[GDT] Flames @ Wild, 5 pm, CITY

[Cali Panthers Fan]

Flames: 34-40-7, 75 points, 5th in Pacific, 12th in Central, 26th in NHL.

Wild: 38-32-11, 87 points, 5th in Central, 8th in West, 17th in NHL.



Just a few brief reviews of some of the callups:

Joni Ortio (B): GAA-2.76, Sv%-9.02, 7-9-5, SO-1. Joni has done yeoman's work down the stretch, becoming our only reliable goaltender besides a couple of very bad options. He still struggles now and then, but overall his game is quite solid for the NHL level. The thing I like most about Ortio is his athleticism, which means he can bail his team out better than most goalies, but he sometimes misses very straightforward shots due to poor puck tracking and too much movement. If he were ever able to eliminate those mistakes in his game, he would likely be a solid NHL starter. He's still young for a goalie, so he might yet make it, but I still see career backup in the future for Ortio, which isn't bad considering he was a 6th round pick. Chances are Ortio is retained by the Flames and is brought in to be the backup next season.

Jakub Nakladal (B+): GP-27, G-2, A-3, P-5, -5, Bks/G-0.9, Hits/G-1.5. There's a lot to like about Nakladal's game. He's strong in his own end, as evidenced by his 1.5 hits per game, and nearly 1 shot blocked per game with 3rd pairing minutes. He's also only -5, even though he never played an NHL game until a few weeks ago. He's got a bomb of a shot from the point, and makes smart decisions with the puck in the offensive zone. My only issue is he will make an egregious error now and then, and sometimes turn the puck over in a dangerous part of the ice, but that's something that can be corrected with coaching. I think that Nakladal has proven that he can be a quality player in the NHL, and he might make Wideman replaceable this off-season. That alone is good news only because in the off-chance that the Flames are unable to unload Wideman, he will be pushed hard to keep his spot in the lineup.

Garnet Hathaway (A-): GP-14, G-0, A-3, P-3, -1, PIMs-31, Bks/G-1.2, Hits/G-3.6. I think we've finally found our pest. Hathaway really impressed me in the way he carried out his role as a grinder/pest forward. He took some penalties, but drew plenty as well, and was extremely tough to play against out there, not being afraid to mix it up with big name NHLers out of too much respect. His hits per game are extremely high, and he blocked quite a few shots too. He wasn't amazing offensively, but he did manage to contribute to the attack now and then, and he did a great job defensively. I think Hathaway makes the team next camp maybe over someone like Josh Jooris.

Tyler Wotherspoon (B-): GP-11, G-0, A-1, P-1, +/- even, Bks/G-1.5, Hits/G-1.3. Those last 3 stats illustrate Wotherspoon's value. He won't hurt your team despite limited offensive potential, he knows where to be on the ice and blocks his fair share of shots, and he separates the man from the puck efficiently without throwing bone-crushing hits. Wotherspoon isn't a sexy player, but he's the type of depth player that really rounds out a defense well. He's the stable, dependable partner that someone like Hamilton could use so that he's able to use his offensive skills without worrying too much about his own end. I still think on this team Wotherspoon is hard pressed to make the roster, but he's a quality player. I wouldn't be shocked to see him packaged in a trade in order to get an asset to fill a hole in another area of the team.

Derek Grant (C): GP-15, G-0, A-1, -7, Hits/G-1.7, FO%-55% (over 100 draws taken). I like a lot of elements to Grant's game, but he hasn't been overly impressive at the NHL level. He's been by far the best of the Stockton Heat this year, but he's pretty much a veteran of that league now, so it should be expected. He has the capacity for offense, but rarely capitalizes on this chances. He's not too bad defensively, but not exceptional either. He throws his share of hits, but isn't heavy enough to be considered a physical guy. The one thing he does really well is win face-offs. That might be enough to bring him back next year, but with the contract limit, Grant might be considered expendable since Jankowski and Arnold are going to be pushing for a spot soon. He's a quality 'tweener, but not much more.

