That was entertaining. Really enjoyed that mini series.
Best player in the series was Andersson IMO. Was a rock on the back end and helped settle things down when the team was running around. He and Hanafin completely shut the Jets down. Rasmus played a very quiet game and didn't get the kudos he deserved.
Have to give massive kudos to Bennett and Lucic for that last game. Wow! What a performance. Completely got in the Jets heads and made them scared to be on the ice. Dominated in a way I haven't seen a Flames line dominate in decades. I'm still trying to figure out who is the straw stirring the drink, but Dube adds a certain dynamic to that pair that makes then dangerous in every shape or form. The guy is just flat out good in all three zones. Fantastic performance from this line.
A guy that deserves some kudos as well is Mr. Jankowski. I thought he was done and would never see the ice again for the Flames. But he came in, played hard, and contributed in a big way. He even threw some hits. If he continues to show like this he may yet redeem himself.
Have to hand it to Cam Talbot. Has grabbed the bull by the horns and wrestled that sucker to its knees. Provided the consistent goaltending this team needs and looked calm while doing it. I do miss Rittich's emotion between the pipes, and the jolt that can give the team, but you can't arue with the performance we just saw. Outplayed Helleybuck handily.
Everything was not rainbows and unicorns. There were some not great performances out there. Tkachuk and Giordano stood out for not doing much. Both were disappointing in their inability to generate much offense. Tkachuk has to be more than a distract to the opposition for this team to be successful moving forward. I do have to ask the question, is Father Time finally catching up to Gio? He was a step or two behind on most shifts.
Worst player on the Flames was Johnny Hockey. Played scared is the only way to look at his performance. He spent more time down the tunnel than he did in danger areas generating offense. He was a giveaway machine and spent more time listening for footsteps than wanting the puck to make plays. This is the time of year where your best have to step up and shine and Johnny disappeared, yet again. He's my favorite Flame, but he has to step his game up and being a player when the games get physical, or he has to go.
Was a fun way to get back into hockey, but now the real games are about to begin. Hope the Flames can get everyone drinking the same stuff that Bennett and Lucic are consuming and play that hard every shift. They do that and they could be dangerous. GFG!
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