[Game Takes] Stars 5 Flames 4 (series tied 2-2)

[Bingo]

Game Takes: Stars 5 Flames 4 (Series tied 2-2)

- Talbot literally worn out
- good start but the Flames just fade
- far too many penalties
- better team won clearly

[ricardodw]

The Flames need reigning Norris trophy winner Gio to play a game or two at the Heiskanen level.

[Bend it like Bourgeois]

Meh. Better team won clearly seems like a huge reach.

The penalties changed this game. Deserved or not can be debated. The outcome less so. The flames took it to the stars repeatedly until the pk was worn out and the flow a disaster.

Does that make them clearly the better team? Not to me. They won a coin toss and made the most of it. Good on them. I didn’t see the flames fold or get outclassed.

[Erick Estrada]

Starting to resemble the first round series against the Avs. The Flames best players being Bennett and the goaltender and the rest of the team getting outplayed.

[Dion]

I have wondered about the collapsing defence in this series and wonder it's the right move by the coaches. Keeping shots to the outside was okay against the Jets but the Stars have too many good shooters on their team and it isn't as effective.

[Strange Brew]

Just finished watching. Have to agree with the Bingo the Stars were the better team, maybe partially because they were behind in the game and the series and more desperate. But unfortunately they will have a ton of confidence after these last 3 games.

Flames definitely in this series and feels better than last year. Not just because of the score either.

Our D men are getting swamped out there more than I’d like. Gio/Brodie hitting some rough patches.

[Rutuu]

1st star to the NHL Gamecenter app for giving away a free preview game for the flames, but gliching so that when I loaded my "hide scores" set app up at 5am local, it showed me the 1-0 score for Dallas in the 2nd period. Disappointing.

Stars brought the pressure, and got some great performances from key players. Positives for us, Gaudreau hit the score sheet and Bennett/Lucic/Dube looked great again. Tobias Reider with a shortie and an open net broken stick (bad break). Another bad break was Brodie's broken stick on the winning goal, his D partner just fumbled the breakout opportunity and it cost us.

Oh well...bring on a pivotal game 5.

[SeanCharles]

Too many penalties and poor clearing attempts cost us.

Lindholm before the tying goal and Forbort when Brodie broke his stick.

You just knew once Brodie’s stick broke we were in trouble.

I wish players would go grab a new stick instead of Dube being mostly useless after handing his off.

I still liked our special teams work and the 3rd and 1st lines play today.

[Makarov]

Originally Posted by ricardodw

The Flames need reigning Norris trophy winner Gio to play a game or two at the Heiskanen level.

I honestly just don't think Giordano has that in him. I think Heiskanen is playing at a level right now that Giordano has never reached (Norris trophy notwithstanding). Heiskanen looks like a generational talent at the moment (though who knows if he will sustain it long term).

[GranteedEV]

Originally Posted by Makarov

I honestly just don't think Giordano has that in him. I think Heiskanen is playing at a level right now that Giordano has never reached (Norris trophy notwithstanding). Heiskanen looks like a generational talent at the moment (though who knows if he will sustain it long term).

Peak Gio wasn't his Norris season IMO. Gio was at his best during the 2013-15 campaigns. He was every bit as good as Heiskanen back then. His norris season was sort of a lifetime achievement award after he put up big PP stats.

[Makarov]

Originally Posted by GranteedEV

Peak Gio wasn't his Norris season IMO. Gio was at his best during the 2013-15 campaigns. He was every bit as good as Heiskanen back then. His norris season was sort of a lifetime achievement award after he put up big PP stats.

You may be right. I could be influenced by some recency bias.

Regardless, Heiskanen is clearly >>>> Giordano in this series, which is quite surprising when you're talking about a second year player and the reigning Norris trophy winner.

[transplant99]

Originally Posted by Bingo

Game Takes: Stars 5 Flames 4 (Series tied 2-2)

- Talbot literally worn out
- good start but the Flames just fade
- far too many penalties
- better team won clearly

Yup.

Somehow though after reading the PGT, it appears a majority disagree,

I dont know how (cause it really isnt debateable)...but they do.

Klingberg right down main street that eventually turned into the tieing goal....like how do you allow that to happen? I was flummoxed.

[DeluxeMoustache]

Originally Posted by Dion

I have wondered about the collapsing defence in this series and wonder it's the right move by the coaches. Keeping shots to the outside was okay against the Jets but the Stars have too many good shooters on their team and it isn't as effective.

They have been stopping a lot if those passes from behind the net in to the slot, and those were brutal in the regular season. That was the book on the Flames, so I think at least some part of it is working.

[DeluxeMoustache]

Good write up. I am with you on Talbot. He frightens the daylights out of me.

A lot of the difference between what people call good and bad goaltending is shot placement.

Dallas has had a lot of near misses off the iron, and missed on some high danger chances. Dickinson had that grade A chance, when the puck was put out to him all alone, and he opted for a quick release and got all of Talbot’s pad. If he realized he had a bit of time, he could have picked his spot.

Talbot had a shot squeak through him that the Flames cleared out of the blue paint.

I also am mixed on some of the goals. Pavelski, I believe, snuck one under a pad.

And as for the winner, I wish we had a better angle. I wonder if he lost the puck for a split second before the shot, because a path seemed to clear as the shot was made, but he didnt’t appear to be reacting to the shooter.

He did make a lot of saves, and a few of them were big ones, but I don’t feel particularly confident in him.

I think he is an adequate goalie, and the high quantity of shots are based on the Flames collapsing, trying to give him shots from outside, and trying to ensure they are winning the net front puck battles.

[transplant99]

If Rittich was in net...this game would have been 8-4.

[DeluxeMoustache]

Impossible to know, and what does that have to do with anything?

I don’t think anyone here is saying anything about him

Bingo was talking about whether you spend money on Talbot based on what we have seen

[Brick]

5 consecutive penalties to Calgary when the game was on the line.

So far, 3 consecutive penalties to Montreal when the game is on the line. There seems to be a pattern here.

[Erick Estrada]

Talbot has been their best player in the playoffs easily. I’m not campaigning to have him re-signed as I would rather the team bring in a better goaltender if possible but it’s evident Rittich is the backup goaltender of this team going forward as he’s not as good as Talbot and the hope is to improve off Talbot in the offseason.

[DeluxeMoustache]

The thing about Calgary’s penalties was that the early ones were particularly weak.

Talbot’s - yeah, it was a trip. Bennett’s was ridiculous, in my view. Could have taken the Star for the stick afterwards. I actually thought the Star was going. I also thought Janmark went down easily on Gio’s.

And even though Cogliano skated face first in to Monahan’s stick, I see why the refs call that. Backlund’s trip was pretty clear cut, as well.

It would have been nice to see some kind of even up, because that sequence of calls saw the Flames shirt handed for almost 10 out of 14 minutes, from 2 minutes before period 2 ended until over halfway through the third.

It is tough watching the Flames sometimes because you really don’t see a similar parade to the box on the other side.

[Roof-Daddy]

Talbot seems like a decent blocking style goalie but he sure seems to give up a lot of juicy rebounds no? Like on the tying goal for instance.

I agree he's played well, but I don't know if he's the answer going forward, or Rittich for that matter.

I've never been a Lehner fan. Maybe Markstrom will make it to UFA.