Hunter Shinkaruk (B+): GP-6, G-2, A-1, P-3, -4, PPG-1. Take my rating with a grain of salt since 6 games is far too small a sample size, but Shinkaruk hasn't looked out of place at all playing with Gaudreau and Monahan. He's got a nose for the net, and finds a way to be in good scoring positions. He's not very big, but he makes up for it by never giving up on a play. He could work on the defensive side more, and he definitely needs to hit the gym and add some weight, but there's real potential there in Shinkaruk to become a top 6 winger who can pot a lot of the rebounds, or finish plays set up by his line mates. I'm excited to see how he shows up to training camp.

The Flames are locked into one of 3 spots, 25th-27th. Vancouver is assured of finishing below the Flames due to having fewer ROWs as a tiebreaker if they happen to finish with the same amount of points. The two teams around Calgary are the 27th ranked Blue Jackets (74 points, 1 fewer than the Flames, far fewer ROWs), and the 25th ranked Jets (76 points, 1 more than the Flames, equal ROWs). The Jackets play the Chicago Blackhawks today, a team that is also firmly cemented in their playoff spot as the 3rd team in the Central, so it's likely they rest up some of their guys for a playoff run and Columbus could then have a chance at beating them. The Jets play the L.A. Kings today, and they're battling to maintain the division lead over the Ducks. The Kings are ahead by 2 points right now, but the Ducks still have a game in hand. A Kings win today would clinch the division since they hold a significant lead over the Ducks in ROWs. Chances are they're going to want to win this one, so don't expect the Jets to win. If the Flames end up winning this game today, they could finish as high as 25th. If they lose, they could finish as low as 27th.

And it looks like the Flames are willing to ice a lineup that is conducive to losing. As expected Nicklas Backstrom will get his final start as a Flame, and likely the final start of his NHL career, against his old club in front of a building full of Wild fans. Hopefully it's a nice send off, and they honor Backstrom again for what he's done over the years, but not so nice that they let Backstrom steal a game. As well, the Flames have recalled Turner Elson, Oliver Kylington, and Patrick Sieloff as "emergency" replacements, likely replacing Derek Grant, Deryk Engelland, and Jakub Nakladal. Not that these players are necessarily going to play poorly, but it is a definite downgrade from the players they're replacing. However, it should be fun to see what Kylington in particular looks like against an NHL team. He had flashes of great play in camp, but he needed a lot of teaching defensively. It sounds like he's improved quite a bit throughout the year, so I'm anxious to see where he's at now. 1 game isn't enough of a sample size, but it does give us something to compare to earlier in the year.

The Wild don't have anything left to play for but pride and ending the season on a winning note. They've lost 4 in a row at the most crucial time of the year, but since the Avalanche also lost a bunch down the stretch, the Wild have stumbled into a playoff spot and will play either the Dallas Stars or the St. Louis Blues. Pick your poison, but I believe they will want to end with a win so they have confidence in their game again. They lit up Backstrom last time, so it's entirely possible this one is over early.

Roster Notes: As I stated earlier, several players are questionable for today's game for the Flames, we should see all of the callups play over Grant, Nakladal, and Engelland. for the Wild, Dubnyk is the confirmed starter. Parise is out nursing a day-to-day injury before the playoffs start. Vanek is also out day-to-day. Lineups are a total guess since we haven't seen a practice with the new players.


Flames
Gaudreau-Monahan-Shinkaruk
Ferland-Backlund-Colborne
Elson-Bennett-Jooris
Bollig-Stajan-Shore

Giordano-Brodie
Jokipakka-Hamilton
Kylington-Sieloff

Backstrom

Wild
Zucker-Koivu-Coyle
Niederreiter-Haula-Pominville
Porter-Granlund-Jones
Carter-Stoll-Fontaine

Suter-Spurgeon
Scandella-Brodin
Reilly-Dumba

Dubnyk




Go Flames Go!!!!!!



p.s.-I just want to thank everyone again this year for letting me write for you all. This is a great site with great posters, and I always feel honoured to write these for such esteemed an intelligent people. I wish I had more time to write this year, and even though it was a tough season to remain positive through, I can't wait to write again next year. Thank you all for your support. It means a lot that you appreciate what I do.

