The Calgary Flames are among the top teams in the NHL right now, and it's thanks in large part to a surging offense that is scoring at a ridiculous pace.
Johnny Gaudreau (64 points), Sean Monahan (54 points), Elias Lindholm (5o points) and Matthew Tkachuk (also 50), have already hit the 50-point plateau through Calgary's first 45 games.
According to Sportsnet, the last team to feature four 50-point players through 45 games was the 1995-96 Pittsburgh Penguins - the team that featured legends in Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr.
Lemiuex finished the season with 161 points, Jagr 149 and Ron Francis 119. Petr Nedved chipped in with 99 of his own. In all, eight different Penguins reached the 50-point mark - but the Florida Panthers shocked Pittsburgh in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals to end their historically dominant season.
The Flames aren't going to finish with a trio of 100-point guys like Calgary, but what they're doing under head coach Bill Peters is nothing short of amazing. Gaudreau should surpass last season's career-high 84 points. As for Monahan, he only needs 11 points to reach a new career-high, which stands at 64 from last year.
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The 24-year-old Lindholm, meanwhile, has benefited big-time after coming over (along with blueliner Noah Hanifin), in an offseason trade with the Carolina Hurricanes. The 50 points Lindholm has is already a career best, and he could very well finish the season as a point-per-game player.
After underachieving over the last three seasons, the Flames are finally displaying the showings of a true Stanley Cup contender. Goalie David Rittich has been a pleasant surprise, and Mark Giordano is enjoying a Norris Trophy caliber season. But make no mistake, it's the offense that's powering this team.
What This Means
The Flames have all the makings to be a championship team, given their stacked group of forwards, elite defensive unit and strong goaltending. If this holds up, they're going to be a tough out come playoff time.