2016–17 Calgary Flames season explained

The 2016–17 Calgary Flames season was their 37th season in Calgary, and the 45th season for the National Hockey League franchise that was established on June 6, 1972.^[1]

Off-season

After a season of high expectations from the 2014–15 season for the Flames, those results did not carry over into the 2015–16 season. The team finished with only 77 points and failed to qualify for the 2016 NHL Playoffs. To start with, Bob Hartley was let go, and Glen Gulutzan was brought in as the new coach. The biggest question the Flames faced in the off-season was acquiring a proven number one goalie. Jonas Hiller, Karri Ramo, and Joni Ortio all combined for a save percentage of .892 and goals against of 3.13, an NHL-worst in the 2015–16 season. General manager Brad Treliving addressed this need by acquiring veteran Brian Elliott on June 24, 2016, in a deal on the sidelines of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft. On the draft's opening day the Flames got top prospect Matthew Tkachuk as the 6th overall pick of the Draft. On July 1, 2016, the Flames made significant acquisitions by signing power forward Troy Brouwer and journeyman goaltender Chad Johnson. Several other players such as Alex Chiasson and Linden Vey were also brought in. The next biggest task Treliving faced was signing rising stars Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan to contracts. On August 19, 2016, Monahan and the Flames agreed to a 7-year deal worth $44.625 million. On October 10, 2016, two days before the start of the regular season, Gaudreau and the Flames agreed to a 6-year deal worth $40.5 million.^[2] Gaudreau was tied with defenceman and captain Mark Giordano as the highest-paid Flames player.

Regular season

October – December

The Flames open their season with their first two losses 7-4 and 5–3 to their provincial rival Edmonton Oilers. The team was expected to have an improved save percentage with Brian Eliott. However, they had a rough time with their No. 1 goaltender Brian Elliott which led them being placed outside of playoff picture promoting them to switch to their backup goaltender Chad Johnson. Chad Johnson was proved to be a better goaltender than Brian Eliott for about a month. They had a six-game winning streak from November 30 to December 14 which elevated them back into playoff position. After their six-game winning streak ended with a 6–3 loss to Tampa Bay Lightning 6–3, the starting goaltender position slowly shifted back to Brian Elliott.

January – April

The Flames continued to maintain their position in the playoff spot. They struggled the rest of the month, but they continued to keep pace in the conference standings. Even on February 25, 2017, the Flames still held the first wildcard spot in the Western Conference.

With their win over the New York Islanders on March 5, the Flames surpassed their total number of wins – 35 – of the 2015–16 season.^[3]

With their win over the Winnipeg Jets on March 11, the Flames surpassed their franchise-long winning streak while based in the city of Calgary, at 9 consecutive games.^[4] Goalie Brian Elliott also recorded his second shutout in a row. The Flames tied their all-time franchise winning streak of 10 games with a shootout win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on March 13. The Atlanta Flames won 10 straight from October 14 to November 3, 1978.^[5] The streak would end with their next game on March 15, being outscored by the Boston Bruins 5–2. Though Chad Johnson started in net due to Brian Elliott waking up that morning with the flu, coach Glen Gulutzan told reporters that no individual player was responsible for the loss to the Bruins and the end of the streak.^[6]

On March 20, Brian Elliott was named the NHL's 3rd Star of the Week for the week of March 20 to the 26th. From February 20 – March 20, Elliott recorded a career-best winning streak of 11 games, featuring back-to-back shutouts on March 9 and 11. In addition during the streak, Elliott also tied the longest winning streak for a Flames game-starting goalie, an 11-game record set by the legendary Mike Vernon from January 17 to February 27, 1989.^[7]

Forward Matthew Tkachuk was suspended by the NHL for two games (on March 21 and March 23) due to Tkachuk's elbow purposely hitting the head of the L.A. Kings' Drew Doughty in the Flames' win on March 19.^[8]

In the Flames' 3–2 win over the St. Louis Blues on March 25, centreman and alternate captain Sean Monahan broke Jarome Iginla's franchise regular-season overtime winning goal record with Monahan's seventh career regular-season 5-minute overtime period goal.^[9]

