[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by Calgary4LIfe

Much better game overall (and more exciting to watch!) than the last couple of outings. You can tell that the Flames are a bit tentative out there at times still, and I don't think they are really up to game speed yet (at least a handful of players aren't yet), but much better overall.


Lots of complaining about Backlund, but I thought he was good. The only thing he did tonight that wasn't so good was miss the net on a few shots, but otherwise I thought he looked good, and it seems he is getting better every game. Hellebuyck is a pretty good goalie positionally usually, so I assume that Backlund was trying to pick a corner.


As Cali has mentioned earlier, Monahan is deserving of a tonne of praise. He is playing as a very solid 1st line centre at both ends of the ice. Gaudreau as well seems committed to defence, and I really think that it helps to get buy-in from the rest of the team when they see those two hustling back and breaking-up plays. It not only helps the Flames more when they are on the ice, but there is the trickle-down effect of forcing everyone to put in that effort.


I thought Bennett was great, as was Mangiapane. Tkachuk and Lindholm had their moments too. The Hanifin - Tanev pairing is just rock-solid out there. You have to give credit to Tanev, but everyone has forgotten already how Hanifin - Hamonic were really solid to start when they were first put together under Peters, and the talk was how the Flames had "2 first pairing pairings". Hamonic somehow regressed, and that pairing often became disastrous (especially in the playoffs later that season). I don't think Tanev is going to be that - he is much calmer with the puck, and just seems to have much more awareness around him than Hamonic did. I also think that Hanifin is maturing and MUCH better defensively now too. I would bet that this pairing continues to be the nearly flawless minute-munchers that this team needs since Giordano-Brodie stopped being the league's most dominant pairing.


Markstrom was everything you could ask for tonight.



One quibble - I think it should be a rule that you start Gaudreau-Monahan-Giordano in OT. I am assuming it was Ward trying to line-match, but Monahan and Gaudreau were playing so well all night, it doesn't matter who else is out there.



Tomorrow night's game will be interesting. I thought it was already a fairly full-effort game from both sides, but tomorrow should be a bit more emotional too as these teams are building up more of a rivalry.

I hope not, seeing as how the Flames were the road team.