1. Centre of Attention
Change can be a good thing.
And if Thursday's Flames practice was any indication, Friday night's contest against the Predators will see a new man in the middle - Connor Zary.
The Calgary sophomore took reps on a line with Jonathan Huberdeau and Yegor Sharangovich, and was also tasked with face-off duty on the Flames' top powerplay unit Thursday, all with the objective of trying to find a fit, with puck drop against the Predators slated for 7 p.m. MT. TICKETS
Moving to the middle isn't always easy.
Sharangovich and Martin Pospisil have both had time at centre this season, but starting with the puck has been an area flagged for improvement; Calgary's face-off percentage of 45.2% is ranked 30th in the NHL.
Head coach Ryan Huska explained Thursday, though, that there are subleties to playing the centre position that can make life that much more difficult for wingers.
"In my opinion, you’d rather have 12 forwards that are all centremen," he said. "It’s so much easier to go and play on the wing. You can work on the wall work during practice, you can do all sorts of different little things, but being a centreman's a different animal, for a lot of different reasons.
"Some of it’s the responsibility that comes with it, you’re expected to control the play a little bit more."
Enter Zary, who Huska has referred to on at least one occasion as the Flames' best forward over the opening month of the campaign.
He's got the speed - Huska said Thursday that in his estimation, Zary is much faster than a year ago - but the sophomore forward also has the smarts to be able to think on the fly.
"We want him to control the play, a lot the same as he does as a winger," Huska said of Zary, who sits tied for fifth among Calgary's scoring leaders with eight points. "What comes with it is the added responsibility of, a lot of times you look to your centreman as an extra defenceman on the ice, so he has the extra responsibility.
"We don’t want him to get away from what he does well, we want him to continue to handle the puck, control the play, now you add a little bit of extra responsibility, so we want to make sure he’s capable of doing that."
Pace is the name of the game, and it's also Huska's hope that a move back to the wing will benefit both Pospisil and Sharangovich, both of whom can create offensively, and both of whom have speed to burn.
"For someone like Marty, his greatest strength is the speed he plays the game at, and his ability to get in on a forecheck, and hurry decisions that defencemen make," Huska explained. "Well, as a centreman, he’s sometimes lower coming out of our own zone, so he’s not able to get there.
"With Sharan, one of his best attributes is reading the play as to when to take off, coming out of our own zone, that allows him scoring opportunities. Now if he’s down lower in your own zone, he’s not in that same position. There’s pros and cons."
With pace, comes energy, and a continued commitment to maintain it over a 60-minute span.
The Flames know all about the ebbs and flows of energy consumption over a back-to-back situation - after all, they've just experienced it, earning a split over their two-game set against the Kings and Canucks.
In Nashville, Calgary now faces an opponent that played a night ago, up the road in Edmonton.
A worthy opponent against whom to test out a new-look lineup.
For many, Friday night brings about the end of the work week, a time to kick up one's feet and relax.
For the Flames, it's the start of a four-game homestand.
It's also time to kick things into gear.
