Totally agree that Gulutzen is not a rookie coach but the Flames needed 20 games to adjust to his system. The team played very well after the first 20 games. The Flames were 8-11-1 after 20 games and went 37-22-3 the rest to the regular season. Their record in regulation was 32 wins and 33 losses. They lost 4 games in OT/SO but won 9 games on 3on3 format and won 4 games via the SO. The Flames need to improve their 60 minutes game.
The Flames went 2-8 in the final ten games against playoff caliber teams. This is something that is seemingly being swept underneath the rug here because we made the playoffs.
Strange how this adjusting to a system excuse has become a meme on this board. A bunch of teams get new coaches every season. They don't automatically suck because they're learning a new system. The Senators opened 12-7-1 with a new coach. The Wild went 11-7-2. The Flames clearly played better later in the season. But as was pointed out above, had a losing record in regulation.
Lots of examples of new coaches on good teams struggling for the first 20ish.
Hey guys, I have been reading these forums for a years now and I love it. Some great insight and great discussions. So I figured I would toss my hat in the ring now.
With the way they lost in Game 3 it was going to be really tough to win last night. They needed to score first and get a spark. The crowd was really subdued as well you could feel it and once Elliott let in another horribly weak goal it just sucked the life out of the team and the building. Letting in a really weak goal early in the game was literally the worst case scenario. In a series where each game was decided by 1 goal and bad puck luck and some very questionable calls aside you cant let in 6-7 soft goals and win a series. At some point Elliott has to give you a save or 2, just not good enough.
Troy Brouwer was completely irrelevant, he picked up right where he left off from the regular season. Incredibly disappointed with his whole season, i expected so much more from him. His contract is going to be a boat anchor for this team.
Johnny Gaudreau. I really hope we find out that he was playing with some sort of injury or something because if not, the Flames should be very concerned. He needs to be a difference maker and he was for the most part a passenger this series. 2 assists is not good enough. What really bothered me was his play with 2 and half minutes left with our net empty. He coughed up the puck on 3 different occasions and was a complete liability on the ice. I was yelling for him to get off. I really hope he takes some ownership and accountability for his play this series. I didnt see him give one post game interview this playoffs and that really bugs me, i really wanted to hear what he has to say. This is going to be a very important offseason for him I think. I really hope he comes into next season with a chip on his shoulder. He was a shell of the player we saw last year. Earn your money kid.
All in all the team fought hard and played well, not sure Ive ever seen a series where one team got so many bounces and breaks but thats hockey.
The 2 best players taken in that Draft were Barkov and Monahan two big 2 way centers geez wonder why , but Barkov is better defensive center and younger . Barkov has missed 20 games in both last 2 seasons Monahan has been healthy Barkov actually has a better ppg last 2 years .You need to watch some Florida games to see how good defensively he is . Love Monahan but Barkov is better jmo.
Points matter not ppg. It's not a positive Barkov can't stay healthy. The rest of your post yeah, fine. I've liked Barkov since before the draft. Even after their rookie seasons where MacKimmon had 50 points I mentioned still liking Barkov more.
The mistake you made was saying he's better then Monahan "by far".
Johnny Gaudreau. I really hope we find out that he was playing with some sort of injury or something because if not, the Flames should be very concerned. He needs to be a difference maker and he was for the most part a passenger this series. 2 assists is not good enough. What really bothered me was his play with 2 and half minutes left with our net empty. He coughed up the puck on 3 different occasions and was a complete liability on the ice. I was yelling for him to get off. I really hope he takes some ownership and accountability for his play this series. I didnt see him give one post game interview this playoffs and that really bugs me, i really wanted to hear what he has to say. This is going to be a very important offseason for him I think. I really hope he comes into next season with a chip on his shoulder. He was a shell of the player we saw last year. Earn your money kid.
I agree he wasn't very good in this series. But a shell of his former self? That's silly. Even during an off year where he missed training camp, missed 10 games due to injury, and struggled to start the season, he still lead the team in scoring. Should we be concerned about his playoff performance? Absolutely. But let's not overreact here. He's still young and he still has lots to learn about playing in this league. He definitely struggles against bigger, heavier teams, and he'll need to adjust his game accordingly. But I have faith that he'll figure it out, hopefully starting next year.
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Why do people keep stating this? Does his two years as head coach in Dallas not count as NHL head coaching experience?
Gulutzan is not a rookie head coach, but I do believe he was the youngest head coach in the NHL this year. That potentially makes a difference: for example, Bruce Boudreau was 52-years-old when he coached his first NHL game. Gulutzan will be 46 next year.
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Dealing with Everything from Dead Sea Scrolls to Red C Trolls
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Originally Posted by woob
"...harem warfare? like all your wives dressup and go paintballing?"
I don't deny that goaltending was a huge factor, but I don't think you can discount the power of The Curse.
No, I'm not saying that the universe had it out for the Flames. And I'm also not saying that The Curse was in the Flames' players heads, impeding their ability to win... But I have absolutely no doubt that The Curse was in the Duck's players heads!
I'm 100% certain that every Ducks' player went into a game not just believing that they could win, but being absolutely certain they would win. And that's a magical mindset for a professional athlete to have. It allowed the Ducks' players to have the calm to hold a puck a second longer, to make plays with intent rather than out of desperation or fear, and to never let the situation control them. Regardless of whether they fell behind early, had a big lead evaporate, or were behind late, they had the ability to just stick with the system and trust each other because they knew: The Flame can't beat us!
That's why this was the worst match up for the Flames: Not just because the Ducks were big, not just because the Ducks were on a great roll, but because of The Curse.
