[Cali Panthers Fan]

Finished watching this game this morning. A few thoughts:

-This is the first game in a long time that I can say Gulutzan was out-coached. The Sharks did everything right, but the Flames kept trying the same plays that weren't working and were shut down time and time again in the offensive zone. That led directly to transition offense for the Sharks, and/or long periods in our zone. It looked like they were beating their head against the wall, not making the adjustments in-game they needed to in order to win.

-We had difficulty with their size tonight. It hasn't happened as much this year, but the Flames were outcompeted physically. Could be back to backs on the road, but they just didn't have much jam to their game. Big drop off from the physicality they displayed in Phoenix.

-Decent 1st and 3rd periods. Horrible 2nd period. Guys just kept losing their coverage for no discernible reason. I didn't like Hamilton's game tonight. He was not very aware of his assignments. You're not going to win a lot of games giving up 4 goals, especially when they're all 5 on 5.

-The special teams were good yet again tonight, which is encouraging because most nights the Flames win the 5 on 5 battle, or at the very least tie it. If we keep up the special teams play, I suspect we will win quite a few games going forward.

-The refereeing was fine tonight. The Flames are still guilty of undisciplined play, and when you're chasing the puck a lot, you're bound to take more penalties. That's why possession is such an important part of the game. It's pretty rare to take a penalty when you have the puck. ***Also, the CP collective needs to start watching replays and stop assuming the refs are out to get us. Every call tonight was legitimate and should have been called. Get over it.

I suspected this would be a loss tonight. San Jose is playing very well these days, and the Flames are still a playoff bubble team at this stage in their development. Nights like this will happen, especially back to back on the road, but they need to come back stronger next game before the Christmas break.