It is all about game management. Dube playing insignificant minutes on the 4th line didn't help the Flames win, nor did it have any effect whatsoever.
You dress Peluso (and/or Prout), and if the game starts to get chippy, you send him out. Sure, the anti-fighting crowd may point at the win and say: "this was the response". Sure, but McLellan was also about as bright as a rock in a light socket and didn't encourage the physical nonsense. The Flames don't have a lethal PP for the Oilers to worry about, as evidenced by the SHG against and the breakaways.
There is no way that Edmonton isn't going to enter that game and not be looking for retribution. There is no way that they aren't going to sit down and watch some video on what went right, and how the Flames seemed off their game for a period and a half, and figure out that it was due to the physicality of the game itself.
Last thing I want is one of those meatheads to go over the line. Tkachuk was damn lucky that he wasn't hurt. Very damn lucky. Why else did Calgary sign guys like Peluso and Prout if they aren't going to play against a team like Edmonton full of meatheads? Maybe the reffing next game won't be so quick to break up altercations.
If Edmonton looks like they are trying to be over-exuberant in their physicality again, you send out Peluso and Prout and either get them to calm idiots down a notch, or take them off the ice for 5+ minutes. If they won't engage, at least they will send the message that if they target the Flames' skilled players, then they will target Edmonton's skilled players in retribution.
Last thing I want to see is one of those idiots jumping another one of our players and potentially injuring them - could end up being a long-term injury. I thought it was a mistake not dressing Peluso. It also isn't like he is such a terrible player that he hurts the team - in the games he played he has been decent.
There is no reason to allow the Oilers to completely dictate the physical play when the Flames can probably do a better job of it to begin with, and still out-skill that team and end up winning the game. Like it or not, the BOA seems like it is back to how it used to be long ago. I remember that the Flames way back in the day had no chance of beating the Oilers with any consistency. If they won the game, they would take a beating, and it was almost like they were scared. In comes Vernon to make key saves, and in comes Tim Hunter to make everyone more comfortable and kept their goons busy.
The NHL didn't look at the Draisaitl slew-foot. They didn't look at Kassian jumping Tkachuk. They didn't look at Gaudreau getting boarded (neither did the refs, unfortunately). It is up to the Flames to protect themselves. Not dressing more toughness is the Flames not protecting themselves IMO. You can at least keep their meatheads busy, if not deter them completely. That's the little game within the game, and the rest is Backlund smothering McDavid as usual, while the much better depth wins the hockey game on the scoreboard. 3 little games within the game itself.
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