With a win against the San Jose Sharks on March 31, the Flames clinched a playoff berth, their first postseason appearance since the 2014–15 season and only their second playoff appearance in the last eight seasons.^[10]

Schedule and results

Pre-season

Pre-season game log
Rookie Tournament: 2–0–1 Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Recap 1 September 16 Calgary Rookies 4–1 Winnipeg Rookies 2,706 1–0–0 Recap 2 September 17 Calgary Rookies 3–4 Edmonton Rookies OT 4,086 1–0–1 Recap 3 September 19 Vancouver Rookies 3–4 Calgary Rookies OT Parsons 3,376 2–0–1 Recap Young Stars Classic Rookie Tournament at South Okanagan Events Centre in Penticton, British Columbia
September/October: 3–4–0 (Home: 2–2–0 ; Road: 1–2–0)[11] Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Recap 1 September 26 2–1 Calgary 18,114 0–1–0 Recap 2 September 26 Calgary 2–4 18,500 0–2–0 Recap 3 September 27 Calgary 3–0 15,006 1–2–0 Recap 4 September 30 1–2 Calgary 19,102 2–2–0 Recap 5 October 2 4–0 Calgary Johnson 18,158 2–3–0 Recap 6 October 5 1–2 Calgary SO Elliott 17,878 3–3–0 Recap 7 October 6 Calgary 0–4 Johnson 17,960 3–4–0 Recap – indicates split-squad game.

