travel_dude

Gee, we seemed to do okay with Gaudreau, who was about the same size when he played his first game. Different game though. Phillips attacks the net more. Those 18 minutes define your career in the NHL, at least as far as the Flames are concerned. Valimaki, a work in progress, lost some of his development time to injuries. But no time to use him here. Sutter didn't like him, don't like Ruzicka, the others have a fat chance at ever getting played. Better to waive him and possibly lose him for nothing. Undrafted player showed promise, but let to rot and eat popcorn. Our one waiver pickup traded for an AHL player for depth. When we needed quality players to step in, the choice was made to stick to marginal NHL players. When we needed scoring, we chose to elevate Lucic to the top 6. When we had a backup goalie playing well for 13 in a row, we sat him until he was cold again. It's actually better to just leave the AHL in the AHL for the rest of the season. Not much point is eating popcorn. Kill their incentive by playing them for a few minutes on a 4th line. With Lucic. Oh, you didn't hit anyone or score a goal. Back to popcorn land.

As much as I would like to have Coronato signed, he can't until the end of NCAA playoffs. Too late to help us. The other caution is that he would need to learn how to lose. Hard coming from a dominating team to a losing team.

The level of frustration impacts people even wanting to spend the time to submit the topic. You did miss a thrilling 10 seconds just before the buzzer in regulation. Showed how hard we can play without actually scoring. Just for 10 seconds. Then you missed Valimaki setting up the game winning goal. I watched Gaudreau in OT against SJS. Two on zero in OT, Gaudreau and Laine passing it about 3 times in front of the goalie. Reminded me of a Kylington goal last year where 4 players touched the puck before the tap in.

It was just a typical game. Rookie goalie with 28 NHL career games frustrating a high shot volume team. Few dangerous chances until the last 10 seconds of regulation. The goalie does have a better SA% than either of our goalies, but a much worse GAA. Sutter happy with most of the game. Gotta score on those chances. Top guys not doing enough. Pelts went when he shouldn't have in OT. Dropped 3 points against basement teams, 3 points that would have put us 2 back of WPG. Next up, Vegas in Vegas. Still haven't won there yet. Then Dallas, who we have been able to win high scoring affairs. At most 3 points in 2 games; just enough to keep us away from the top 10 before lotto. I can't even take solace in wins there, since we drop the trap games with impunity.

Back to the topic. How many coaches with this disappointing a season survive the coaching purges in the NHL. It's not like VGK had last year where injuries completely derailed their season. Every team faces roster changes. While we lost two 40+ goal scorers, we got back a solid D and a 100+ points player. And we gained a top 6 C coming off a career year. Not much you can do about two goalies that somehow completely lost their minds. Except maybe adjust. Nothing has changed this season in the way the Flames play. Roll line but don't worry about matchups so much. Play a man on man D-zone that only seems to work if the goalie is performing. Shot volume from anywhere. Gotta be greasy goals instead of fast attack on the rush. Obviously, the players are a big part in what has happened. Some games it looks like they don't show up. Others it just looks like we are content with just outshooting, not taking quality shot. The counter argument is that the coach knew what he had. Play the same structure that was used when he had a top line scoring 120+ goals. Gotta play a perfect game, but have never played a perfect game. Continue to play a line that is getting dominated. Go to the starter when the starter is not performing. Obvious coaching decisions not paying off. Push players away that don't fit his narrow view of players. Make decisions on prospects based on a limited training camp. Vets don't need to prove anything. Regardless of what player moves we make this summer, coaching has a direct impact to next season. Is this the best we can expect, considering we have to make cuts in personnel?

Well, there is that famous D-man drafted by the flames Rushan Rafikov. KHL since 2015. Not a household name, but better than some of the crap we have had dress in the Flaming C.

I think that there's actually better protection that the NCAA players give us. We own the rights in NA. No other team can sign him. If he never comes over, not much use though.

Funny you should mention Gaudreau and OT in the same post. Just happened to watch the OT against SJS. Now that was entertaining and sad at the same time. I would love to see SOMEONE on this team learn how to skate. Maybe Pelletier could start to adopt that method. Instead, we have a whole lot of uncontrolled zone entries. Hold the puck, skate into the defense, lose the puck. Or the infamous Dump and Trash. Whatever the Prime Directive for this team is, they are not capable of playing it. Might as well just go all offense and not worry about the goals against. The one thing we are good at it injuring players on the other teams. Usually one players from the other team leaves the ice. Is that something to be proud about?

I was hoping someone would have the nerve to say that Valimaki was in on the GWG, how much has he improved?

Well actually he did call out Pelletier. Was his man, he can't go. I wasn't implying it was Hanifin's fault. He does enough right and enough wrong; don't need to focus on the starfish. Unfortunately, by going down, he took himself off the player that scored.

3 players thumbing their nose at Sutter. They may be on a crappy team, but what's the point of being in the NHL if you don't play. Frankly, I would rather work with a raw Valimaki than a fully formed Hanifin. You get good and bad with Valimaki, but he will figure it out. Good old Hanifin covering the 2 on 1 doing a Russell Starfish.

I suppose we might have better fate if Kadri could win a motherBlockchaining faceoff. Only C that can't win more than 50% in a game.

I vote non-confidence in the Flames Positivity thread.

Just his brother. We got Nick who was good enough for the coach to play him top 6. Then not good enough to play 4th line.

We can be 11th and get 1st overall. Heck, we can move up 10 regardless. That's the kind of lotto win we would get.

Can't say I understand the game plan. Must win to keep the hopes alive. Tied going into the 3rd. Get down a goal, but roll 4 lines like there is no problem. Tie it up, roll lines. End of the night, 2nd line average 14 minutes, 4th line 11 minutes. It doesn't look like many are fighting for jobs. Coach looks like he's secure. Pelletier and Duehr and Dube bring it. Others look like they disconnected their brain from their hands.

Add another loss to the record when outshooting the other team by >10.

Flames outshooting the other team by >10. What was that record again?

Play Lucic

Get momentum and a tie game, throw out the 4th line.

As soon as we talk about losing for a better draft pick, we get a nothing goal to tie it. Good hands by Hubey.

No, I was thinking the Wranglers are a much more exciting team to follow. If they were on TV (free), I would just watch them.

7 minutes left, throw out the 4th line. Oops, Lucic misses a pass, icing.

Go Wranglers. Go Phillips. Go Wolfie.