After Saturday's debacle on home ice, against their arch rivals and on a HNIC national broadcast, I would expect the Flames to start this game flying.
If I am right, this should be an easy win. Flyers are an even more rattled team than the Flames, and they have Moose in net which I bet adds to them being rattled at times. With the factors above and home ice for the Flames, I expect them to at the very least chase Elliott at some point in the first period.
However, I can never quite tell when it comes to the Flames these days. With the poor line-matching even at home, with Brouwer still being utilized on the PP, and the propensity this team has to take a 'wait and see' approach for the first 20 - and sometimes first 40 - minutes of the game, let's call this a coin-flip.
For those that are openly hoping for Gulutzan to get canned, you might want to openly hope for a Flyers win. Hakstol is on the hotseat, and GM Hextall (no relation unless one of them never learned to properly spell their last name) is now traveling with the team. Why do you care? Well, if Hakstol gets canned, I am sure NOBODY wants Hakstol, and the Flyers would find the best available coach unless they just go with an interim coach. That could be Darryl Sutter.
I still hope the ship rights itself, that Gulutzan manages to turn this team around to one that plays hard for at least close to 60 minutes, fixes the PP personnel and starts looking at the finer points of coaching including bench management and in-game adjustments to counter the opposing teams on the fly. I don't care what the coach's name is, as long as this team is working their way up the standings, and bonus points for making them fun to watch and easy to love.
Don't miss the chance like you guys missed on Saturday (weak rattled team, goalie that is shaky) and come out with a tonne of energy and attacking the net, and skating back hard to limit the chances at the other end. Do that, and you will blow the rattled Flyers out of the Dome. Don't do it, and you risk further embarrassing yourselves and having this fanbase demanding blood.
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