Regular season

2016–17 game log[12]
October: 4–5–1 (Home: 2–4–0 ; Road: 2–1–1) Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 1 October 12 Calgary 4–7 18,347 0–1–0 0 Recap 2 October 14 5–3 Calgary Elliott 19,289 0–2–0 0 Recap 3 October 15 Calgary 1–2 SO 18,865 0–2–1 1 Recap 4 October 18 3–4 Calgary OT Johnson 19,289 1–2–1 3 Recap 5 October 20 4–2 Calgary Elliott 17,652 1–3–1 3 Recap 6 October 22 6–4 Calgary Johnson 18,076 1–4–1 3 Recap 7 October 24 Calgary 3–2 SO Elliott 21,348 2–4–1 5 Recap 8 October 25 Calgary 4–1 Elliott 17,337 3–4–1 7 Recap 9 October 28 2–5 Calgary Elliott 18,132 4–4–1 9 Recap 10 October 30 3–1 Calgary Elliott 18,454 4–5–1 9 Recap
November: 7–8–1 (Home: 2–3–0 ; Road: 5–5–1) Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 11 November 1 Calgary 1–5 21,166 4–6–1 9 Recap 12 November 3 Calgary 3–2 17,562 5–6–1 11 Recap 13 November 5 Calgary 0–5 Elliott 18,230 5–7–1 11 Recap 14 November 6 Calgary 1–4 Johnson 16,218 5–8–1 11 Recap 15 November 10 4–2 Calgary Elliott 18,795 5–9–1 11 Recap 16 November 12 4–1 Calgary Elliott 18,421 5–10–1 11 Recap 17 November 15 Calgary 1–0 Johnson 19,048 6–10–1 13 Recap 18 November 16 1–2 Calgary OT Johnson 18,202 7–10–1 15 Recap 19 November 18 3–2 Calgary Johnson 18,691 7–11–1 15 Recap 20 November 20 Calgary 3–2 Johnson 20,027 8–11–1 17 Recap 21 November 21 Calgary 2–4 Elliott 17,526 8–12–1 17 Recap 22 November 23 Calgary 2–0 Johnson 13,140 9–12–1 19 Recap 23 November 25 Calgary 2–1 Johnson 17,565 10–12–1 21 Recap 24 November 27 Calgary 3–5 Johnson 19,408 10–13–1 21 Recap 25 November 28 Calgary 1–2 OT Elliott 10,772 10–13–2 22 Recap 26 November 30 0–3 Calgary Johnson 19,289 11–13–2 24 Recap
December: 9–4–0 (Home: 5–3–0 ; Road: 4–1–0) Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 27 December 2 2–3 Calgary SO 18,390 12–13–2 26 Recap 28 December 4 3–8 Calgary Johnson 17,840 13–13–2 28 Recap 29 December 6 Calgary 2–1 Johnson 17,996 14–13–2 30 Recap 30 December 8 Calgary 2–1 OT Johnson 10,210 15–13–2 32 Recap 31 December 10 2–6 Calgary Johnson 18,677 16–13–2 34 Recap 32 December 14 6–3 Calgary Johnson 18,164 16–14–2 34 Recap 33 December 16 4–1 Calgary Johnson 18,045 16–15–2 34 Recap 34 December 19 Calgary 4–2 12,192 17–15–2 36 Recap 35 December 20 Calgary 1–4 Johnson 17,562 17–16–2 36 Recap 36 December 23 1–4 Calgary Elliott 18,840 18–16–2 38 Recap 37 December 27 Calgary 6–3 Elliott 14,634 19–16–2 40 Recap 38 December 29 3–1 Calgary Johnson 19,289 19–17–2 40 Recap 39 December 31 2–4 Calgary Elliott 19,289 20–17–2 42 Recap
January: 5–7–1 (Home: 4–3–0 ; Road: 1–4–1) Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 40 January 4 1–4 Calgary 18,388 21–17–2 44 Recap 41 January 6 Calgary 2–4 Elliott 18,865 21–18–2 44 Recap 42 January 7 1–3 Calgary 18,685 22–18–2 46 Recap 43 January 9 Calgary 0–2 Johnson 15,294 22–19–2 46 Recap 44 January 11 2–3 Calgary Johnson 18,912 23–19–2 48 Recap 45 January 13 2–1 Calgary Johnson 19,190 23–20–2 48 Recap 46 January 14 Calgary 1–2 SO Elliott 18,347 23–20–3 49 Recap 47 January 17 2–5 Calgary Johnson 18,137 24–20–3 51 Recap 48 January 19 4–3 Calgary Johnson 18,904 24–21–3 51 Recap 49 January 21 7–3 Calgary Elliott 19,289 24–22–3 51 Recap 50 January 23 Calgary 0–4 Elliott 19,043 24–23–3 51 Recap 51 January 24 Calgary 1–5 Johnson 21,288 24–24–3 51 Recap 52 January 26 Calgary 3–2 OT Elliott 16,263 25–24–3 53 Recap January 27–29 All-Star Break in Los Angeles
February: 9–2–1 (Home: 3–1–0 ; Road: 6–1–1) Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 53 February 1 1–5 Calgary 18,044 26–24–3 55 Recap 54 February 3 Calgary 4–3 OT Elliott 14,716 27–24–3 57 Recap 55 February 5 Calgary 3–4 Elliott 18,006 27–25–3 57 Recap 56 February 7 Calgary 3–2 SO 18,556 28–25–3 59 Recap 57 February 13 5–0 Calgary Johnson 18,486 28–26–3 59 Recap 58 February 15 1–3 Calgary Elliott 18,815 29–26–3 61 Recap 59 February 18 Calgary 1–2 OT Elliott 18,865 29–26–4 62 Recap 60 February 21 Calgary 6–5 OT Elliott 17,113 30–26–4 64 Recap 61 February 23 Calgary 3–2 Elliott 19,092 31–26–4 66 Recap 62 February 24 Calgary 4–2 Johnson 14,765 32–26–4 68 Recap 63 February 26 Calgary 3–1 Elliott 14,112 33–26–4 70 Recap 64 February 28 1–2 Calgary OT Elliott 19,289 34–26–4 72 Recap
March: 10–4–0 (Home: 8–2–0 ; Road: 2–2–0) Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 65 March 3 2–3 Calgary OT 19,289 35–26–4 74 Recap 66 March 5 2–5 Calgary Elliott 18,741 36–26–4 76 Recap 67 March 9 0–5 Calgary Elliott 19,289 37–26–4 78 Recap 68 March 11 Calgary 3–0 Elliott 15,294 38–26–4 80 Recap 69 March 13 3–4 Calgary SO Elliott 19,289 39–26–4 82 Recap 70 March 15 5–2 Calgary 18,892 39–27–4 82 Recap 71 March 17 1–3 Calgary Elliott 19,227 40–27–4 84 Recap 72 March 19 2–5 Calgary Elliott 19,115 41–27–4 86 Recap 73 March 21 Calgary 2–4 Elliott 18,506 41–28–4 86 Recap 74 March 23 Calgary 1–3 Johnson 17,324 41–29–4 86 Recap 75 March 25 Calgary 3–2 OT Elliott 19,516 42–29–4 88 Recap 76 March 27 2–4 Calgary Elliott 17,785 43–29–4 90 Recap 77 March 29 4–1 Calgary Elliott 19,005 43–30–4 90 Recap 78 March 31 2–5 Calgary Elliott 19,289 44–30–4 92 Recap
April: 1–3–0 (Home: 0–1–0 ; Road: 1–2–0) Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 79 April 2 4–3 Calgary 18,945 44–31–4 92 Recap 80 April 4 Calgary 1–3 Elliott 15,125 44–32–4 92 Recap 81 April 6 Calgary 4–1 18,230 45–32–4 94 Recap 82 April 8 Calgary 1–3 Elliott 17,562 45–33–4 94 Recap
Legend:

