B123 Posted October 16, 2022 Report Share Posted October 16, 2022 6 hours ago, LouCifer said: STONE He needs to be a fixture on one of our PPs. It makes no sense to me to keep a certified cannon like that holstered up (on the bench) when there’s an offensive opportunity on the ice. No one wants to get in front of that shot, and he’s scoring or at the very least hitting the net from double the distance away than what we’ve seen from the Brett Hulls and Alex Ovechkins and Nik Kucherovs. Stone is like a damn cheat code on the PP. Oh, and for good measure, he needs a goal song because I guarantee more goals if he’s on the PP. I propose this one. This might work too. Not really my choice of genre though The lyrics definitely match up to Stone’s Slapshot! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTech780 Posted October 17, 2022 Report Share Posted October 17, 2022 22 hours ago, cross16 said: The top line was pretty bad last night and is for sure off to a rough start. It’s only 2 games so no reason to panic but some reason to be concerned. Hopefully they can get it sorted thankfully that 2nd like has been killer and honestly the 4th line has been real good too. The usage for the top line has been a bit odd too, they are only getting 40% offensive zone starts. I wonder if we start to see that number go up as the season goes on. The 2nd and 3rd lines can absolutely handle the defensive zone deployment. I would put my top line out in more offensive zone situations. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cross16 Posted October 17, 2022 Report Share Posted October 17, 2022 1 hour ago, JTech780 said: The usage for the top line has been a bit odd too, they are only getting 40% offensive zone starts. I wonder if we start to see that number go up as the season goes on. The 2nd and 3rd lines can absolutely handle the defensive zone deployment. I would put my top line out in more offensive zone situations. Good point I was meaning to check those numbers. Problem i'm seeing with the top line is they arn't getting out of their own zone very well or they are stalling in the NZ. I think that's going to be a problem for those 3 so I'm curious if Sutter will make a change there. At the same time, trusting your top line to get the puck going the other way feels like pretty basic stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robrob74 Posted October 17, 2022 Report Share Posted October 17, 2022 I wonder if Sutter thinks Huberdeau is creative off the rush. would going with this be better Huberdeau, Kadri, Mangiapane Dube, Lindholm, Toffoli Ruzicka, Backlund, Coleman Lucic. Rooney, Lewis Ritchie can we switch Ruzicka with Ritchie and move Coleman. I don't like the idea of Ritchie with Backlund but also think he might be better than Lewis on that line. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cross16 Posted October 17, 2022 Report Share Posted October 17, 2022 Huberdeau and Kadri intrigue me as a pair. That's personally where I would have started. But still very willing to give this a few more games. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTech780 Posted October 17, 2022 Report Share Posted October 17, 2022 31 minutes ago, cross16 said: Good point I was meaning to check those numbers. Problem i'm seeing with the top line is they arn't getting out of their own zone very well or they are stalling in the NZ. I think that's going to be a problem for those 3 so I'm curious if Sutter will make a change there. At the same time, trusting your top line to get the puck going the other way feels like pretty basic stuff. At some point they may have to swap Mangiapane for Toffoli. I don’t mind Toffoli but he isn’t exactly a speedster. I would just hate to break up that 2nd as they have been extremely effective. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTech780 Posted October 17, 2022 Report Share Posted October 17, 2022 18 minutes ago, robrob74 said: I wonder if Sutter thinks Huberdeau is creative off the rush. would going with this be better Huberdeau, Kadri, Mangiapane Dube, Lindholm, Toffoli Ruzicka, Backlund, Coleman Lucic. Rooney, Lewis Ritchie can we switch Ruzicka with Ritchie and move Coleman. I don't like the idea of Ritchie with Backlund but also think he might be better than Lewis on that line. I actually don’t mind Ritchie and would say that he is extremely effective in his role. It’s when he gets put above the 4th line, that he is over his head, but as a 4th liner he is very good. I could get behind just swapping Lindholm and Kadri, keeping the wingers the same. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cross16 Posted October 17, 2022 Report Share Posted October 17, 2022 3 minutes ago, JTech780 said: At some point they may have to swap Mangiapane for Toffoli. I don’t mind Toffoli but he isn’t exactly a speedster. I would just hate to break up that 2nd as they have been extremely effective. They might have to give it a try but right now I woudln't really point at Toffoli as being the issue. None of the 3 of have played well, and honestly Huberdeau has probably been the worst of the 3. