[GDT] Split Games vs the Canucks. Victoria 8pm MT - SN. Calgary 7pm MT - streamed

[dustygoon]

We want to suck in the preseason. Else you are the oilers.

[KootenayFlamesFan]

Re: AC

Maybe, I guess it depends what the team wants. Speed and PK, it's Rieder. A little more sandpaper and it's Rinaldo.

I'm a huge fan of speedy players so I'd be more than happy to see Rieder earn a contract, maybe that's why I'm a little tough on him tonight. I wanted to see his speed a lot more tonight. And maybe see him score at least one goal a year?

[Red Slinger]

I thought it was a very positive night overall.

In Calgary, the NHLers dominated for about half the game and then set it on cruise control.

I was pleasantly surprised with Lucic. He looks like he fits better here than he did in Edmonton.

PTO guys: I was not impressed with DSP. For a guy fighting for his career he didn't make much of an impact. Rinaldo was so-so. I thought McDonald was solid.

Talbot looked lost and uncomfortable. It was like he couldn't find his crease. Hopefully that's rust or Oiler stink or whatever. We saw similar results with Dubnyk. Not saying Talbot is gonna be Vezina candidate every year but he obviously has some bad habits to shake off. Hopefully he can.

The baby Flames in Victoria looked really good too. Dube and Phillips in particular were buzzing. Also the goalie Zagiwhatever looked very comfortable. His movement and body language reminds me a little of Kiprusoff. I look forward to him being the starter or co-starter in Stockton. Parsons is very fast but also a little chaotic. He needs to quiet his game. Rieder is fast and works hard but doesn't have much finish. He could potentially be a good energy/PK guy but there's a lot of competition there.

Jankowski looked like he would rather be somewhere else. His spot on the team is by no means etched in stone. I think he was wearing a letter last night and was one of the more veteran players. The dichotomy between how he and say Giordano played in the other game was quite stark.

Stone looked tentative and rusty but settled down as the game went on. I think he'll be eating a lot of popcorn from the press box this year.

Both teams hopefully also learned a lesson that you can't take your foot off the gas, even in pre-season. Better to have that experience now than in the regular season.

It was awesome having hockey back. It was even more awesome having two games on at the same time.

[Cali Panthers Fan]

^ I agree on Jankowski. He didn't seem to have a whole lot of pep in his step. He was reaching all over the ice.

I'll chalk it up to early camp rust, but he better get his legs going in the next couple of pre-season games or he could be the guy we ship out for picks in order to give Dube a spot on the team.

[topfiverecords]

Jankowski made some really nice cross ice passes but was mostly unnoticeable.

Zavgorodny and Robinson were effective all over the ice.

Dube looked amazing and it benefited Phillips.

[Textcritic]

I came away from watching both games last night with one strong impression: I really like a lot of the Flames’s prospects. I tried to keep my eyes on Pelletier in the Calgary game (which was admittedly difficult to do with the poor quality of the stream), and he struck me as such a smart player. He seemed to always be well positioned and made things happen whenever he was on the ice. In Victoria, Dube and Phillips were fantastic. They look like impact NHL players. I thought Zagidulin had a really strong showing, and Parsons did a solid job coming into the game cold. I also really liked Zavgorodniy, whom I thought made some sneaky good plays.

I am just as excited about the Flames long term future as I am the new season. It’s going to be a dogfight for the bottom-six roster spots, and I think a couple of prospects could pop this year.


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[Bingo]

I thought Dube was on a completely different level than what we saw last year. He stood out more for me in controlling the game and making an impact on almost every shift than any other player in either game.

I think he's a lock, and maybe a guy pushing into the top nine along with Mangiapane.

[GioforPM]

In the Calgary game seemed like it was almost too easy too early. So the players relaxed, thinking that, despite not getting goals on the multiple chances, they had the game on lock. Then Talbot lets in a softy, but even then, they seemed like the Canucks were no threat. So they still didn't get going.