Playoffs

2017 Stanley Cup playoffs
Western Conference First Round vs. (P1) Anaheim Ducks: Anaheim wins 4–0 Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Series Recap 1 April 13 Calgary 2–3 Anaheim 17,174 Anaheim leads 1–0 Recap 2 April 15 Calgary 2–3 Anaheim Elliott 17,271 Anaheim leads 2–0 Recap 3 April 17 Anaheim 5–4 Calgary OT Elliott 19,289 Anaheim leads 3–0 Recap 4 April 19 Anaheim 3–1 Calgary Johnson 19,289 Anaheim wins 4–0 Recap
Legend:

Player statistics

Skaters

Regular season^[13]

Player					data-sort-type="number"
	72	18	43	61	−7	4
	82	27	31	58	−1	20
	81	22	31	53	9	36
	81	13	37	50	12	64
	76	13	35	48	14	105
	82	17	27	44	13	58
	81	12	27	39	22	59
	69	15	22	37	−3	46
	82	6	30	36	−16	24
	81	13	13	26	−16	75
	76	15	10	25	−1	50
	74	13	12	25	−11	31
	81	12	12	24	−6	46
	81	6	17	23	3	40
	57	5	13	18	−6	32
	81	4	12	16	2	85
	61	3	4	7	−2	35
†	19	2	4	6	5	20
‡	38	1	5	6	−3	12
	26	1	4	5	0	44
†	4	1	2	3	2	0
	21	0	3	3	−3	12
	26	2	0	2	−3	8
†	24	1	1	2	−4	26
	7	0	1	1	−3	2
	1	0	0	0	0	0
	1	0	0	0	−1	0
	3	0	0	0	−4	2
	4	0	0	0	−2	0
	4	0	0	0	−2	0

Playoffs^[14]

Player					data-sort-type="number"
	4	4	1	5	−4	0
	4	1	3	4	−2	4
	4	0	4	4	−1	2
	4	1	2	3	−3	0
	4	2	0	2	−1	4
	4	0	2	2	−1	0
	4	0	2	2	−4	0
	4	1	0	1	−1	0
	4	0	1	1	−2	2
	4	0	1	1	−2	0
	4	0	1	1	−3	8
	4	0	0	0	−3	2
	4	0	0	0	−5	0
	4	0	0	0	−1	2
	4	0	0	0	−4	7
	4	0	0	0	−2	4
	3	0	0	0	−1	0
	3	0	0	0	−1	2
	1	0	0	0	0	0
	1	0	0	0	0	0

Goaltenders

Regular season^[15]