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTech780 Posted October 17, 2022 Report Share Posted October 17, 2022 2 minutes ago, cross16 said: They might have to give it a try but right now I woudln't really point at Toffoli as being the issue. None of the 3 of have played well, and honestly Huberdeau has probably been the worst of the 3. I wasn’t necessarily meaning to pick out Toffoli, just more that that line could probably use a bit more speed to get through the neutral zone and get in on the forecheck. I also think that as good as Stone has been, if/when Kylington gets back it will improve the transition a lot. Especially because Sutter seems to pair the 3rd pairing and the top line together, at least he did last year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travel_dude Posted October 17, 2022 Author Report Share Posted October 17, 2022 48 minutes ago, robrob74 said: I wonder if Sutter thinks Huberdeau is creative off the rush. would going with this be better Huberdeau, Kadri, Mangiapane Dube, Lindholm, Toffoli Ruzicka, Backlund, Coleman Lucic. Rooney, Lewis Ritchie can we switch Ruzicka with Ritchie and move Coleman. I don't like the idea of Ritchie with Backlund but also think he might be better than Lewis on that line. My problem with the top line is too many RHS. I would prefer to see Mangiapane start there since he seems to have a knack for getting in the traffic areas and getting shots away. Toffoli has actually been one of the better players, but I think the RHS C is impacting him. Hubie has to go across the ice to hit him with a pass. Yes to Ruzie on LW and Coleman to RW. Ritchie can stay, since he's got better hands (believe it or not) than Lewis and is better on the boards. So far no changes to the lines and pairs, other than Hanifin not on the ice. Not surprised considering the two wins, but Sutter is never set after a win, so I'm curious about how he views Lewis. Ruzie has to wait for a loss to come in or show he's a defensive winger. But honestly, the one role player that has failed to do what's expected (IMHO) is Lucic. No big hits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robrob74 Posted October 17, 2022 Report Share Posted October 17, 2022 57 minutes ago, travel_dude said: My problem with the top line is too many RHS. I would prefer to see Mangiapane start there since he seems to have a knack for getting in the traffic areas and getting shots away. Toffoli has actually been one of the better players, but I think the RHS C is impacting him. Hubie has to go across the ice to hit him with a pass. Yes to Ruzie on LW and Coleman to RW. Ritchie can stay, since he's got better hands (believe it or not) than Lewis and is better on the boards. So far no changes to the lines and pairs, other than Hanifin not on the ice. Not surprised considering the two wins, but Sutter is never set after a win, so I'm curious about how he views Lewis. Ruzie has to wait for a loss to come in or show he's a defensive winger. But honestly, the one role player that has failed to do what's expected (IMHO) is Lucic. No big hits. Lucic, maybe waiting to ramp up or taking up to ten games to get his season legs going? He made that nice pass to Ritchie. i agree with what everyone is saying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
conundrumed Posted October 17, 2022 Report Share Posted October 17, 2022 Two in 2-0. Why change anything? The night is young. Things will hash out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_People1 Posted October 18, 2022 Report Share Posted October 18, 2022 22 hours ago, JTech780 said: The usage for the top line has been a bit odd too, they are only getting 40% offensive zone starts. I wonder if we start to see that number go up as the season goes on. The 2nd and 3rd lines can absolutely handle the defensive zone deployment. I would put my top line out in more offensive zone situations. 21 hours ago, cross16 said: Good point I was meaning to check those numbers. Problem i'm seeing with the top line is they arn't getting out of their own zone very well or they are stalling in the NZ. I think that's going to be a problem for those 3 so I'm curious if Sutter will make a change there. At the same time, trusting your top line to get the puck going the other way feels like pretty basic stuff. I wonder if it's because Lindholm is RHS so Sutter wants strong side faceoffs in the defensive zone. We have no other RHS Center. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travel_dude Posted October 18, 2022 Author Report Share Posted October 18, 2022 21 minutes ago, The_People1 said: I wonder if it's because Lindholm is RHS so Sutter wants strong side faceoffs in the defensive zone. We have no other RHS Center. Lindholm was good in faceoffs in game 1 and very bad in game 2. Losing faceoffs in the D-zone is going to result in some difficulty getting the puck back and out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTech780 Posted October 18, 2022 Report Share Posted October 18, 2022 It’s too bad that Phillips won’t get a look because of his size. I understand as the top 9 is pretty small already. That being said his skill set would fit pretty nice in the top 6. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cross16 Posted October 18, 2022 Report Share Posted October 18, 2022 It was only 1 game so I want to be aware of that but watching Phillips on Sunday I can understand why the Flames haven't given him a shot. He is very slippery, got a great nose for the net, but it wasn't difficult to knock him off the puck. Several plays ended just by him getting leaned on and the puck was going the other way. I don't think he's going to get a chance under Sutter. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robrob74 Posted October 18, 2022 Report Share Posted October 18, 2022 4 hours ago, JTech780 said: It’s too bad that Phillips won’t get a look because of his size. I understand as the top 9 is pretty small already. That being said his skill set would fit pretty nice in the top 6. its why I was a bit concerned when they didn't at least try him with some of the top6 in the preseason. Would be nice to give some top6 potentials some top6 players that are in the NHL just to see if it would or could work. sometimes it just works? