'STAYING CONNECTED'

TEMPE, AZ - You can study the formations, devise new schemes and break it all down on film …
But when comes down to it, there's only one way to become a successful penalty killer.
"You do it during a game," said Head Coach Darryl Sutter. "You can't practice killing penalties."

Ah, yes. The dreaded two-headed monster. While every good team needs a reliable PK, the twisted irony is that fewer penalties actually result in less practice. That's not an excuse - but it does offer important context as to why the ebbs and flows of an NHL season can literally show up in the percentages, like this one:
Over their last five games, the Flames have allowed only one powerplay goal for a 93.3% efficiency rate on the penalty-kill.
At a time in the season when special teams are more crucial than ever, the players have stepped up.
Big time.
"Since the break, we struggled with our penalty-kill and part of that was because we were taking fewer penalties," Sutter explained. "The Anaheim game, we didn't have a penalty, so our percentages didn't look as good, but there are still fundamentals of penalty killing that have to be in play.
"We use seven forwards and pretty much three-to-five defencemen on it all the time. If one of those guys loses the fundamentals on it and you're in a three-to-four penalty game - if one of those guys is off - then you're going to get scored on.
"Even though the style of penalty killing has changed - even this year, you're seeing changes in the way teams kill from the old days - the fundamentals are still there. There's the faceoffs, there's the clears, there's the blocks, there's the pressure up ice, there's the support, things like that. They're all critical in it.
"But if one guy's off, then you have trouble with it."

In casing the Flames dressing room on Tuesday at Mullett Arena, the players were consistent in their message: Structurally, nothing has changed. They're not being told to attack any differently, to pressure the puck-carrier any harder than they used to, or to sacrifice their bodies more than they ever have.
Instead, they insist, it boils down to something far simpler.
"We're staying connected out there," said defenceman Chris Tanev, who tops the charts with an average of 2:51 in short-handed ice time per game. "I know it sounds cliché, but it's true. We're working hard and sticking to our structure.
"It's all about doing the right things. Obviously, you're out-numbered out there, so things can break down pretty quickly if you're not dialled in. But we're staying in our spots, winning those battles and making sure we're getting it all the way down the ice so we can get off and get fresh guys out there.
"Right now, it's working for us."
In more ways than one.
In the same, five-game stretch where the Flames have been almost perfect defensively, a new trend has emerged.
They're now thinking offence, too.
Certainly, this comes into focus after Elias Lindholm, Mikael Backlund and Rasmus Andersson hooked up to score the team's eighth short-handed goal of the season on Sunday against Ottawa, but that aggressive, up-ice look was not a one-off. Consider this:
In the last five games, the Flames have had a league-leading 30% of the shot attempts (15-35) while short-handed, and a 36.67% (11-19) share of the scoring chances - putting them second in that category behind the St. Louis Blues.
So, not only are they silencing the opposing powerplay - they're taking it to them, at points, as well.
"We've stressed it," Sutter said of the offensive mindset. "Obviously - because, 5-on-5, we have some guys that have struggled to score - so we've stressed a little more assertiveness in situations where we know it's not a gamble. It's a good, high-risk play. And, quite honest, Backs and Lindy lead charge on that. You watch them and they play a lot together in situations, so that's not much coaching. That's those guys."
Tanev echoed his coach's thoughts.
It's up to the players to execute when the opportunity presents itself.
"Rasmus saw a hole and trusted that Backs was going to make a play," Tanev said. "That's a great read - and then an even better pass.
"That's instinctual. With Ras, he always makes the right play. He knows when to pop into those holes and generate offence, and he's obviously been best at that for us all year.
"That's how you win games: With great players making great plays like that."