That was actually one of the better Flames games I've seen in quite some time. Not even mad at the effort--think they deserved better. Some pretty suspect officiating at times, but the Flames showed some pushback for the first time in a long time.
Other positives:
-the forward lines in the third period (!!)
-Lucic apparently saying something like: "It's because it's f'n Toronto!" after the missed call on Mangiapane that led to his four-minute minor
-Stone continues to be solid...mostly
-Nordstrom is playing some inspired hockey of late
Andersson, on the other hand, is really struggling lately. The fifth goal was directly the result of him not getting the puck out of the zone along the boards. (Wonder if he might benefit from a press-boxing...?)
Ultimately, here's the thing: I'm not sure that wholesale changes in the offseason are what the team really needs. Even though this season was brutal, there are still a lot of really good parts here...I really hope they don't go crazy at the trade deadline (maybe try to offload some of the UFAs?) and take their time in the offseason to pinpoint exactly where the need lies...
Also: Darryl Sutter teams THRIVE off of the "us against the world" mentality. I would argue that tonight's game was the first one since he's been here that might allow him to play this card in the dressing room. Tonight was the first game where it looked like the players were angry about on-ice events. That was good to see.
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