These kids are alright.
And the Flames might just have found lightning in a bottle with a new-look trio featuring Connor Zary, Yegor Sharangovich and Matt Coronato.
All three forwards are under the age of 26, but on Saturday night against the Kings, they looked like seasoned veterans in what could certainly be called a fancy stats clinic.
In close to nine minutes of 5-on-5 playing time, the line generated 82% of the shot attempts (14-3) and outchanced L.A. 6-1, per Natural Stat Trick.
And even though they spent the bulk of their time in the offensive zone, the line got things done on both sides of the puck.
Sharangovich finished the night with a game-high six shots on goal, while also winning 70% of his face-offs - the line also accounted for three of Calgary’s 13 takeaways on the night.
For Coronato, it was a high-octane 60 minutes that only left him wanting more.
“It was a lot of fun playing with them, they’re both great players,” he said after practice Monday. “I think the team as a whole did a great job winning battles, keeping pucks down low, a lot of O-zone time which is always a good thing.
“I think just when you play with guys with a lot of skill, it’s just as important to work hard and win your battles, and when you win ‘em, that’s when the plays will start to happen.”
When asked about the trio, Flames head coach Ryan Huska singled out the work done by Sharangovich - who at the age of 25 is the elder statesman, so to speak, on the line.
“Yegor’s done a really good job of changing his game a little bit, 'cause we’ve asked him to play the middle of the ice, that’s not a secret,” Huska said Monday. “But I think he’s done a real good job of figuring out how to generate in that role, and the two guys on the outside have a good skill set with them. When you talk about young and energetic guys, that’s what Zar and that’s what Matty should be, so it gives them an opportunity to play with like-minded people.
“The challenge for us - and for them - is to make sure that when they don’t have the puck, they’re really dialled into their details and how they have to play the game.”
Coronato, in particular, is picking up on the details of late.
The 21-year-old is learning on the fly in his first pro season, one that’s seen him dress in 65 games split between the Flames and AHL Wranglers.
It’s been a busy winter - take into consideration the fact Coronato skated in 68 games over his entire two-year college career at Harvard.
But since Coronato was recalled in early March, Huska has noticed a change in how his young forward plays the game.
“We talk a lot about the American League coaches, they try to play the same way we do, they try to instill the same things into their players that we do, and you can see that they’ve spent a lot of time with Matty,” Huska said. “This time, since he’s come up, you can see a guy that’s aware of where he should be on the ice, he knows where to put his stick now, so I think a lot of that credit has to go to the American League staff and the time they’ve put in with him because it’s noticeable, and that’s going to give him more opportunities to play in more situations, because of how he’s trying to really learn it, but he’s also applying it which is the cool thing for us to see.”
And while the likes of Zary and Dustin Wolf offer plenty of promise for the future, so too does Coronato.
And his teammates have taken notice, too.
“The one I’m really impressed with is Matty, since he’s been back up,” defenceman Rasmus Andersson said Saturday when asked about the Flames’ crop of young players. “I think he’s playing with a lot of confidence and a lot of swagger; he’s hanging onto pucks, he’s making plays.
“He’s going to be a really good player in this organization for a long time.”
Off the ice, Coronato is soft-spoken, and eyes wide open to take in as much as he can on any given NHL game day or practice session.
On it, he’s become more confident and assertive as the season has progressed.
And he’s driven to make sure the final month of the regular season continues on that upward trajectory, beginning with a home contest against the Ducks Tuesday night. Get tickets
“There’s nine games left, the goal for all of us is just to go out and win nine games,” he said.
“For me, I want to do that, but I also want to continue to prove myself, just keep getting better.”
