'He's Been Excellent'

BUFFALO – Superlatives like these are immaterial to him.

In fact, the very suggestion that he’s been good, even “great” in the first three games of the season earns a friendly barb following Wednesday’s practice.

You see, Jacob Markstrom is never satisfied.

He’s unwilling to acknowledge what those of us on the outside can plainly see, because to him, there’s only one stat – one ‘team’ achievement – that actually carries weight.

“Wins,” Markstrom deadpanned. “That’s all that matters.

“1-1-1 is not a good start.”

Touché.

But let’s be honest: How can you not love that? Markstrom is of the most driven individuals the Flames have had in recent memory and comments like these are a glimpse into that sweltering psyche. The 33-year-old entered the new season with the weight of the world on his back, but instead of endorsing what has been a splendid first week (no matter what he says), the fire in his belly burns even hotter now after a couple of tough beats.

The reality is that Markstrom has been good – arguably, even, the Flames’ MVP to this point, regardless of what the stat sheet reads.

“He's playing with a free and clear mind,” said Flames Goalie Coach Jason LaBarbera. “Any athlete will tell you, when they're playing like that, that's when they're playing their best.

“Jacob’s been an elite guy for a while. The last six, seven years, he's been one of the top goalies in the entire league. So, that’s what you expect out of him – but more importantly, that's what he expects out of himself.

“We can say there's pressure from the outside or whatever, but most of the pressure comes from within. They put it on themselves. I did as a player. They all do. It's really about finding ways to navigate that part of things when you play at this position because you are the last line of defence. But I’ll tell you what, it sure was nice to see (those big saves) the other night and that’s going to go a long way in building confidence.

“Just like any player, getting that positive feedback is huge.”

Markstrom’s 2022-23 campaign has been well documented. He was particularly critical of his own play at points during the year and after posting a career-low, .892 save percentage in 59 appearances, his parting words on locker clean-out day left a lasting impression on everyone:

“I won’t forget this,” he explained back on April 14. “I'll remember the feeling very well and it's not a feeling you want to have.”

LaBarbera touched base with Markstrom every couple of weeks to get an update on his off-season training, and also to share video clips that both agreed he would find helpful as part of his training routine.

“When the season ends, you always talk about some things that maybe you could do differently, or maybe some adjustments in your game that you can bring into next season,” LaBarbera said. “But really, you try and leave him alone for the most part. My biggest priority is making sure that he's feeling good and is excited about the season, because you have to move on. It was a tough year for everybody – not just Marky – so the key is trying to move from something like that and push forward.

“The thing is, he's an awesome person, first and foremost. Take the goalie stuff out. He's just a good human being and that in itself makes my job a lot easier when you have a good person to work with who enjoys coming to the rink and enjoys working. He’s not a typical goalie where you can't talk to him on a game day because they're so isolated from the team. He’s a huge part of that dressing room and getting our team to where we want to be.

“It doesn't matter what we're working on. What you do, what I do, every time we're at the rink, we're trying to improve. It doesn't matter how long you've been doing something for, there's always areas of improvement and you're always trying to touch on everything.”

Seven months later, it’s clear Markstrom has put the work in to get himself competing at a high level again.

Take his last outing, for example.

The 2022 Vezina finalist was at his best in the most critical moments of the game – first, flashing the leather to rob T.J. Oshie on a breakaway out of the penalty box, before showing great patience with a jaw-dropper in overtime, extending his right toe to reject Evgeny Kuznetsov in tight and keep his team alive.

In all, he made 21 saves against the Caps for a .913 save percentage.

“Obviously, I gave them one in the second period and after that, you really don't want to let the guys down,” Markstrom said of Monday’s key moments. “I really wanted to help the guys out. I wanted to battle and get the win.”

Last week, he did just that when his 37 saves powered the Flames to a 5-3 season-opening win over the Jets. And even in a 5-2 loss this past Saturday in the Steel City, Markstrom still found himself on the highlight reel with an epic goal line stand, shortly after thwarting Sidney Crosby and his surprise one-time offering.

“The home-opener, the fans carried us to a big win,” Markstrom said. “I was a little sloppy in that one – a lot of nerves.

“Then, we go into Pittsburgh and are up 1-0 going into the third and we kind of let that game slip away from us. That's something we didn't want to happen, obviously. But we responded well and I thought the first period in Washington was really impressive. The guys were unbelievable and we were up by a few goals. They got the 2-1 goal and then the second goal there, I've got to stop. But after that, we held in there.

“There have been a few lessons for us, but overall, I think our game is going the right way.”

Ditto for Markstrom – who, indeed, looks good.

“Great,” even.

The Flames goal is to return to the playoff this year, and the play of their puck-stopper will factor in heavily.

But for now, you can see what a shot of confidence can do.

For the goalie, and the team in front of him.

“It goes a long way,” said Head Coach Ryan Huska. “It's knowing that if there is a mistake that gets made, there's a guy behind (where) there's a pretty good chance he's going to bail me out. At the end of the day, that's what they're paid for, too. They're paid really well to stop the puck and those are the parts of the game where they get really fired up, too. The challenge becomes me and a shooter – and that's why the best are the way they are.

“He's been excellent. It's not like we expected him to come in and be iffy.

“He's an elite goaltender and he gives us a chance to win and that's what you want out of your guy.”