Player
style=white-space:nowrap		49	45	2844:25	26	18	3	121	2.55	1,338	.910	2	0	0	4
style=white-space:nowrap		36	36	2013:12	18	15	1	87	2.59	969	.910	3	0	0	0
style=white-space:nowrap		1	1	60:00	1	0	0	1	1.00	28	.964	0	0	0	0
style=white-space:nowrap		1	0	20:00	0	0	0	1	3.00	10	.900	0	0	0	0

Playoffs

Player
style=white-space:nowrap		4	4	185:20	0	3	12	3.89	100	.880	0	0	0	0
style=white-space:nowrap		1	0	51:50	0	1	1	1.15	21	.952	0	0	0	0

^†Denotes player spent time with another organization before joining Flames. Stats reflect time with the Flames only.
^‡Traded mid-season. Stats reflect time with the Flames only.

Awards and honours

Awards

Player	Award	Awarded	Ref.
	NHL All-Star game selection	January 10, 2017	[16]
Johnny Gaudreau	NHL 3rd Star of the Week (Feb. 27 – Mar. 5)	February 27, 2017	[17]
	NHL 3rd Star of the Week (Mar. 20 – Mar. 26)	March 20, 2017	[18]

Milestones

Player	Milestone	Reached	Ref
	1st NHL game	October 12, 2016	[19]
	1st NHL point (assist)	October 18, 2016	[20]
Matthew Tkachuk	1st NHL goal	October 18, 2016
	1st NHL goal	November 20, 2016	[21]
	100th NHL goal	February 23, 2017	[22]
	200th NHL point	March 27, 2017	[23]
	1st NHL start 1st NHL win	April 6, 2017	[24]

Records

Transactions

Trades

February 20, 2017	To Calgary Flames Michael Stone	To Arizona Coyotes 3rd-round pick in 2017 conditional 5th-round pick in 2018	[25]
	June 17, 2017	To Calgary Flames Mike Smith	To Arizona Coyotes Chad Johnson Brandon Hickey conditional 2nd-round pick in 2018 or 3rd-round pick in 2018	[26]

Player signings

Draft picks

See also: List of Calgary Flames draft picks. Below are the Calgary Flames' selections at the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, held on June 24–25, 2016, at the First Niagara Center in Buffalo.

Round		Player	Pos	Nationality	College/Junior/Club team (League)
1	6	Matthew Tkachuk	LW		London Knights (Ontario Hockey League)
2	54	Tyler Parsons	G		London Knights (OHL)
2	56	Dillon Dube	C		Kelowna Rockets (WHL)
3	66	Adam Fox	D		U.S. NTDP (USHL)
4	96	Linus Lindstrom	C		Skelleftea AIK (SHL)
5	126	Mitchell Mattson	C		Grand Rapids Thunderhawks (US-MN HS)
6	156	Eetu Tuulola	RW		HPK (Liiga)
6	166	Matthew Phillips	C		Victoria Royals (WHL)
7	186	Stepan Falkovsky	D		Ottawa 67's (OHL)

• The Calgary Flames' second-round pick went to the St. Louis Blues as the result of a trade on June 24, 2016, that sent Brian Elliott to Calgary in exchange for a conditional third-round pick in 2018 and this pick.^[27]
• The Florida Panthers' second-round pick went to the Calgary Flames as the result of a trade on February 27, 2016, that sent Jiri Hudler to Florida in exchange for a fourth-round pick in 2018 and this pick.^[28]
• The Dallas Stars' second-round pick went the Calgary Flames as the result of a trade on February 29, 2016, that sent Kris Russell to Dallas in exchange for Jyrki Jokipakka, Brett Pollock and this pick (being conditional at time of the trade). The condition – Calgary will receive a second-round pick in 2016 if Dallas fails to qualify for the 2016 Western Conference Final^[29] – was converted on May 11, 2016.
• The Minnesota Wild's sixth-round pick went to the Calgary Flames as the result of a trade on February 29, 2016, that sent David Jones to Minnesota in exchange for Niklas Backstrom and this pick.^[30]

