Disappointing result, but I'm not at all surprised. This is a team that stumbles out of the gate every season, regardless of the turnover or lineup. I predicted that the Flames would be digging themselves out of a hole early on to start the season and I see no reason to think otherwise.
Other then that, Smith looked fantastic. If that's Elliott in net, it's 1-0 Oilers 45 seconds in. If this is the Smith we get, then I think we'll be okay in the long run.
The forward group for Calgary didn't do too much. What ever happened to Johnny spinning off checks and using his crazy edge work to dance and spin around players? A couple of times he was along the boards and in years past he'd cut back, spin and head the other way. Instead he looked like a guy who gained an extra couple pounds who suddenly thinks he can muscles his way through bigger people.
I can see the potential of the Brodie/Hamonic pairing. Brodie was really off. But I thought Hamonic was decent and he has a really solid outlet pass. But like the Fan Radio said this morning, it was Bob Hartley 101 defense out there.
As excited as I am to start the season, October and November are almost ALWAYS painful to get through. Just got to chug along and wait for the team to hit its groove and the good times will roll.
Credit to the Oilers. They aren't pushovers anymore and played a great possession game. Talbot wasn't really tested. But he looked calm and cool. And McDavid...wow. Hate the guy all you want, but his speed is almost unfair to the rest of the league. Reminds me of a guy playing EA NHL on easy mode who just skates past everyone and does what he wants. It really sucks he plays for the Oilers.
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