[Cali Panthers Fan]

If ever there was a game to illustrate just how far the Flames are from contention with the current talent they have, this was it.

Not saying they were absolutely terrible, or they didn't try. I think they really did try, but the Panthers are just so good at shutting down breakouts, controlling the neutral zone, and limiting chances in their own zone. They attack puck carriers vociferously, and guys know how to support the forecheckers so they aren't caught out of position. Pucks are turned over regularly. Then they counter attack so well. They have enough talent that they don't need a lot of chances to score goals.

Then you throw in both Bob and Stolarz having great years in net, and it's a team that literally has no holes. Adding Tarasenko looks like a smart bet already. Barkov and Reinhart are both smart players that will feed him pucks. They have enough depth to sustain several injuries before there's a problem.

Speaking of which, I think Miromanov broke the foot of Rodrigues when he blocked that shot. Holy cow, that guy has a bomb, something we haven't had in a defenseman in a while. He was pretty tentative defensively, but I think that's because he barely had one practice before being thrust into the lineup. Held his own okay, and made a couple nice passes to break guys out. Time will tell with him, but I thought he was at least a passable NHL defenseman.

Look, this team has gutted a lot of key talent, including two top 4 defenders in the last week. If they can't keep up with the big teams anymore, that's no shame on them. That's all this was in the end.

But my son had a great time yelling and cheering, and got to see plenty of goals for the Panthers. Great day out with the boy, and that's all that really matters in the end.