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Old 10-03-2018, 10:47 AM   #1
MissTeeks
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Flames October 3, 2018 - So it begins

Flames name their 'A's, Tkachuk and Backlund join leadership group

https://calgaryherald.com/sports/hoc...4-c277b2e84c8d

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Only two years ago Matthew Tkachuk was a National Hockey League rookie, carefully walking the line in the dressing room between respectful teenager and proving — successfully — he belonged.

Meanwhile, on the ice, his emotional, hard-nosed play and innate hockey smarts spoke for themselves as he cracked the Calgary Flames roster in his first campaign back in 2016-17. The 20-year-old left winger is a quick learner.

And, now, Tkachuk is part of the Calgary Flames’ leadership group as he along with Mikael Backlund were awarded alternate captaincies at a team dinner on Tuesday night, and will have an ‘A’ sewn to both of their jerseys as the team kicks off its’ 2018-19 NHL campaign in Vancouver on Wednesday.

Both had been wearing the ‘A’ throughout training camp with the off-season departure/buyout of Troy Brouwer and join captain Mark Giordano and fellow alternate captain Sean Monahan.

“I go about everything the same way but, yeah, it’s something that makes me feel pretty good,” Tkachuk said. “Being able to help guys like the way G (Mark Giordano), Monny (Sean Monahan) and Backs (Backlund) helped me, all those guys I’ve played with before have helped me feel comfortable around here and allowed me to take that role, but feel comfortable and try to help the team out. I try to let my play kind of speak for itself.

“I have no idea where it came from or who made that decision. It’s definitely making me feel pretty good.”
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“I think off the ice, I’m able to relate to a lot of the younger guys,” said Tkachuk who’ll turn 21 years old on Dec. 11. “I have a close relationship with all them and guys like G who have taken me under their wings since I’ve been here, allowing me to feel comfortable with them, too. I feel like I can mix well with everyone on the team and have relationships with everyone on the team which helps off the ice. I think that helps us on the ice, too.

“It’s not really saying anything in the dressing room, or anything like that. It’s just by the way I try to play … my job is to help this team get to the playoffs and I want us to be a playoff team for a long time.”
Flames team preview: Big changes to club

https://calgaryherald.com/sports/hoc...d-6d45da7c7f2d

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The Calgary Flames saved some money on their natural-gas bill last season.

It’s all gone after a summer spending spree.

They celebrate goals at the Scotiabank Saddledome with a blast of fire at each end of the rink, but there wasn’t a whole lot of warm-and-fuzzy for the Flames as they ranked among the NHL’s least-dangerous — and most disappointing — squads during the 2017-18 campaign.

The crew from Calgary averaged just 2.63 goals per game, the fifth-worst mark in the league. For weeks at a time, it seemed like their third- and fourth-liners wouldn’t have been able to find the back of the net with Google Maps.

It makes sense, then, that depth scoring was the focus of the Flames’ off-season overhaul. Their opening-night roster will include at least four new faces at forward, maybe more.

Superstar left winger Johnny Gaudreau and his trigger-happy centre, Sean Monahan, will need to be Calgary’s offensive catalysts, but additions such as James Neal — in a decade at hockey’s highest level, “The Real Deal” has averaged 26.3 snipes per season — and Elias Lindholm should help lighten the load for the top guns.

(On the flip-side, the Flames probably won’t be as productive from the point after Dougie Hamilton’s departure in the trade that brought Lindholm and Noah Hanifin from Carolina to Cowtown.)

“I think we have more depth. I think we’ve increased our skill level. I think we’ve increased the tempo and the pace that we are going to play at, which was the objective,” said Flames general manager Brad Treliving. “I like that we have options and we have depth, because you’re going to need it in this league.”
Flames sniper James Neal takes aim with new team

https://calgaryherald.com/sports/hoc...2-6e1a0c574b30

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Twenty goals should be a cinch, right?

In a decade of National Hockey League employment, Calgary Flames’ summer-signing James Neal has made an annual habit of hitting that mark.

No matter the city.

No matter the circumstances.

Twenty-plus goals.

Every. Single. Season.

Now, as the marquee off-season addition to a Flames squad that was absolutely starved for scoring depth last winter, the pressure is on to keep that streak alive.

Fine by him.

“For me, I put that pressure on myself to score goals,” Neal said matter-of-factly. “Whether it’s coming from the outside, in the media, or coming from inside your room or from inside your own head, I think you always have those pressures of wanting to be a better player, wanting to be a better person and wanting to score.

“I just look forward to getting going. This has been a great summer. Everything I’ve done up until this point, it makes me feel confident in my game and makes me feel ready to go.”
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And Neal? His career total is currently at 263, plus 31 more in the post-season.

“With the guys we have, it gives us the ability to move guys around at all times. We have guys that can fall into different slots,” said Neal, who potted 25 goals during his lone campaign in Sin City and added a half-dozen more during the playoff run. “For me, I’m happy. I’m just excited to get going.

