GAME DAY Preview: Calgary Flames vs San Jose Sharks (Nov. 13)

The Calgary Flames (4-12-2) will return home to face the young San Jose Sharks (8-6-3)  in the first of their four-game season series.

Let us reiterate: quality matters.

The Flames are sixth in time on ice in even-strength hockey and are even better at second in shots on goal.

Still, they are tied for a league-low 29 goals.

Doesn’t make sense, right?

That’s because both their scoring chances and high-danger scoring chances produced rank at 19th. It goes to show, you can shoot the puck as much as you want at the net, but if they are not quality shots or challenging enough for the opposing goalie, you’re not going to put up goals.

That has been the story of the Flames offence for much of the season thus far.

But for once, this Calgary offence will not be the weaker one on the ice. Because as San Jose’s offence ranks 17th in even-strength time on the ice, not only are their shots on goal ranked 29th, but both their scoring chances and high-danger scoring chances produced are ranked 30th.

But hey, to their credit, they are tied for the ninth-highest goals scored (42) so these aren’t just a group of jabronis.

The Sharks’ top line of Tyler Toffoli-Macklin Celebrini-Will Smith is one of only six lines to have played 140 minutes or more of 5v5 hockey. The team scored 11 while giving up just two with this line on the ice.

 On defence, San Jose has allowed the fifth-most shots on goal and 12th-most high-danger scoring chances allowed.

But they have made up for it by putting up a team save percentage that ranks 13th.

Yaroslav Askarov is confirmed to be in net for the Sharks and he is just a thousandth below the 0.900 mark in save percentage, registering 0.899 in 10 games played and started this season, posting a record of 5-4-1.

Calgary’s defence allows the 14th-most shots on goal in even-strength hockey. But then they make up for it giving up the seventh-lowest scoring chances and high danger scoring chances.

That’s been primarily because of the pairing of Rasmus Andersson-Kevin Bahl. This duo has played the seventh-most time on ice (250:53) in even-strength hockey in the league, where the team has given up only five goals while scoring 11.

Dustin Wolf is confirmed in net for the Flames and even though it was a losing effort in his last outing against St. Louis, he still posted a save percentage over 0.900 and should be looking for a win this time.

The Flames power play has stalled terribly and is in the basement of the NHL.

This game is the best time to come out of the slump as San Jose gives up a lot of penalties, with their time on the ice in the penalty-kill being the seventh-longest, and have a PK percentage that ranks 26th.

Calgary’s own penalty-kill had been working out for them until they gave away a power play goal in their last game. Furthermore, the PK works when the Flames are in control: In their 18 games thus far, the Flames have recorded ALL three of their regulation wins in games where they were short-handed for two minutes or less, and did not give up a PP goal.

The Sharks find themselves on the power play often, with their time on ice being the seventh-longest, but the PP percentage is in the middle of the pack at 15th.

After the passion the Flames showed in their last game, they need that same fire in this bout.

And it all begins with a good start and putting quality shots at the net.

This is the perfect game to break the scoring slump in the man-advantage.

On the other side, do not go into the box.

A good game by Wolf is always helpful.