Entertaining game to watch and it's great to see the effort this team gives every night. Honestly, I thought the penalty trouble was mostly the Flames own doing. The only calls I had problems with were the penalty shot, which I thought should have only been a hooking minor and the boarding call near the end of the game, but Butler's hit from behind right afterward should have been called anyway. There were some really frustrating penalties - particularly Jackman's hit to the head and slashing on Backlund I thought were really stupid mistakes.
I can't say enough about Monahan. I made an effort to watch him individually when he was on the ice and his positioning and awareness are outstanding.
Baertschi is looking better and more physical as the season goes on. His biggest problem before was that he was being easily pushed off the puck and it seems like he has made some huge improvements to his game in that regard.
Brodie had a rare off night. Blew his coverage a few times and missed the net on two great scoring chances.
Even though Ramo let five past him, I thought he was solid and made a few saves early on to keep the Flames in it. Not spectacular, but I can't blame him on most of the goals much like the first game he played.
Galiardi looked great out there. Lots of energy, made smart plays and hustled to the puck all night.
Overall, a pretty good game by the Flames. I thought the difference in skill between the two teams was the most apparent it has been all year so far, but it's nice to be able to sit back and appreciate the positives from losses this season as I don't expect us to be a playoff team.
|