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Old 02-11-2013, 12:59 PM   #61
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Hi Flames fans friends. Long time no talk. I'll be happy to address any Wild-related questions or concerns you may have.

The Wild has been......very Wild-ish so far. That is to say that they've performed well within the established range of performances to which Wild fans have become accustomed since the team was born. Sometimes up, sometimes down, never a full 60-minute effort, pulling teeth out of a T-Rex to score goals.

You all know about our summer. Parise has been full value. The kid just doesn't stop. In any zone, any circumstance. He goes to the net. He'll punch in a goal if he has to. Tremendous motor. He and Koivu are developing some nice chemistry in the o-zone and they're both extremely (to a fault, in Koivu's case) responsible defensively as you know.

Suter was brutal early. Short camp, didn't have time to acclimate to the system, etc, etc. He's been better the last couple of games. He's partnered up with Jonas Brodin whose skating and poise belies his extreme youth. In fact, in my humble opinion, Brodin - not Granlund - has been our best rookie so far. Granlund has had trouble adapting to A) not being the most-skilled player on his team, B) playing on a smaller ice surface and C) actually encountering opposition players who are of a mind to, aided by said smaller ice surface, actually check him. He needed to watch a game from the press box recently, and came back from that experience....better. At least he didn't fall down as soon as one of the Predators looked at him.

Our goaltending is solid if unspectacular. Same old Wild.
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Old 02-11-2013, 01:05 PM   #62
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Originally Posted by nmhen View Post
Hi Flames fans friends. Long time no talk. I'll be happy to address any Wild-related questions or concerns you may have.

The Wild has been......very Wild-ish so far. That is to say that they've performed well within the established range of performances to which Wild fans have become accustomed since the team was born. Sometimes up, sometimes down, never a full 60-minute effort, pulling teeth out of a T-Rex to score goals.

You all know about our summer. Parise has been full value. The kid just doesn't stop. In any zone, any circumstance. He goes to the net. He'll punch in a goal if he has to. Tremendous motor. He and Koivu are developing some nice chemistry in the o-zone and they're both extremely (to a fault, in Koivu's case) responsible defensively as you know.

Suter was brutal early. Short camp, didn't have time to acclimate to the system, etc, etc. He's been better the last couple of games. He's partnered up with Jonas Brodin whose skating and poise belies his extreme youth. In fact, in my humble opinion, Brodin - not Granlund - has been our best rookie so far. Granlund has had trouble adapting to A) not being the most-skilled player on his team, B) playing on a smaller ice surface and C) actually encountering opposition players who are of a mind to, aided by said smaller ice surface, actually check him. He needed to watch a game from the press box recently, and came back from that experience....better. At least he didn't fall down as soon as one of the Predators looked at him.

Our goaltending is solid if unspectacular. Same old Wild.
How has Charlie Coyle looked since he got called up? Do you think he sticks with the team now?
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Old 02-11-2013, 01:10 PM   #63
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I'll be there.

With the giant 'Come Now' sign.

That is all.
Just please, no more drunken videos if we lose.
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Old 02-11-2013, 01:10 PM   #64
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Coyle has been quietly good. Not great; good. He spent his first game on the 2nd line, and the last two on the first line with Parise and Koivu. You can see him trying not to make a mistake defensively, which I appreciate. But where he's stood out to me is that he's maybe the best forward we have at chipping the puck past the D at the blue line, then putting a body on the retreating defenseman in the corner. Yeo always talks about making a good choice on the entry - either a move to carry it in or, if that's not available, chip it in deep and bang a guy in the corner. Coyle does that better than the wingers on our second and third line so far.

Does he stay....I don't know. We have a couple other kids performing well in Houston (Zucker being one of them) and, while Coyle's the biggest body among those guys, he's still pretty young/green.
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Old 02-11-2013, 01:17 PM   #65
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With the whole injury/waiver/no forwards/random 3-man goalie tandem I can't see the Flames winning this game.

A 4-1 win for the Wild, and a total 3-ring circus of fans/media after the game.
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Old 02-11-2013, 01:20 PM   #66
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Do we know who's starting in net?
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Old 02-11-2013, 01:21 PM   #67
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Heatley scores on his own net for a 1 - 0 Flames win.
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Old 02-11-2013, 01:22 PM   #68
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Do we know who's starting in net?
For Minny: Backstrom.
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Old 02-11-2013, 01:23 PM   #69
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According to Wild beat writer Michael Russo, Cammalleri's out, BTW.

http://www.startribune.com/sports/blogs/190693091.html
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Old 02-11-2013, 01:36 PM   #70
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According to Wild beat writer Michael Russo, Cammalleri's out, BTW.

http://www.startribune.com/sports/blogs/190693091.html
I don't like how Russo said it's a 'very winnable' game for the Wild. Isn't every game winnable? And besides Saturday's stinker, the Flames have actually played quite well the past week or two. It's not like they're on a 5 game losing streak. Russo's usually pretty solid, but it looked like he just looked at the Flames' record and came to the conclusion that the team has been playing bad hockey lately. I expect better from him.
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Old 02-11-2013, 01:38 PM   #71
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Russo's been all over the Wild so far this season, and is typically pretty even handed. But, yeah I could see where that would chafe you guys a bit
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Old 02-11-2013, 01:42 PM   #72
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Why has Sarich become the press box warmer, or is he injured?
He's slow and mediocre at moving the puck. Struggles at the offensive blueline to keep pucks in.