“It doesn’t change anything for me. I’m going to go out there and do what I’ve done in the past.”

What’s he done in the past is put the puck in net.

Consistently.

Twenty-plus goals, every single season. (Including one lockout-shortened slate.)

“You have to adapt, that’s for sure,” Neal said, sharing some of the secrets of his prolonged scoring success. “Whether it’s changing up the way you shoot you puck, whether it’s changing on who you’re playing with or what you have to do to score — whether you have to score around the net or you’re getting looks in the slot or you’re getting the puck off quick in different areas.

“For me, changing teams and playing with a lot of different guys, I think you have to change your game to suit who your linemates are and who you’re going to play with. I think I’ve been able to do a good job of that. This year is no different.”
Nine years and counting since Flames won season-opener

https://calgaryherald.com/sports/hoc...4-69a8627aac1b

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The last time the Calgary Flames triumphed in a season-opener, Miikka Kiprusoff was tending twine and Brandon Prust buried the winner.

Yeah, it’s been awhile.

Heading into Wednesday’s go-time game against the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena, the Flames franchise has lost nine consecutive curtain-raisers.
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“Just the importance of getting off to a good start … You see some teams, with their record by (American) Thanksgiving, and the stats say that they’re already out of the playoffs,” said Flames star Johnny Gaudreau. “The statistics show that is pretty accurate. It just shows how important a good start is. And with our new team and with all the changes, I think getting a win right off the bat would be good for us, and we can roll with that.”
Flames out to manage goalie situation during NHL season

https://calgaryherald.com/sports/hoc...0-9d7d5ea79539

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The Calgary Flames have decided on a back-up netminder to start the 2018-19 National Hockey League season.

But there’s a good chance that could change.

David Rittich is the No. 2, for now, backing up starting goalie Mike Smith who is expected to carry the load for the majority of the year as Jon Gillies was officially sent to the Stockton Heat of the American Hockey League on Tuesday.

The Flames clearly feel more comfortable with Rittich, at least to open the season, considering he proved he can handle the workload at least in a back-up capacity last year.

His overall numbers indicated he struggled, going 8-6-3 in his 16 starts last year, but there were some bright spots amid the 21 contests in the end. He was the defacto No. 1 netminder when Smith went down in February and wound up finishing with a 2.92 goals-against average and a .904 save percentage.

Gillies, 24, played 11 games last year and had nine starts going 3-5-1 with a 2.88 GAA and a .896 save percentage. After inking the 2012 third-round pick for another two more years (the first year being a one-way contract while the second year is a two-way), it’s also clear they need Gillies to gain some valuable experience and confidence.

“We want Jon playing,” said Flames goalie coach Jordan Sigalet. “We don’t want him sitting on the bench. We want him getting reps. We kind of look at it as a team that has three goalies. You might see both of them sharing that role this year. I had a big talk with Ritter (this week) about not getting comfortable. Jon was a little more consistent in camp, but Ritter saw some tough games and some tough chances against. But (Rittich) was here last year, and he did it.

“It got a little tough when he had to take over from Smitty. He’s a guy that can sit for five, six or seven games and come in and play and give you a good start. He proved he can do that last year, so we’re comfortable going into the season with him. Jon will be itching to get back up here. There’s good competition there.

“Ritter has to fight every day to keep his spot up here.”
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That would likely mean more starts for the back-up — and one they can hopefully trust.

“We’re hoping Ritter can be that guy,” Sigalet said. “We’ve definitely have to pull the reigns back on Smitty a little bit, whether it’s in practice and giving him some days off at practice. He’ll definitely be playing less games. He played a lot last year right off the bat when it was just him and Eddie. Once Ritter got here, we decided to put him in a bit more. We are definitely going to watch the games on Mike. I know he’s going to want to be in every night.

“But sometimes it might be two in a row that he might be sitting out, just to give him that extra rest.”

And, of course, that’s tough to hear for a starting goalie, especially Smith who tends to log between 50 to 60 games per season.

“It’s his competitiveness,” Sigalet said. “He wants to be out there with the guys, trying to win a game for them any time he can. He doesn’t want to take days off practice because he feels bad that everyone else is working and he’s not. But you have to look at the big picture and the big picture is we’re trying to make the playoffs and we want to have a successful playoff run. That’s why you have to rely on both guys — it’s huge.”
Excitement tempered: Treliving will continue watching Dube, Valimaki

https://calgaryherald.com/sports/hoc...d-edb78a5aed46

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Bill Peters has seen the movie before.

Young. Full of energy and wide-eyed excitement. Fresh out of junior or college hockey. Ready to play the full 82-game National Hockey League schedule.

Then, a wall.

“It happens with every player,” said the new Calgary Flames head coach. “You bring ’em out of the lineup and you sit them when they look exhausted. They don’t admit it, but when you have your year-end meeting with them, they say, ‘Oh yeah, I hit the wall in January. I was gassed. I was out of energy.’