And one last time: Go Flames Go!

[keenan87]

Overall, an interesting season but it was always good to know our younger players have done well and gained a lot more experience. This off-season should be pretty interesting in my opinion with a lot of changes being made to let some of the AHL kids play on the main roster next year and hopefully we find a new #1 Goalie and another Top-6 forward (Okposo, Lucic, Ladd, or Eriksson). Another season almost in the books..

Go Flames Go!

[dieHARDflameZ]

Thanks Cali! I'm a big fan of your game day threads.

[Fighting Banana Slug]

Great job Cali. The write ups are great and your year end player assessment is bang on IMO.
Really appreciate all of the posters that take the time to prepare the GDT.

[Yoho]

Great season GDT Cali, we all recognize the energy and time you put into them!

[Lanny'sDaMan]

Three things from this season that are a complete win.

1. Cali's GDT
2. Puppet Guy's posts in each GDT. I laugh so hard almost every time.
3. Gaskal's Around The League Report. BEST part of the post game, IMO.

All three of you deserve maximum kudos and I desperately hope to see all three of you doing it again next season.

[Puppet Guy]

Last adventure of the season. Time for a little "Wildfire". And for those who wanted to "embrace the tank", we got'cher tank right here:

Spoiler!

Go Flames

[N-E-B]

Last game of the year. Happy for the guys making their NHL debuts. Can't fault the effort from them this year. Outside of the first 10 games and the goaltending I actually don't think it was as bad a year as the standings would suggest. Hopefully they put in one last good effort.

Go Flames go!

[FBI]

Thanks again for the great writeups this year.

[Table 5]

Thanks for the puppet posts, Puppet Dude. Those are my favorite.

[Hackey]

Go Kylington
Go Shinkaruk
Go Canucks
Go Jackets

[Gaudfather]

Excited to see more new guys get their NHL debut - especially Kylington.

The outcome of this game will likely depend on whether we see the good Backstrom or bad Backstrom in the net for the Flames. Regardless - GFG.

And thanks Cali for the GDT write-ups!

[Cali Panthers Fan]

Originally Posted by Hackey

Go Kylington
Go Shinkaruk
Go Canucks
Go Jackets

This doesn't matter anymore. We can't finish below them.

[AC]

Originally Posted by Cali Panthers Fan

This doesn't matter anymore. We can't finish below them.

Sure, but right now they're 1 point back of Columbus so they could still hop over them and finish 4th last instead of 3rd last.

[Vulcan]

Joni Ortio (B): GAA-2.76, Sv%-9.02, 7-9-5, SO-1. Joni has done yeoman's work down the stretch, becoming our only reliable goaltender besides a couple of very bad options. He still struggles now and then, but overall his game is quite solid for the NHL level. The thing I like most about Ortio is his athleticism, which means he can bail his team out better than most goalies, but he sometimes misses very straightforward shots due to poor puck tracking and too much movement. If he were ever able to eliminate those mistakes in his game, he would likely be a solid NHL starter. He's still young for a goalie, so he might yet make it, but I still see career backup in the future for Ortio, which isn't bad considering he was a 6th round pick. Chances are Ortio is retained by the Flames and is brought in to be the backup next season.

That was his problem when I first saw him but he seemed to be much better at tracking the puck last season. Now he's regressed so it would be nice if he can pick up this part of his game again.

[Samonadreau]

Elson-Bennett-Jooris

I know it's the last game and the roster is wash but fcs Bennett needs better wingers next year.

[Samonadreau]

Ps. Top notch writeup again Cali. Best GDT'S for sure.

[Gaskal]

Thanks for taking the time to do your writeups man. Always come here first to check for those before reading game day writeups from other sites, or the morning skate report from Flames itself.

[The Fonz]

For the love of God... Just lose this game in regulation.

[Sainters7]

Would love to see Colborne hit 20, Gaudreau solidify his 6th overall in NHL scoring rank, hell maybe even a Monahan hattie to get 30 again...can we do all that and still lose in regulation?