[PGT] Flames lose 4-2, trail series 2-1

[kyuss275]

Some weird takes in this thread

Thought flames played a pretty good road game. Posters are mad at Johnny and Tkachuk and want them shipped out?

Markstrom being outplayed?

Sutter being out coached?

Yes we need more scoring. Flames need to get to the dirty areas more. I’m not happy with the 2 deadline players acquired. We gave up a lot of draft capital and they have been horrid .

[direwolf]

Originally Posted by Lanny_McDonald

* Sutter set them on this course with his mindnumbingly stupid mumble-jumbo about them being the underdogs in this series. Professional athletes need to believe in themselves to be successful. This world-against-us mentality is pretty much crap after you do what the Flames did during the regular season. The idea they being preached that they are the underdogs let's seeds of uncertainty be planted and a little adversity cause the belief they really aren't good enough to take root. The Flames have lost their swagger because they don't believe they should be winning these games. It has become a self-fulfilling prophesy even though they are the much better team.

I don't remember Sutter ever proclaiming they were underdogs. If he did, then feel free to post a link. He's talked several times about how tough it is to win in the playoffs and that you have to elevate your game to another level, and he would be absolutely correct. He's just being realistic. Dude has won 2 Cups as a head coach (and been a Cup finalist) for a reason. I'd say he knows how to properly motivate a team. Besides, what's the alternative? Telling them that they're the greatest team in the world and that they're gonna walk all over Dallas in 4 straight just because they had an awesome regular season? Gimme a break.

These last two losses have nothing to do with coaching. This is 100% on the players for simply not executing and not getting into those dirty areas and doing what it takes to win a series. On paper this is an excellent, deep team with several players who have gone on long playoff runs and won Cups in the past. Yet in these last two games they don't seem to have the mental fortitude to overcome adversity. I don't know what the answer is, but Sutter's coaching style is not the problem.

[dissentowner]

I stayed away from this thread last night and don't need to go back and read the stepping off a ledge reactions that I am sure are to the extreme. It is 2-1, win game 4 and we are back home with home ice. It was always going to be a tough out against a team that's whole system is based on constant interference, grabbing, and holding. Combine that with a goalie playing red hot and it is tough. It also does not help that the second line is bad. Mangi is starting to come around but Toffoli and Backlund have been garbage offensively. Those guys need to start doing something. Win game 4, one game at a time.

[sa226]

I'm not going to try and dissect if the Flames are going to the net enough or if they're playing GG hockey or if line combinations are the best they can be etc etc. To me, last night the game was summed up in 2 things. 1, a Markstrom rebound right up mainstreet to the most dangerous guy on the ice, and nobody pick him up. Blown assignment. 2, Gaudreau on a breakaway with the tie on his stick, and doesn't score.

That's it right there.

In a general sense, I have a hard time believing that this team under this coach with the year they just had, are going to lose 3 in a row.

We're going back to Calgary for a best of 3 and home ice advantage.

[puckhog]

Originally Posted by dissentowner

I stayed away from this thread last night and don't need to go back and read the stepping off a ledge reactions that I am sure are to the extreme. It is 2-1, win game 4 and we are back home with home ice. It was always going to be a tough out against a team that's whole system is based on constant interference, grabbing, and holding. Combine that with a goalie playing red hot and it is tough. It also does not help that the second line is bad. Mangi is starting to come around but Toffoli and Backlund have been garbage offensively. Those guys need to start doing something. Win game 4, one game at a time.

Agreed with everything you said (including avoiding the early pages of this thread). I believe this team can win this series; will they? Who knows. But you’re right that Toffoli and Mangiapane need to start doing something. IMO, starting with hitting the net with their shots, it feels like every time Toffoli in particular shoots, he misses and the puck rings around to where nobody is set up for it.

Only thing I would add is Tkachuk needs to cut out the early game antics with Klingberg. He said the right things after game 1, but has done completely the opposite on the ice and is taking himself out of important early game minutes. It’s infuriating to watch him do it.

[tvp2003]

If you predicted the Flames to sweep or win in 5, then yeah this series has been pretty disappointing.

If you predicted the series to go six or seven, then we’re pretty much where you’d expect to be.

Monday night can’t come soon enough…

[calgarygeologist]

Originally Posted by direwolf

I don't remember Sutter ever proclaiming they were underdogs. If he did, then feel free to post a link. He's talked several times about how tough it is to win in the playoffs and that you have to elevate your game to another level, and he would be absolutely correct. He's just being realistic. Dude has won 2 Cups as a head coach (and been a Cup finalist) for a reason. I'd say he knows how to properly motivate a team. Besides, what's the alternative? Telling them that they're the greatest team in the world and that they're gonna walk all over Dallas in 4 straight just because they had an awesome regular season? Gimme a break.

