[PGT] WCQF Game 4: Ducks 3 - Flames 1; Anaheim wins series in sweep

[calgaryblood]

Originally Posted by DuffMan

Bad luck and bad goaltending and an allowed high stick goal doomed the Flames. Too bad.
Aside from that I don't think they got beat 4 straight.

Nope, goaltending cost us the series. Bad luck didn't play a part in it and that one high stick call which was debateable at best didn't cost us the series.

[Toonage]

I woke up oddly optimistic this morning. Unhappy how that series went obviously, but kind of excited for the off season and the moves to come.

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by Rejean31

Yeah, he really sucked last year when he led the Blues to the Western Conference Final!!🙄

You should re-watch the Western Conference final. He was pulled in Game 3 and lost Game 6.

[cannon7]

Gulutzan is not as bad a coach as he appeared to be in October/November. But he is still one of the most stubborn coaches I've seen when it comes to trying things that have proven time and time again to not work. Putting Eliott in last night was yet another, in a long list of flawed judgement calls that make me not want him back next season. He might be able to coach, but his poor decisions not only hurt the team, but he refuses to learn from those mistakes and just keeps making them. Your coach is allowed to make mistakes, he's not allowed to keep making the same ones over and over.

That being said, it's clear Gulutzan took the helm of an incredibly fragile team. I would very much like to root out the source of this apparent tendency for mental breakdowns. In 2014/15 the Flames seemingly could not be deterred, comebacks abound. Since then they've been a goal away from complete collapse. Maybe it is time to select a new captain.

[Flamenfame]

Originally Posted by cannon7

Gulutzan is not as bad a coach as he appeared to be in October/November. But he is still one of the most stubborn coaches I've seen when it comes to trying things that have proven time and time again to not work. Putting Eliott in last night was yet another, in a long list of flawed judgement calls that make me not want him back next season. He might be able to coach, but his poor decisions not only hurt the team, but he refuses to learn from those mistakes and just keeps making them. Your coach is allowed to make mistakes, he's not allowed to keep making the same ones over and over.

That being said, it's clear Gulutzan took the helm of an incredibly fragile team. I would very much like to root out the source of this apparent tendency for mental breakdowns. In 2014/15 the Flames seemingly could not be deterred, comebacks abound. Since then they've been a goal away from complete collapse. Maybe it is time to select a new captain.

He is a rookie coach in the nhl that took a couple of months to teach the team his game play and structure. We made the playoffs so he passes at this ,but he does need to improve on his game coaching and realizing what is not working. I think he will be much better at this next year.

[Huntingwhale]

Frustrating series to watch. Outside fans who didn't watch will just see 0-4 and assume the Flames laid down. But I can honestly say that the team that got swept in 4 deserved much better. Goaltending was our achilles heel. As was the poor play of Gaudreau, Brodie, Brouwer, Hamilton and even Ferland to an extent. Still should have won at least 2 games, but the Ducks are easily the worst match up we could have gotten and I don't know of any team that gets luckier playing us then them. Even their post game interviews said as much.

The Gaudreau hate is funny, considering he was unlikely to ever even make the NHL, let alone become a star player. He's not a Fleury or St. Louis. He is what he is. An undersized winger who won't win you board battles with gritty play, but can thread the needle with his puck skills. He's the perfect example of if a player is going to be a one-trick pony, he better be good at that one trick. While we'd like to see him become a St. Louis type hybrid who is strong on his skates and can win board battles, he's likely to never become that. Just be glad BT didn't fork over 8 million + like some wanted just to ''get him signed''. Hopefully he takes his training a bit more seriously this summer and comes back with a chip on his shoulders.

But most of all I was probably disappointed in the play of Brodie the most. He was decent at times. But hasn't looked anything like the top 15 D he looked like the past 2 seasons. The Stone acquisition has helped him. But all of us know he has much more to give.

Once again, the hunt for a true #1G continues. More then a franchise C, a top line RW, a top 4 D, we need that true #1 G more then ever if this team ever hopes to take the next step.

[Infinit47]

Originally Posted by Flamenfame

He is a rookie coach in the nhl that took a couple of months to teach the team his game play and structure. We made the playoffs so he passes at this ,but he does need to improve on his game coaching and realizing what is not working. I think he will be much better at this next year.

Except for the two years he was head coach in Dallas.

He's had plenty of time being the bench in the NHL to learn bench manaent, and he simply hasn't.

[PeteMoss]

Also - playing Chicago would have not gone any better than Anaheim if Elliott played the same.

If anyone should be cursing that last minute goal by the Jets it should be Chicago who could have faced Elliott and his brutalness instead of Rinne and his .979 save percentage.

[ThisIsAnOutrage]

That game was so frustrating. One soft goal by Elliott, one unforgivable rebound by Johnson, and there's the end of the series.

It also looked like for most of the game the Flames were attempting some new-fangled offence where there is no one in front of the net. It did not work. Gibson was solid, but not nearly pressed enough.

On the upside, unlike in 2015, IMO, despite the sweep, it feels like the Flames took a step in the right direction in terms of being able to hang in with the Ducks game in, game out and that had a few things gone a little differently they could have won, or at least taken it to 6 or 7.

[wooohooo]

Hard to blame Johnson, came in cold after not playing for a long time, let in one mediocre goal and shut the door after. Elliott on the other hand, man oh man... what a wreck he was.