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travel_dude Posted October 18, 2022 Author Report Share Posted October 18, 2022 40 minutes ago, robrob74 said: its why I was a bit concerned when they didn't at least try him with some of the top6 in the preseason. Would be nice to give some top6 potentials some top6 players that are in the NHL just to see if it would or could work. sometimes it just works? It's rare that a small player can take the step in the NHL. Yamamoto is about the closest. The only reason Yammer is even able to play is that they gave him a top C. He can't handle the NHL really. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robrob74 Posted October 18, 2022 Report Share Posted October 18, 2022 45 minutes ago, travel_dude said: It's rare that a small player can take the step in the NHL. Yamamoto is about the closest. The only reason Yammer is even able to play is that they gave him a top C. He can't handle the NHL really. I think it's part of my point, maybe with the good players someone, not necessarily Phillips, could play with a top6 and be fine. But I get coaches don't want a player who can't make it if they can't without those players.... catch 22 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travel_dude Posted October 18, 2022 Author Report Share Posted October 18, 2022 15 minutes ago, robrob74 said: I think it's part of my point, maybe with the good players someone, not necessarily Phillips, could play with a top6 and be fine. But I get coaches don't want a player who can't make it if they can't without those players.... catch 22 Yammer made it there because they had nobody else. Nuge and Drai on the line already and that was their 2nd line. It worked when they did it for the end of one season. He struggled next one. Only when Woody took over did he manage to "look" like a NHL player again. It's stupid when you get called on a high stick at waist level or lower. I get that you don't hack the player when he is on his hands and knees. But a follow through at waist level should never result in it being called that way. Yammer is bigger than Phillips but not by a huge amount. He ends up injured a lot from the way he plays. All we really saw from Phillips was early competition, not exactly NHL best. Anyway, I don't think there's a spot where he could contribute. We didn't deal Monahan and sign Kadri and Hiberdeau to have a fringe player on the top 6. I actually have a problem with Dube being cemented on the 2nd line, but not so far. It's whether he can do the same thing every night. He's been standouts in games in the past. Just needs to do it every night. If so, then he belongs there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heartbreaker Posted October 18, 2022 Report Share Posted October 18, 2022 A couple days ago I stood a few feet from Matt Phillips as he came off the ice at WinSport. I am noticeably taller in Chucks than he is on skates. I was surprised by just how small he really is. Exceptional player, though, and fun to watch. I'll be rooting for him. Love. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thebrewcrew Posted October 19, 2022 Report Share Posted October 19, 2022 Unfortunately for Phillips, I think it's gonna take a rash of injuries for him to get a chance. There's a chance it would take 4-6 injuries, so an absolute disaster for the Flames, just for Phillips to get the chance. I think Pelletier/Zary/Zohorna/Klapka/Schwindt are more likely to be called up before him. The size is just such an obstacle. It's too bad because he's done everything you can ask from a prospect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sak22 Posted October 19, 2022 Report Share Posted October 19, 2022 6 hours ago, Heartbreaker said: A couple days ago I stood a few feet from Matt Phillips as he came off the ice at WinSport. I am noticeably taller in Chucks than he is on skates. I was surprised by just how small he really is. Exceptional player, though, and fun to watch. I'll be rooting for him. Love. I would love if one game they started him in the middle with Zohorna and Klapka, maybe Kuznetsov and Meloche on D, just to see them lineup for the anthems would be amazing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTech780 Posted October 19, 2022 Report Share Posted October 19, 2022 When you look at the top 6 forwards and the top 4 defense from last year to the this year, I would say this team has taken a big step forward. Last year: Gaudreau-Lindholm-Tkachuk Mangiapane-Backlund-Toffoli Hanifin-Andersson Kylington-Tanev This year: Huberdeau-Lindholm-Toffoli Mangiapane-Kadri-Dube Weegar-Tanev Hanifin-Andersson Some of it is because guys like Huberdeau and Kadri bring their work boots and hard hat to the rink every game and just go to work. Some of it is because Dube is taking another step in his development. Then there is bringing in Weegar to play on the top pairing dropping Hanifin and Andersson to the 2nd pair, which gives them more manageable minutes. Guys are slotted correctly and players are playing within their roles. It’s crazy just how much of difference that makes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robrob74 Posted October 19, 2022 Report Share Posted October 19, 2022 @JTech780 Also, when you look at the depth down the middle Lindolm = Lindholm Backlund < Kadri Jarnkrok < Backlund Carpenter < Rooney The only question here is, can Lindholm be as good as last years Lindholm? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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