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Gaudreau driving surging Flames with vintage playmaking

Johnny Gaudreau is looking more like “Johnny Hockey” lately. (Gerry Broome/AP)
Johnny Gaudreau is looking more like “Johnny Hockey” lately. (Gerry Broome/AP)

Early in the season, one of the most prominent stories surrounding the Calgary Flames was Johnny Gaudreau’s struggle to match his production from previous years.

Coming into the 2016-2017 campaign, “Johnny Hockey” had put up 142 points in the past two seasons, and the 23-year-old looked like one of the ascendant offensive forces in the game. That’s why it was a shock to see Gaudreau scuffle out of the gate and fail to continue his upward trajectory.

Now the Flames are the hottest team in hockey with a nine-game winning streak in hand, and Gaudreau’s play is not being questioned. As his team has taken off, so too has the diminutive winger:

Along with Sean Monahan and surprisingly-effective triggerman Michael Ferland, Gaudreau is back to vintage form. Not only is that fact apparent from a cursory glance at the stat sheet, it’s abundantly clear on film as well.

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The Flames star is looking as explosive as ever, and he’s using that explosion primarily to create opportunities for his teammates, as his 10 assists in the last nine games attest.

In a recent three-apple effort against the Montreal Canadiens, Gaudreau showed the value of his agility, backing off two defenders and threading the needle to Ferland.

The young winger makes the play look borderline casual, but there are a number of moving pieces from his zone entry, to his ability to create space, to the perfectly placed pass into a high-danger area. It requires a strong finish from Ferland, but Gaudreau takes the action from the neutral zone to the slot with style.

Perhaps his best play from the Flames’ recent streak, was also a setup to Ferland. This time Gaudreau sprung him on a breakaway against the Carolina Hurricanes:

He takes a bouncing puck and throws it behind the back, between two defenders, and puts it on the stick of his teammate onside and in stride. There just aren’t a lot of guys who make that play.

Even when Gaudreau makes a more conventional set-up play – like a garden-variety one-timer – he still finds a way to add some sizzle. Against the Nashville Predators he managed the rarely seen pass-to-yourself-behind-the-back assist.

When a player is on a hot streak that’s primarily assist-driven, it’s worth asking how much luck is involved. Is Gaudreau actually playing better, or are his teammates just shooting the lights out? Ferland seems like a guy who might be getting a little good fortune with six goals in the last nine games after scoring just 14 in his previous 152 NHL outings.

It’s a reasonable question to ask, but as it happens Gaudreau has been making some extraordinary plays that don’t end up in the back of the net. Against the Red Wings, he used his acceleration to create confusion among the defence and set up running mate Monahan in front.

He gave Monahan another golden opportunity against the Los Angeles Kings, pulling up and dishing to the centre for a point-blank shot against Ben Bishop.

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Perhaps his sneakiest passing play during his recent hot streak didn’t even result in a great chance. That said, his ability to lift Shea Weber’s stick, collect the puck and dish it off accurately in what seems almost like a single motion is astounding.

At this point, Gaudreau has no chance of equaling the 30 goals or 78 points he put up last season, but he’s coming on at exactly the right time. Once again he’s one of the most dangerous offensive threats in hockey, using his speed and creativity to manufacture scoring chances for his teammates left, right and centre.