flames for life

Lots of poor puck management!

Zahorna has definitely elevated the play of the 4th line! He has been noticeable like, every shift!!

Don’t think it has anything to do with spite. It still comes down to Phillips was brought up to show he can produce at this level. So far he hasn’t. I’m not saying he can’t, but he needs to see how much time he actually has to set up. If I recall correctly, at the beginning of his career JH was sat out a game or two, with the instructions to watch the flow on the ice; the transitions in speed and where they occurred; and to look for places where his style of play would work best. After that Johnny took off. Maybe the same could be said for MP. He has the intensity and competitive strength to play, but needs to gain confidence at this level, and know where his style of game would match up best.

I agree. Big Z’s role is pretty established, which means his chance of sticking around will depend on how well he asserts himself by causing disruption and scoring chances. Phillips chances are harder to assess, because for the most part he is here to score goals. No goals means not effective. Even with the PP opportunities he’s had, he looked for open passes instead of shots; although having said that, Calgary has a habit of feeding the lest side on PP’s unless Stone or Kadri are on the ice. I noticed more the once Phillips call for the puck prepared for a one timer, and was ignored or dismissed by the left side feed. I do believe once he does pot one he may open floodgates. He does show bite and confidence.

Well, Markstrom was awesome! The rest of the team, not so much. I will say though, even will the loss of Tanev and Kadri for a bit, they didn’t quit! Phillips is tenacious, which I like!! He has the Dube problem though, he needs to stay away from the boards. I would like him to shoot on the power play. He does have a good shot! Zahorna was not as visible tonight, and he needs to be!

They haven’t been juggling the lines!?!? What game are you watching!?😳

Hubie scores, but still not happy with the pass first mentality of the first line!

Right now, this is a scattered bunch of players; not looking at all like a team!! I don’t think a lot of the team are functioning well. Backlund is the only centre that truly knows his place and role on the team. Almost all the wingers are in flux; and the defense, while not totally screwed up, are definitely not playing to potential. The inset of new players is a blessing for the team, as they need to see someone excited to play!

That has to be the worst PP I’ve seen with Calgary in years!

This team has lost their oomph! The loss is on the top two lines; we had a far better 4th line, and a good 3rd. Phillips and Zahorna did what was expected of them and did not look out of place. Toronto demonstrated what a properly motivated team looks like, which was evident when Andersson had the puck and was prevented from playing out of his zone. We are playing to pass when we have the puck, not score!! Frustrating!!!!!

Vladar was a beast tonight. He had one goal one might have questioned. The two call ups did well.

Agreed! Phillips has not put points up, but he does not look out of place!

Phillips is looking not bad. Seems to be engaging more as the game progresses.

I’m confused. Did we have push and pressure from the fourth line!?!

Crap. What a perfect five-hole shot!

That was for Friday. What about today? It’s not like Mangie, Dube and even Coleman are kicking up a storm! If the thought is to only play Phillips top 6, then put him in! Heck, try him for the three remaining road games; each game replacing one of the above mentioned. If nothing else, it gives Phillips some ice time in various line situations, and starts making the three replaced think they have to up their game!!

Yup. My point has been made, if Phillips doesn’t play. The call up turns from reward to punishment.

There in lies the rub. This can never be considered a reward if he’s brought up to stare at the game from the press box. The reward is playing. Too many times last year a player was called up, watched from the side, or played a couple of minutes. Play Phillips. Let him make or break his time on the ice. Either Coleman or Dube, imo, are the logical ones to move down. Both can be the energy players a fourth line could benefit from. If they played with Lucic or Lewis, they could elevate the speed game but also give the veterans targets for passes, instead of playing around the boards and hoping for the best.

Totally agree, except for Lucic’s focus. I don’t think it’s focus. I just think the game is now too fast for him. He is aging; his body is aging; his reflexes are aging, etc. just another reason to bring up Zary and another strong power forward type for him to mentor. Our fourth line needs more energy, speed and skill set.

I’m never a big fan of giving away first rounders, and I get why we did with Monahan. But realistically Calgary has had a habit for decades of trading away first rounders. The biggest difference that I’ve seen is we have been able to recover with some really good later round drafts, Gaudreau, Andersson, Kylington, etc. So imo, I have gained some trust in Calgary’s scouting. The biggest concern now is that we are not developing for replacement of aging players; regardless of whether they play well or not. We are developing for trade bait. At what stage does a team management start to realize a player is aging out, or not playing at a level desired by the team? And when do they start to plan to replace for further development. As much as Lucic is a leader on the team, he is no longer effective. Lewis are interchangeably the same, mediocre at best. Add Ritchie to the mix, and we have 20% of the forward players that need to be addressed. Are we then saying that none of our developed players in the minors are capable of supporting the main team? It has been stated that the Nhl is far and away a more advanced league than the Ahl. As such then why consider the Ahl at all in the terms of development? What are we drafting for?

I would agree, but sad to say, but all three are missing what Zahorna has that Sutter drools over— size! I may come off as over simplifying, but it’s been mentioned too often to ignore that Phillips and Pelletier both lack size to earn call ups, regardless of points or Ahl play. Sorry, my frustration is showing. I have often advocated for Phillips to be brought up, as he has proven to have earned the opportunity, but too often the argument is he is too small to be considered. Pelletier gets some of the same comments. As a result, in this case, clearly size does matter.

Z would be better, imo, than what Lucic has shown. Maybe use Lucic to mentor Zahorna into what his role was.

Monahan followed the path of many first rounders before him in the league. He gave us some really good years before being derailed by injuries. His trade was to start afresh as much as giving cap space for the team. We can attempt to call Monahan’s tenure with Calgary a failure, or his trade abysmal, but if all players in the trades were playing their potential then this conversation would not exist. Monahan gave us some of the best years of his career, and I for one, am grateful. Truthfully, if Monahan is available at the end of this year, at a third of the cost, I would take him for even the 4th line centre. He would be a huge upgrade on Lewis and Rooney combined!

Perfect deflection….dammit!!

Imo, the best two players on the team last night were Ruzie and Mangepane. Both players were beasts on the puck, driving the play forward all the time. Mangie especially was very reminiscent of his play last year. His puck possession was good and his tenacity to get to the puck was far better. I especially liked the setup from Dube on his goal. That was the type of plays that have been missing all season…quick pass and quick shot. No goaltender is going to have an easy time with those. Ruzie is proving he has a career in the Nhl, and needs to be used more. Having said that, He is best when he is pushing the play like last night. A bit lesser effort and he disappears. Vladar was solid in nets and earned the next game. Overall, much better game by the team. Hopefully a sign of things to come!