Quote:
Originally Posted by TheAlpineOracle
The team was jittery because Gulutzan made an assanine decision to start Elliott. The third shot of the game essentially went in from behind the red line and that set the stage.
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Yeah. I would've started Johnson. Something needed to change, and the 4th line wasn't significant enough. See then Chad would've prepared for the start and been ready, likely. He settled in really well. Didn't do anything too special, but didn't #### up after that first shot when he was cold. That's really all the team needed. A steady presence that wouldn't let in those poor ones.
Confidence in the goaltender boosts this team as much as it hampers it when that isn't the case. It affects them a lot out there.
With Elliott's series so far you just knew you were gonna get more of the same. A rebound did NOT look imminent. I feel like Elliott should've lost the right to the net getting down 0-3 playing a large factor in two of them. At that point, you're probably 90% chance finished. So take the high risk high reward and make the change to spark the team. Just like getting down 3-0 in a first period and yanking your goalie. Same concept. He read the situation poorly, but others would've made the same mistake. Situational intelligence should trump loyalty (the "he got us here" reasoning). Hopefully a lesson for GG too.
That probably would've been a more wide open game that the Flames could've taken advantage of if they didn't allow the two weak ones right off the hop. That allowed the Ducks to just go into a shell and clog everything up with the sole purpose of sending the Flames chasing back into their own end all night.
Switch the goaltenders and yeah, that's Calgary with a stranglehold on the series. Sorry to Moose, but it just wasn't good enough. .880 doesn't win you games in the regular season, so you sure as hell can bet it doesn't win in the playoffs.
This goalie coach has to go. This is becoming a case of insanity with how various goalies from different backgrounds are suffering similar fates here. At some point it's clear that it goes beyond throwing a new face between the pipes.