That said he's back in tonight.
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Old 02-11-2013, 01:49 PM   #73
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I don't like how Russo said it's a 'very winnable' game for the Wild. Isn't every game winnable? And besides Saturday's stinker, the Flames have actually played quite well the past week or two. It's not like they're on a 5 game losing streak. Russo's usually pretty solid, but it looked like he just looked at the Flames' record and came to the conclusion that the team has been playing bad hockey lately. I expect better from him.
With so much of the media piling on the Flames lately, I can see how a beat reporter that wouldn't follow our team constantly would get that opinion that this should be an easy game. People are getting the feeling that playing the Flames is like playing the Blue Jackets now, and it doesn't bother me to much, since the more that attitude is being shown, the more likely teams might start to come in and expect an easy game, which we could take advantage of.
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Old 02-11-2013, 01:51 PM   #74
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I don't like how Russo said it's a 'very winnable' game for the Wild. Isn't every game winnable? And besides Saturday's stinker, the Flames have actually played quite well the past week or two. It's not like they're on a 5 game losing streak. Russo's usually pretty solid, but it looked like he just looked at the Flames' record and came to the conclusion that the team has been playing bad hockey lately. I expect better from him.
I don't know, I think it's pretty deserving given how terrible the Flames were on Saturday.

I was really pissed off during the first intermission when PJ Stock and Kevin Weekes were basically dismissing the Flames due to their record and fully expected the Canucks to turn it on and take the game in the second and third.

Well, guess they were right. I had no reason to be pissed off, other than that idiot PJ Stock and Kevin Weekes were actually right.

Flames don't deserve any respect until they go out and earn it.

And they have not earned any respect for the past 4 or 5 years. THat's why loser commentators who have no hockey knowledge like Stock, Weekes, and even their opposition like the Canucks just laugh at the FLames. Flames are the laughing stock of the NHL.
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Old 02-11-2013, 02:09 PM   #75
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If it ends up at a shootout then we all know that one point is our total for tonight. And I'm not putting that on Irving, but moreso on the fact that none of our shootout players seem to have any creativity.
Bäckström is terrible in the shootout. I know people criticise Kipper in the shootout, but Niklas is genuinely bad. Minnesota does have potentially good shooters though.
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Old 02-11-2013, 02:23 PM   #76
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[...]

Suter was brutal early. Short camp, didn't have time to acclimate to the system, etc, etc. He's been better the last couple of games. He's partnered up with Jonas Brodin whose skating and poise belies his extreme youth. In fact, in my humble opinion, Brodin - not Granlund - has been our best rookie so far. Granlund has had trouble adapting to A) not being the most-skilled player on his team, B) playing on a smaller ice surface and C) actually encountering opposition players who are of a mind to, aided by said smaller ice surface, actually check him. He needed to watch a game from the press box recently, and came back from that experience....better. At least he didn't fall down as soon as one of the Predators looked at him.

Our goaltending is solid if unspectacular. Same old Wild.
I agree about Brodin. I don't think it's even a discussion that he's been the best rookie. He looks amazing for a guy with only a few NHL games.

As for Granlund, I thought he looked rookieshly okay at the start of the season while the team was doing well. When things went wrong and the secondary scoring lines were all playing badly, he was lost in the same shuffle, and at this point he's obviously not the guy to lead his line during trouble.

Yeo said that he benched him because he wanted to give the veterans a chance first. I'm sure it was deserved but a lot of other forwards would have deserved it too at that point. Strength is an issue for him (I don't think his body has matured yet so he hasn't been able to add much), but like you say more than that it's the adjustment to the fact that the defenders are closer to him. Furthermore, I'd say that he's been struggling to find the right balance between taking on defenders and picking his battles.

He is the most skilled player on the team though. You just haven't seen it yet. From what I've read, Minnesota press and some fans have been pretty flaky about him. All I see is normal rookie struggles.

I agree about Parise. The work ethic is amazing to watch from a top-line player.
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Old 02-11-2013, 02:40 PM   #77
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"I agree about Parise. The work ethic is amazing to watch from a top-line player."

I agree. Although it does read as an indictment of the other "top-line players" the Wild has had to-date, on the other side of the coin.

Last edited by nmhen; 02-11-2013 at 02:42 PM.
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Old 02-11-2013, 02:46 PM   #78
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"I agree about Parise. The work ethic is amazing to watch from a top-line player."

I agree. Although it does call into question the "top-line players" the Wild has had to-date, on the other side of the coin.
Well I'm sure Koivu is happier with him than Antti Miettinen, although it hasn't been work ethic that his line has been usually lacking.

Honestly, Parise is exceptional in that regard by any standard. Especially at the start of the season he was a demon out there. The Flames' top line can't begin to match him and Koivu in strength or work ethic, so I'm hoping they'll keep the puck out of their reach all game long. Just don't get caught deep in the defensive zone.
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Old 02-11-2013, 02:47 PM   #79
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Sounds like Granlund and Baertschi have had very similar rookie starts. Both are extremely gifted, they'll be fine.
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Old 02-11-2013, 02:49 PM   #80
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Flames win 4-2
Iggy, Glencross, Hudler, Wideman
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