Impressive game. Tippett is a really good coach and has the Oilers transitioning very quickly as well, even without McDavid on the ice. They are a bad team with a great coach, and that's why I think the Flames didn't look as good against them tonight a they did against Montreal. I can't believe people in Edmonton wanted him fired.
With that being said, Flames won! I think they were the better team through most of the game. Starting to really like Ritchie more than I should. Guy is non-stop compete, and his hands are pretty good too. I think he is a really smart player - much like Lucic does, he gets on the right side of the puck all the time. When he gets the puck, he makes really nice passes that you (or at least, I) didn't expect from him. I also really love how he stuck up for Kylington. Most games, the Flames let that go unanswered - not this season, and I think that's important. I don't hate Khaira - I don't think he is a dirty player, and I think he plays the game the right way, and good on him for answering the bell. Hope he is not injured, but I also think the league does look at that hit.
I thought the Flames had some 'lulls' in their play tonight - weren't as hard on the forecheck as they have been, and allowed McDavid a bit too much room at times. A bit more of a sloppy game in my opinion than the last few, and I wonder how much of that was the adjustments by the Oilers, and how much of that was the Flames still adjusting themselves under Darryl.
I expect as the games go on, the Flames will just get better. This is a very different type of hockey than they have played before. They haven't skated this hard since Hartley, and they haven't ever played this structured either. So far, so perfect! 3-0 to star this era!
Lucic, Backlund, Hanifin, Tanev, Ritchie, Dube, Kylington and Monahan were all very noticeable tonight. Monahan is developing a bit more bite to his game - loved him fighting back in the scrum this game.
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