“Then, you sit there and laugh and say, ‘Yeah, we had that conversation in the office and you said you were fine.’”
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Game No. 1 is much different than Game No. 32 on the schedule, and the hockey only gets better and better.

“It’s a day-to-day league,” said Flames general manager Brad Treliving. “I can tell you right now, as young players, what they’re going to face (Wednesday) is the hardest competition they’ve ever faced. This is a real NHL game. The last two pre-season games were closer to NHL lineups, but it wasn’t full NHL pace. It wasn’t NHL intensity. They’re going to see that (Wednesday). You just continue to watch.”
Are the Calgary Flames better, or just different? Time will tell

https://calgaryherald.com/sports/hoc...4-33e4e52c4f54

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This latest cast of Calgary Flames is, no doubt, different.

Question is … are they better?

After a summer shakeup that included a coaching change and the addition of several new faces in key places, that’s what winter will reveal.

On paper, these Flames should be playoff contenders in the Pacific Division. That and two bucks will get you a large double-double at Tim Hortons.

“Last year, everyone was buzzing about our team. And everyone knows where we ended up,” said go-to goalie Mike Smith, arguably the most important man at the Saddledome as the locals aim to rebound from what was a frustrating, sometimes flabbergasting campaign that resulted in an 11th-place pegging in the NHL’s Western Conference standings.

“As personalities in here, I think we have an unbelievable group. Character guys. Guys that want to make a difference. But we have to go out there and make it happen. It’s one thing to look at it on paper and say, ‘Wow, these guys are a deep team. They’re fast.’ Then you go out there, and we saw what happened last year …

“But last year is done. It’s a clean slate here with new coaching staff and new players. We’re excited about our team. Now, we have to go make it happen.”
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There’s a lot to like, but …

“Your team on paper doesn’t really mean anything, to be honest,” said the 31-year-old Neal, playoff-bound in each of his past eight seasons. “You can have a great team on the roster, but if you don’t go out there and work and play to your potential and buy in as a team and as a group, then it’s just wasted energy.

“I like how our guys come to work every single day. I feel like this is a dedicated group that wants to get to the next level. And from talking to guys and seeing the way they come to the rink every day, I think they’re ready to take that next step.

“We’re focused on ourselves, focused on what we have to do to be ready to go so you don’t let the guy next to you down.”
10 Flames storylines to watch

https://calgaryherald.com/sports/hoc...8-ca40d7bc510a

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3. The Bill Peters Effect

At a press conference on April 23, Bill Peters promised he would be “demanding without being demeaning,” a man who built his NHL coaching career on small-town values and hard work. A straight shooter. A coach that emphasized faceoffs, puck possession, pace and special teams in his ‘Welcome to Calgary’ press conference. It’s been well over a month that Peters has been working with the current group of Flames and now it’s time to put all of that talking into action. Quick practices. No-nonsense drills. Little time spent at the white board. During skates, Peters calls each player by name and singles out players — in a positive, constructive way — at practice. How does all of this translate on the ice, in the dressing room and on the bench? The knock on former Flames head coach Glen Gulutzan, especially last season, was that the team largely lacked an identity; a team not built on speed, intensity, scoring ability, discipline or mental toughness. Will Peters’s approach have the desired impact?
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6. Better get some saves

To quote Peters (circa 2017 mid-blowup in Carolina, referring to Eddie Lack’s goaltending ability), the Flames “better get some saves” this year. Goaltending wasn’t an issue last year for the Flames until it was. That was until Mike Smith went down at the worst possible time with a groin injury, forcing rookie netminder David Rittich into action. He took turns with Jon Gillies, getting a crash course in NHL starting goaltending and were clearly thrust into the spotlight before either of them were ready. Some may criticize Treliving for sticking to this plan — of riding Smith in his final contract, past his 37th birthday, and for going with Rittich, still largely untested, as their back-up. Truth be told, Smith had been dominant, the team’s MVP until he went down with 1.1 seconds remaining in a 3-2 win over the New York Islanders on Feb. 11. At the time, he had a 23-16-6 record with a 2.53 goals against average and a .921 save percentage. Smith returned to action on March 11, and it was a struggle after that. He ended the campaign with a 25-22-6 record (2.65 GAA and .916 SV%) as the Flames missed the playoffs. It’s no secret Smith likes to log as many games as possible. In 2011-12, he played 67 games for the then-Phoenix Coyotes. In the seasons following, if he wasn’t injured, he would play in the 55- to 62-game range. Yes, he’s proved he is a physical specimen, that he’s not your average 36-year old, and that when on top of his game, he’s still one of the best in the NHL. But the Flames should mind his minutes this season, limiting his starts to protect him from injury and save him for the long haul. That means utilizing a trustworthy back-up netminder.
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Old 10-03-2018, 10:49 AM   #2
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