Notes and References

1. Book: National Hockey League. The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book/2014. 2013. Diamond Sports Data, Inc.. 33. 978-1-894801-26-3.
2. News: Offin . Sarah . 'I just want to play hockey': Calgary Flames re-sign Johnny Gaudreau for six-year contract extension . . October 10, 2016 . October 12, 2016.
3. News: Johnson . George . Getting it done: Flames making believers out of everyone . . March 5, 2017 . March 6, 2017.
4. News: Elliott blanks Jets as Flames win ninth straight . Sportsnet.ca . . . March 11, 2017 . March 12, 2017.
5. News: Calgary Flames tie franchise record with 10th straight win . Sportsnet.ca . Calgary . The Canadian Press . March 13, 2017 . March 14, 2017.
6. News: Haynes . Darren . Calgary Flames' attempt at franchise record crushed by loss to Boston Bruins . Global Calgary . Calgary . The Canadian Press . March 15, 2017 . March 18, 2017.
7. News: Gilbertson . Wes . Flames legend Mike Vernon on Brian Elliott's bunch: 'A team to reckon with' . . March 20, 2017 . March 21, 2017.
8. News: Gilbertson . Wes . Flames' Tkachuk suspended for two games for elbow to Doughty's head . . March 20, 2017 . March 21, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170320195903/http://www.calgarysun.com/2017/03/20/flames-tkachuk-faces-hearing-over-elbow-to-doughtys-head . March 20, 2017 . dead .
9. News: Monahan's OT winner lifts Flames past Blues . . . The Canadian Press . March 25, 2017 . March 26, 2017.
10. News: Flames clinch playoff spot with win over Sharks . TSN.ca . Calgary . The Canadian Press . March 31, 2017 . April 1, 2017.
11. Web site: Flames announce 2016-17 pre-season schedule. Calgary Flames. September 26, 2016. June 14, 2016.
12. Web site: Calgary Flames Schedule – Sep 1, 2016 MT – NHL.com. NHL.com. October 1, 2016.
13. Web site: 2016–2017 – Regular Season – Calgary Flames – All Skaters – Summary – Points – NHL.com – Stats. NHL.com.
14. Web site: Calgary Flames Stats – 2016–2017 – Calgary Flames. NHL.com/Flames.
15. Web site: 2016–2017 – Regular Season – Calgary Flames – Goalie – Summary – Wins – NHL.com – Stats. NHL.
16. News: Torie . Peterson . Gaudreau named 2017 NHL All-Star . . January 10, 2017 . January 12, 2017.
17. Web site: Filip Forsberg leads 3 Stars of the Week . NHL.com . February 27, 2017 . February 27, 2017.
18. Web site: Brad Marchand leads 3 Stars of the Week . . March 20, 2017 . March 21, 2017.
19. News: Vickers . Aaron . Flames fall to Oilers in season opener . Calgary Flames . October 12, 2016 . October 19, 2016.
20. News: Johnson . Jason . Monahan's overtime tally gives Flames win over Sabres . Calgary Flames . October 18, 2016 . October 19, 2016.
21. News: Vickers . Aaron . Hathaway scores first NHL goal in win over Red Wings . Calgary Flames . November 20, 2016 . November 21, 2016.
22. News: Monahan scores 100th goal in Flames' win . . . February 23, 2017 . February 24, 2017.
23. News: Haynes . Darren . Monahan nabs 4 points as Calgary Flames beat the Colorado Avalanche . . Calgary . The Canadian Press . March 27, 2017 . March 28, 2017.
24. News: Vickers . Aaron . Gillies stands tall . Calgary Flames . April 6, 2017 . April 7, 2017.
25. Web site: Michael Stone Traded to Flames by Coyotes . nhl.com . February 20, 2017.
26. Web site: Mike Smith traded to Flames by Coyotes . Vickers . Aaron . nhl.com . June 17, 2017.
27. Web site: Flames acquire Elliott from Blues for pick. June 24, 2016. June 24, 2016.
28. Web site: Flames ship Hudler to Panthers for two picks. February 27, 2016. February 27, 2016.
29. Web site: Flames deal D Russell to Stars. February 29, 2016. February 29, 2016.
30. Web site: Flames acquire Backstrom, sixth round pick from Minnesota for Jones. February 29, 2016. February 29, 2016.