[Moneyhands23]

Originally Posted by Cali Panthers Fan

^ I agree on Jankowski. He didn't seem to have a whole lot of pep in his step. He was reaching all over the ice.

I'll chalk it up to early camp rust, but he better get his legs going in the next couple of pre-season games or he could be the guy we ship out for picks in order to give Dube a spot on the team.

And to think that we almost traded janko and brodie for kadri +

That just kills me still as the team would have been so much better this year.

[Stay Golden]

Talbot gave the Canucks a lot of net to shoot at, he doesn't cover his angles well enough. He was too deep in the crease far too many times.

[troutman]

Originally Posted by Moneyhands23

And to think that we almost traded janko and brodie for kadri +

That just kills me still as the team would have been so much better this year.

No thank you!

[Shazam]

Talbot looked really stiff and creaky last night. Hopefully it's because it's the start of training camp.

[Kovaz]

Haven't seem him mentioned, but I thought Ruzicka had a good game in Victoria as well. Looked really strong on his skates and had good puck control and passing. Not quite on the same level as Dube or Czarnik but I think there's a player there.

[TheScorpion]

I was generally pretty impressed by Stone's game last night. I also liked Rinaldo a lot. Zagidulin and Rittich were fantastic and I have a hunch that they'll be the Flames' tandem for years.

[1991 Canadian]

I only caught part of both games, but I thought the Flames were the better team in both. I foolishly keep waiting for Giordano to slow down and he doesn’t. If he stays healthy, he could win another Norris. Most of the NHL regulars looked good. Not ideal to see Talbot let in a soft one, but it’s early. I handful of the prospects / young FA signings have been notable to me. Dube, Phillips, Gawdin, Zavgorodniy, Zagidulin. Yelesin. The Flames have a ton of depth at the bottom of the roster.

I try not to be too much of a homer, but after watching the Oilers prospects and more or less the Canucks prospects, I’m not impressed. They’ve done well with some of their first round picks, but their depth prospects are uninspiring. I haven’t left after any of these games thinking “Wow, I can’t believe the Canucks drafted Jamaal Smerakovskibrovskyov in the 4th round. What a steal!” Both fanbases are desperate for a hidden gem and I’m just not seeing it.

[Karl Racki]

Originally Posted by Kovaz

Haven't seem him mentioned, but I thought Ruzicka had a good game in Victoria as well. Looked really strong on his skates and had good puck control and passing. Not quite on the same level as Dube or Czarnik but I think there's a player there.

Completely agree, he surprised me more than any other Flame... in a very good way.

[TheIronMaiden]

It's difficult to get to worked up about the results of this game for 'established players' That said, Dube, and Philips are both making an NHL campaign. Lomberg could have had more fire in his belly, but its hard to make a Sunday skate into anything more then it is. I wouldn't mind if next game they played all the prospects they wanted a second look at and started sending players packing after the game.

[Rick M.]

Originally Posted by Kovaz

Haven't seem him mentioned, but I thought Ruzicka had a good game in Victoria as well. Looked really strong on his skates and had good puck control and passing. Not quite on the same level as Dube or Czarnik but I think there's a player there.

I too noticed Ruzicka’s passing. I liked the fact that he was directing traffic out there.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by Kovaz

Haven't seem him mentioned, but I thought Ruzicka had a good game in Victoria as well. Looked really strong on his skates and had good puck control and passing. Not quite on the same level as Dube or Czarnik but I think there's a player there.

I watched both games in bits and spurts last night, and am just now rewatching the Victoria game. You are so right—Ruzicka was really, really good, and very pleasantly surpsingly so.

Also, there was an awesome moment in the middle of the second period when Phillips tenaciously forechecked Chris Tanev in the offensive zone, came away with the puck and created a good scoring chance. The Victoria Phillips groupies responded with a big cheer.

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

Originally Posted by Bingo

I thought Dube was on a completely different level than what we saw last year. He stood out more for me in controlling the game and making an impact on almost every shift than any other player in either game.

My hesitation is that he was also like this in the preseason last year... the question is not whether the talent is there, it's whether he can keep it up over time.