I'm also starting to lose faith in Johnny. It seems he's scared to do any moves ala Patrick Kane. Kane's unpredictable and can always get in the right areas. Seems Johnny is scared and always will drive the outside either curls back to the blue line and dumps it in or will just try a low percentage perimeter shot near the dots. I just don't think he has the speed to do what he wants to do. And he's also afraid of getting crushed.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by wooohooo

Hard to blame Johnson, came in cold after not playing for a long time, let in one mediocre goal and shut the door after. Elliott on the other hand, man oh man... what a wreck he was.

I'm also starting to lose faith in Johnny. It seems he's scared to do any moves ala Patrick Kane. Kane's unpredictable and can always get in the right areas. Seems Johnny is scared and always will drive the outside either curls back to the blue line and dumps it in or will just try a low percentage perimeter shot near the dots. I just don't think he has the speed to do what he wants to do. And he's also afraid of getting crushed.

This was a really difficult season for Gaudreau, and yet he still managed to register +60 points. He looked frequently frustrated to me this year, and I think the wrist injury was a factor beyond December. Sometimes a payer will just have a bad year, and the way Gaudreau played and with the amount of exasperation he displayed all season has me thinking that he—more than anyone is just ready for it to be over, and to get a fresh start next year.

[automaton 3]

Originally Posted by Huntingwhale

But most of all I was probably disappointed in the play of Brodie the most. He was decent at times. But hasn't looked anything like the top 15 D he looked like the past 2 seasons. The Stone acquisition has helped him. But all of us know he has much more to give.

I think Brodie performs far better on the right side. His backhand passing is one of his strengths and he doesn't have much opportunity to utilize it on the left side.

Was really hoping to see Gio and Brodie reunited but this coaching staff seems pretty rigid in their line combos.

[Scary Eloranta]

Originally Posted by wooohooo

Hard to blame Johnson, came in cold after not playing for a long time, let in one mediocre goal and shut the door after. Elliott on the other hand, man oh man... what a wreck he was.

I'm also starting to lose faith in Johnny. It seems he's scared to do any moves ala Patrick Kane. Kane's unpredictable and can always get in the right areas. Seems Johnny is scared and always will drive the outside either curls back to the blue line and dumps it in or will just try a low percentage perimeter shot near the dots. I just don't think he has the speed to do what he wants to do. And he's also afraid of getting crushed.

Have to agree that Johnny looked extremely timid this series. Great player in regular season and obviously amazing in overtime but not built for playoff hockey - especially if they somehow made a long run which I'm not sure I will ever see again in my lifetime.

Only standout for me this short series was Monahan. The rest just weren't good enough (ONE friggin goal in an elimination game???) and of course the goaltending was non-existent.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by Flamenfame

He is a rookie coach in the nhl that took a couple of months to teach the team his game play and structure. We made the playoffs so he passes at this ,but he does need to improve on his game coaching and realizing what is not working. I think he will be much better at this next year.

Why do people keep stating this? Does his two years as head coach in Dallas not count as NHL head coaching experience?

[Toonage]

Guess he gives off the vibe of a rookie coach either because of his appearance or (in the opinion of some) his decision making.

[Reign of Fire]

I hope we had picked up Iginla at the trade deadline, he would've brought that hunger into the series. It could've possibly helped the younger players. Also, goaltending was horrible, I could've saved the first shot last game.

[taxbuster]

Originally Posted by cannon7

Gulutzan is not as bad a coach as he appeared to be in October/November. But he is still one of the most stubborn coaches I've seen when it comes to trying things that have proven time and time again to not work. Putting Eliott in last night was yet another, in a long list of flawed judgement calls that make me not want him back next season. He might be able to coach, but his poor decisions not only hurt the team, but he refuses to learn from those mistakes and just keeps making them. Your coach is allowed to make mistakes, he's not allowed to keep making the same ones over and over.

That being said, it's clear Gulutzan took the helm of an incredibly fragile team. I would very much like to root out the source of this apparent tendency for mental breakdowns. In 2014/15 the Flames seemingly could not be deterred, comebacks abound. Since then they've been a goal away from complete collapse. Maybe it is time to select a new captain.

GG needs a mentor. He's a bright young coach who did some good things - but you can't expect your team to be mentally tough when, as coach, you do things that appear to be out of sheer stubbornness. Those things get misinterpreted by players (and fans).

Management is a tricky beast; having been in management pretty much all my working years, one needs to - among other things - listen, cajole and exhort - and make smart decisions. Doggedly playing Wideman, Grossman etc does not send the message that you are interested in making smart decisions. Why would players do so?

And his demeanor - that laid-back, take it easy and think about things style - needs sometimes to be chucked in his back pocket and replaced with some life.

I like what he's done - sort of - I just don't like the way he goes about it and think he needs a coach for his coaching.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

Why do people keep stating this? Does his two years as head coach in Dallas not count as NHL head coaching experience?

Does two years experience in one job make you an NHL veteran?

[tsquared1967]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

Why do people keep stating this? Does his two years as head coach in Dallas not count as NHL head coaching experience?

Totally agree that Gulutzen is not a rookie coach but the Flames needed 20 games to adjust to his system. The team played very well after the first 20 games. The Flames were 8-11-1 after 20 games and went 37-22-3 the rest to the regular season. Their record in regulation was 32 wins and 33 losses. They lost 4 games in OT/SO but won 9 games on 3on3 format and won 4 games via the SO. The Flames need to improve their 60 minutes game.

[CliffFletcher]

Strange how this adjusting to a system excuse has become a meme on this board. A bunch of teams get new coaches every season. They don't automatically suck because they're learning a new system. The Senators opened 12-7-1 with a new coach. The Wild went 11-7-2. The Flames clearly played better later in the season. But as was pointed out above, had a losing record in regulation.