SAN JOSE, Calif. — It may be lonely at the top, but that phrase seldom applies to the N.H.L. All-Star Game.
Among the four coaches — whose teams were in first place at the cutoff point this month — Paul Maurice had two of his Jets in tow, Jon Cooper guided three players from his Lightning and Todd Reirden had three of his Capitals named to the team, though Alex Ovechkin opted not to participate.
The remaining coach, Calgary’s Bill Peters, was accompanied by only left wing Johnny Gaudreau. Each team is required to be represented in the game, meaning the Pacific Division-leading Flames had as many All-Stars as each of the four last-place teams.
Yet Calgary features four of the top 15 scorers in the N.H.L. among their forwards, as well as the front-runner for the Norris Trophy in defenseman Mark Giordano, among other key contributors.
“You’re a little bummed; you want as many teammates as you can have here,” Gaudreau, a New Jersey native, said during All-Star Weekend.
The Flames have had little else to lament this season, posting the best record (33-13-5) and goal differential (+45) in the Western Conference. Since New Year’s Eve, they have won 10 of 12 games and earned points in 11 of them. They have put a much-maligned early-season blowout loss to Pittsburgh distantly in their rearview mirror, evolving into a team that plays with pace, vigor and swagger.
At the helm is Peters, who came from the Carolina Hurricanes in the off-season, replacing Glen Gulutzan.
“Bill expects a lot out of his players: working hard, making plays and being a fast, skilled smart team,” Gaudreau said. “He’s really brought the best out of us.”
Soon after Peters was hired, the Flames received his endorsement of a deal that brought in two more additions from Carolina: right wing Elias Lindholm and defenseman Noah Hanifin.
Lindholm found himself on a line opposite Gaudreau almost by serendipity. The free-agent acquisition James Neal was penciled into that slot. But Sean Monahan’s wrist reconstruction surgery — one of four operations he had in the off-season — limited his ability to grip his stick for faceoffs. Lindholm, a strong defensive player who can take draws, alleviated Monahan’s burden.
Since then? The line has combined for 192 points, more than any other line except Colorado’s combination of Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen and Gabriel Landeskog, all of whom were named All-Stars.
MacKinnon said Lindholm was an outstanding complement to a tandem poised for a big step forward.
“Adding a guy like Lindholm is just going to work,” said MacKinnon, whose Avalanche fell to Calgary, 6-5, in a Nov. 1 game in which the Flames slathered five third-period goals on Colorado. “They’re so dominant, and they’re the big reason that Calgary is doing this well.”
Eric Duhatschek, a senior writer for The Athletic who has spent nearly four decades covering hockey in Calgary said that, without undermining the two potent scoring lines that propelled the Flames to the 1989 Stanley Cup championship, this line had been superlative.
“Based on half a season, I would say this is probably the best line they’ve ever had,” Duhatschek said.
Gaudreau, listed at 5 feet 9 inches and 165 pounds, leads the team in goals (29), assists (44) and points (73), driving play in a way that had been typically seen from centers like Edmonton’s Connor McDavid, with whom he is tied in points.
Peters compared Gaudreau’s role to that of Chicago’s Patrick Kane, another smallish American wing. Gaudreau bested Kane, a player after whom he patterned his game, in the puck-control relay for the second straight year.
Matthew Tkachuk rounds out Calgary’s four top 15 scorers. He has anchored their second line while bringing his signature hostility and studiousness.
He and Lindholm have set career highs in points with 31 games remaining. Monahan, Gaudreau, Hanifin and Giordano, the team captain, are all on pace to reach career highs during February.
While his aforementioned teammates are all in their 20s, Giordano is an anomaly, taking steps forward at 35, an age when most players are in decline. Duhatschek compared Giordano’s combination of genetic gifts and meticulous preparation to that of Chris Chelios, who played a significant role in the N.H.L. into his 40s.
Neither Gaudreau nor Peters was surprised at Giordano’s jump in production, with Gaudreau calling him “the ultimate captain.” He has returned to the Norris conversation for the first time since 2015, when a torn biceps cut his season short.
“He’s one of those guys who’s got a passion to play,” Peters said. “He looks after himself, he trains real hard in the off-season, prepares in season, and he does a really good job understanding when he needs to be ready to play, practice or take time off.”
Last season the Flames lost 17 of their final 24 games and missed the playoffs. But if they can finish this season the way they have finished games, they may cruise to a top seed. They have been the best third-period team in the league this with a +39 goal differential in the final frame. Their 80 third-period goals this season are 13 more than that of any other team, and the most in any period.
“They just find a way to win games,” said McDavid, whose Oilers have lost two of three games to Calgary this season, including one after a third-period Flames rally on Nov. 17. “Their belief in themselves is really high and they come back in so many games. It’s really impressive to see.”
Calgary has not advanced past the second round since it lost the Stanley Cup finals in seven games to Tampa Bay in 2004.
One promising parallel to that season has been a change in goal. Then, the Flames acquired Miikka Kiprusoff, who transformed suddenly into a franchise goalie. Now, David Rittich has emerged to solidify Calgary’s final line of defense.
Vegas goalie Marc-Andre Fleury praised Rittich’s maturity, patience, agility and improvisation. Rittich has picked up 19 of a possible 22 points in his last 11 starts. After a disappointing start to the season, the veteran Mike Smith has won 10 of his last 12 starts as well in what has now become a backup role.
Duhatschek compared Rittich, a Czech, to his most venerated countryman, Dominik Hasek, in terms of his attitude, competitiveness and mental makeup.
“Rittich is an absolute key to keep this thing going,” Duhatschek said. “If he can keep this rolling, they are capable of doing what that ’04 team did and win some rounds in the playoffs.”
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