Kevin Bahl has settled into a demanding job with the Flames, and he sounds like a player who knows exactly what makes it work.
Through his third season in Calgary, the 6-foot-6 defenceman leads the team in average ice time while carving out a bigger identity as a defensive anchor. His assignment is simple enough to describe and hard enough to execute: handle tough minutes, make life miserable for opposing forwards, and help keep the Flames’ penalty kill among the league’s best.
That unit has been a major part of Calgary’s early-season story, and Bahl’s fingerprints are all over it. The Flames went 4-for-4 on the kill Thursday night against Minnesota, and on home ice they’ve started 14-for-16. Calgary now turns to Detroit tonight at the Scotiabank Saddledome in its 10th game of the season.
“We're just focusing a lot on the process, what we can do differently,” Bahl said Saturday morning when asked about the PK unit. “Being a bit tighter, trying to avoid giving up those chances right in the slot or bumper opportunities.
“Simple things, but when you really dial in on them, that's when you get a good result.”
That’s been the theme for Bahl. On the penalty kill, speed and pressure matter, but so does restraint. He’s averaging 2:51 of short-handed ice time per game, and his job often comes down to packing the middle of the ice and forcing opponents toward less dangerous looks.
“When you’ve got a really skilled group on the other side that's moving the puck well, sometimes less is more,” Bahl explained. “You don't have to go try to pressure all over the ice. Sometimes you’ve just gotta collapse (to the) middle, just limit the opportunities to the outside.
“Good teams are gonna have the puck in the O-zone, especially on the powerplay, and they're gonna be able to move the puck. You try to limit those opportunities to point shots, flank shots instead of shots from the bumper or shots from right in front of the net.”
His workload spiked Thursday in Calgary’s 2-1 win over the Wild, when he logged a season-high 23:48 and spent time matched up against Kirill Kaprizov, Joel Eriksson Ek and Matt Boldy. Over the full 60 minutes, Minnesota’s top line did not get on the scoresheet, something Ryan Huska said fits with Bahl’s growth.
“His game has grown in a lot of different ways,” the bench boss said Saturday morning. “He now believes that he should be able to play against top players, whether it's killing powerplays, or against those guys 5-on-5.
"Our penalty-kill … I think they're connected and they do a good job of recognizing when to pressure and when to not pressure. And the guys that kill penalties, they take a lot of pride in that role.”
Bahl’s recent partnership with Simon Nemec has added another layer to that comfort level. The two were teammates in New Jersey, and nine games into the season they’ve found that old rhythm again. It’s giving Calgary another steady pair in heavy minutes against top competition.
“He’s a tremendous player and he's been playing unbelievable,” said Bahl of Nemec. “I think we kind of found some chemistry and we’re able to make it work.
“Just keep playing, keep doing the things that have been making us successful, which I think is just defending aggressively, moving the pucks up efficiently, and when we get in that O-zone, I feel like we're creating, too. So that's nice to see.”
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