These last two losses have nothing to do with coaching. This is 100% on the players for simply not executing and not getting into those dirty areas and doing what it takes to win a series. On paper this is an excellent, deep team with several players who have gone on long playoff runs and won Cups in the past. Yet in these last two games they don't seem to have the mental fortitude to overcome adversity. I don't know what the answer is, but Sutter's coaching style is not the problem.

I don't know if he said it recently to media but this is from a month ago:

“You’re going to be an underdog, doesn’t matter. That’s a fact,” Sutter said. “Because you haven’t been a playoff team. As an organization, you’ve had zero success for a long time. So you’re going to be an underdog, whoever you play.”

https://calgarysun.com/sports/hockey...n-playoff-talk

[Scroopy Noopers]

Everyone understands that the shot choice was deliberate right? A rebound right there is going to happen to every goalie in the NHL. That was the play, executed.

[CroFlames]

Originally Posted by AC

From r/hockey:

https://twitter.com/user/status/1523162979964915712

Not ideal.

This doesn’t inspire hope that the Flames can turn this around. He’s our best player.

[Manhattanboy]

Blake Coleman’s penalty was inexcusable. Loss is on him as far as I’m concerned. The lack of discipline is so disappointing. It wasn’t a scoring chance. Hack a guy in the hands right in front of the ref. What a mental midget. And in front of his family and friends lol. Idiot.

It’s on the level of what Smith did in Game 1 for EDM.

[Hockey_Ninja]

The posts in this thread blaming Markstrom are ridiculous. He’s the best player on the team right now

[Ashasx]

nm

[Coach]

Definitely a better game than game 2. I knew Pavelski would be a handful. Stupid Preds.

[ComixZone]

Originally Posted by Manhattanboy

Blake Coleman’s penalty was inexcusable. Loss is on him as far as I’m concerned. The lack of discipline is so disappointing. It wasn’t a scoring chance. Hack a guy in the hands right in front of the ref. What a mental midget. And in front of his family and friends lol. Idiot.

It’s on the level of what Smith did in Game 1 for EDM.

It's rarely one mistake that causes a goal against.

1 - The Slash
2 - Dube's failed attempt to stick check
3 - Andersson being out of position
4 - Hanifin being late getting back
5 - Markstrom's poor rebound control

To blame the penalty itself is a pretty bleh point. NHL refs are inconsistent as all hell. Sure, say that slash is automatic - but when Coleman was blatantly high sticked, where was that call? It's damn near impossible to predict what they will or won't call in any given moment.

They don't call the games, they manage the games. They were clearly given marching orders in this playoff series as well and they're having a huge impact on how the games are being played.

[Manhattanboy]

Originally Posted by Ashasx

nm

Ya I’m spending the day preparing for the inevitable.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by ComixZone

It's rarely one mistake that causes a goal against.

1 - The Slash
2 - Dube's failed attempt to stick check
3 - Andersson being out of position
4 - Hanifin being late getting back
5 - Markstrom's poor rebound control

To blame the penalty itself is a pretty bleh point. NHL refs are inconsistent as all hell. Sure, say that slash is automatic - but when Coleman was blatantly high sticked, where was that call? It's damn near impossible to predict what they will or won't call in any given moment.

They don't call the games, they manage the games. They were clearly given marching orders in this playoff series as well and they're having a huge impact on how the games are being played.

Oettinger's rebound control has been much worse over this series. Flames forwards simply haven't been going to the net enough.

[Ashasx]

Originally Posted by Manhattanboy

Ya I’m spending the day preparing for the inevitable.

trying to focus on other things

I'm the idiot for letting the Flames bring my mood down again

[JohnnyB]

Originally Posted by chedder

What about the other guy that scored tonight? Number 28 with an actual beauty of a goal.

Lindholm's goal was a beauty of a shot. That is true. I didn't notice him for much other than that play and being terrible on face offs though.

[Poe969]

..nm

[DiracSpike]

Originally Posted by Bonded

Flames may have won against the Perds...

Or, given the history we’ve seen from this team and how the underperform every year, in a parallel universe where the flames played Nashville they’d be down 2-1 to them too while Colorado beat the wheels of a clearly inferior Dallas team and we all lamented not playing them. Like I get what you’re saying, Nashville looks awful, but we’ve seen this movie too many times for me to think any different. It happens almost every year. The flames have a really bad habit of making teams look way better than they are. 2017 ducks destroyed them, then had a competitive series against the oilers right after that could have gone either way. 2019 Colorado was on the rise for sure, but again they absolutely wrecked us and then lost a close series to San Jose. It happens so much that the flames have actually conditioned some fans to think that being a top seed and losing and getting outplayed by bottom seeds is normal and to be expected, or that we’re just having bad luck. Dallas deserved to win last night, just like game 2. They bullied us, their goalie was better and their forwards are better. I agree with Cecil saying this team is the hot chick you try to convince yourself that things will work out with when deep down you know that’s not true, I was thinking that last night it’s the perfect analogy lol.