five games, per moneypuck.com.

The Flames entered the season with mega expectations after a facelift of an off-season. Turning over a third of their top-six with the additions of Jonathan Huberdeau and Nazem Kadri, and adding Mackenzie Weegar to the backend, the window in Calgary was pushed wide open by General Manager Brad Treliving.

There were question marks about how the new faces would fit in, but while there were some struggles earlier in the year, the Flames believe, based on conversations I’ve had with those close to the club, the new faces (Huberdeau and Weegar, specifically) have started to turn the corner. And while there is some room for improvement in terms of individual play, the Flames have not been bad by any stretch this season.

Entering Sunday, the Flames were 12th in the NHL with a 51.44 xG%, per moneypuck.com. They also ranked fourth in Corsi (54.09%) and fifth in Fenwick (53.96%), while continuing to be one of the league’s best defensive teams with the sixth-lowest Expected Goals Against (50.64).

So, what gives?

The Flames absolutely have work to do on the offensive side of the puck, as they rank in the bottom third of xGF and are averaging just 3.04 goals per game, good for 21st in the NHL. Aside from Huberdeau, who has 17 points on the year, the top players have mostly done their part; the Flames are in dire need of some depth contributions offensively.

But when you break it down, the Flames need their goaltending to get straightened out, especially considering how much they have invested in it.

Markstrom, 31, is in the third year of a six-year, $36 million contract he signed with the Flames in 2020. He was presumed to be the savior to a goaltending position that had been in dire straits since the retirement of Miikka Kiprusoff. Until last spring, he had been.

Vladar, 25, is a goaltender many believe could become a starter one day. The Flames felt so good about his play that they awarded him with a two-year, $4.4 million contract extension in October to solidify their crease.

There is a heavy investment from management in Markstrom and Vladar and they need the two of them to turn it around. With the Flames hanging in the wildcard race with the holiday break around the corner, they can only tread water for so long until their goaltenders get on track.

Flames Holding Off on Forward Search

As TFP reported recently, the Flames have been in the hunt for a top-six forward for some time now. While they will continue to explore this down the road, I’m told they are holding off for the time being.

With the Flames (slowly) starting to play more consistently, goaltending aside, the Flames will continue to feel out teams for potential fits closer to the trade deadline.

The Flames have been attached to Montreal forward Josh Anderson for a few weeks now, although I have not heard any specifics on who they will choose to target when the rubber ultimately meets the road.