Calgary coach Huska continues hunting for combinations even after the season-opening win
The Calgary Flames allowed themselves to bask in the glow of their season-opening 5-3 win over the Winnipeg Jets, but there are no doubts the club has plenty to improve with a five-game road trip looming next.
Coach Ryan Huska brought the line blender to the Saddledome for Thursday’s practice, making some notable changes from how things started against Winnipeg.
Andrew Mangiapane was added to the duo of Jonathan Huberdeau and Elias Lindholm in the second period of the victory, and the dividends were immediate. They remained together.
Dillon Dube essentially switched spots and skated with Mikael Backlund and Blake Coleman.
Then the fun began.
Adam Ruzicka joined Nazem Kadri and rookie Matt Coronato, while Yegor Sharangovich was moved from Kadri’s line to skate at center between AJ Greer and Walker Duehr.
All part of the tinkering necessary as Huska tries to find combinations that click as the club opens a road swing Saturday against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Sharangovich, the key return in the trade that sent Tyler Toffoli to the New Jersey Devils in the summer, is definitely trying to find his way.
“He has a lot of potential. He’s a smart player. He sees the game really well and he’s got a good skillset that goes along with it,” Huska said. “While he’s trying to sort himself out, we’re trying also to sort out where he fits … that’s going to help our team have success. I do think he’s a good player and he’s capable of a lot of good things.
“The challenge for him is to start feeling that he can be a bit more assertive when he’s playing the game, demand the puck more, play with a little bit more of an edge. Then, I think we’ll see his game take some steps.”
The skate was also an opportunity to work with the club’s defensive play. The Flames earned their victory, but nobody is kidding themselves. Jacob Markstrom’s 34-save performance between the pipes was the major factor in the victory.
Huska said his team’s struggles were more about puck management compared to positioning, but insisted time working on the system will make a difference.
“When everybody’s in sync, things flow,” he said. “When you’re not quite at that connected level, it’s choppy. That’s the way we were, so we’re going to keep working on that.”