LAS VEGAS - Matt Coronato’s value to the Flames is starting to stretch well beyond the obvious stuff.
The shot is still there. So is the scoring touch. But in the early going, Calgary is learning Coronato can give them something extra in the face-off circle, too.
That wrinkle matters for a Flames top line trying to become more dangerous on draws. Six games into the season, the signs are encouraging. Calgary was sitting just below 50 percent overall in face-offs as of Wednesday, but Coronato and centreman Morgan Frost have found a useful rhythm by leaning into their strong sides.
Coronato shoots right-handed. Frost shoots left-handed. And that simple setup has become a real edge, according to Frost, who said Coronato is growing more comfortable and more effective when he’s asked to take a draw.
“It's huge. You see other teams that do it, and I know as a centre when I would go take draws against, say we're matched up with a line, and they have guys that are only take them on their strong sides,” Frost explained earlier this week, when asked about his line’s strong-side strategy. “It's such an advantage, and I saw it firsthand when I first played in the league with Claude Giroux and Sean Couturier, they were both like 63%.
“So that's something I tried to get Matty to take a lot last year. And he would maybe lose, you know, his first two and then be like, ‘Oh, I can't take them anymore.’
But then this year he started off well, and sometimes I'm out there and I just go line up on the wing. Now, he wants to take them and he's doing really well.”
He’s doing really well indeed. Coronato’s 61.5% success rate to start the season is best on the team among players with at least 20 attempts. He’s been even sharper in the offensive zone, winning 68.2% there, which gives Calgary a real chance to start with the puck when that line is deployed in the attacking end.
Coronato said the arrangement works because both he and Frost can flip sides and give the Flames an option depending on the matchup.
“Frosty's obviously a lefty, and I'm a righty, so to always have one of us on our strong side, I think, is a benefit,” Coronato said Wednesday. “For him (Frost) to have confidence in me to be able to take a few is nice.
“I just want to keep working on it and get better at it.”
For Ryan Huska, that kind of versatility fits the broader picture of what Coronato brings. The Flames coach pointed to the winger’s work ethic and said the face-off ability is another sign of a player who keeps adding to his game.
“It's something Matt understands is a big part of his game now, especially in powerplay situations,” Huska said Monday, shortly before the team jetted south for this two-game jaunt that continues Thursday against the Golden Knights (8 p.m. MT, Sportsnet 1). “If we're struggling against someone, you want to have the option to go to the other side, if you can.
“I think Matt’s a really diligent guy. He works very hard at his game, and that's just another example of it.”
Calgary’s line of Frost, Coronato and Aydar Suniev has also done plenty of damage at the offensive end. The three have combined for five goals over the Flames’ last five games, including Suniev’s second-period goal Tuesday that helped fuel a 4-2 win over the Ducks after an early deficit.
And as Frost sees it, the face-off work is not just about hand preference. It’s also about feel and trust - knowing who should step in, and when.
That kind of read has already shown up in game situations. Frost pointed to a 6-on-5 sequence last Saturday against Anaheim, when he took the first draw, lost it, and the Ducks iced the puck. The next time Calgary went down, the team switched to Coronato’s side.
“I don't know if you'll notice, but in that in the 6-on-5 (last Saturday at home against Anaheim), I took the first one, lost it, and then they iced it,” recalled Frost. “And the second time we went down, we went to Matty’s side. I think that shows that he's got some confidence in it.
“He kind of waits to see where I'm going to go line up. And if I line up on the wing, he knows he's taking the face-off.”
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