[PGT] Flames lose to Blues 4-3 OTL

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by Cali Panthers Fan

If you listen to Sutter pressers he constantly talks about this team as not having enough skill to play that kind of game and so they have to play "the right way" which is his way. Mentions shot volume a lot instead of making skillful plays. He also refers to them as a low-scoring team...but that again is due to style of play.

This honestly seems like a mind game to me. Constantly tell players they're not talented so they play to his system. It doesn't shock me at all to see players who are naturally gifted offensively struggle so much right now. His messaging is NOT doing this team any favors at the moment, and quite frankly, it's starting to piss me off. I can only imagine how the players feel about it. They don't seem to be having too much fun these days.

I agree 100%

As to the bold, we have seen this before - we had the exact same situation with a coach named Brent Sutter. I was really excited that they hired BSutter, but when he came in, he kept saying over and over that the team didn't have much talent and had to play his way (plodding, defensive game).

The team never got going under his tutelage. And now it's deja vu, all over again.

[GullFoss]

Originally Posted by Bingo

But why?

They had the 10th best powerplay last year. It was generally a move the puck quick, thread the seam powerplay working out of the corner and the left wall.

So this year he wants them to just get pucks on net? Why?

He probably watched the movie moneypuck this summer. Now he only want guys who can get puck on net.

More seriously, it's more probably that there's a method to what he's doing. He's coaching for the team to play the right way to have success in the playoffs. So it's about sacrificing short-term success to ensure they get the reps in and get comfortable with a style that wins in the playoffs.

[Leeman4Gilmour]

Originally Posted by Cali Panthers Fan

If you listen to Sutter pressers he constantly talks about this team as not having enough skill to play that kind of game and so they have to play "the right way" which is his way. Mentions shot volume a lot instead of making skillful plays. He also refers to them as a low-scoring team...but that again is due to style of play.

This honestly seems like a mind game to me. Constantly tell players they're not talented so they play to his system. It doesn't shock me at all to see players who are naturally gifted offensively struggle so much right now. His messaging is NOT doing this team any favors at the moment, and quite frankly, it's starting to piss me off. I can only imagine how the players feel about it. They don't seem to be having too much fun these days.

Couldn't agree more and if it's bugging fans it's not unrealistic to think it might be bugging the players. To add, and in the same vein, I'm surprised Sutter still mentions Gaudreau and Tkachuk as often as he does. I thought he would be a move forward, not look backward kind of guy. This also annoys me and, in my opinion, is a bit insulting to Huberdeau and Kadri.

[Teroy]

Originally Posted by Naitix

How many times did one of Tkachuk's blind passes or through the leg plays failed? Johnny would make the same east-west passes and mess them up all the time too. It is fine to make high risk plays on the powerplay, it is what it is all about, you just need to be ready to respond when they fail

We're not talking about Tkachuk. He made up for his gaffs in other ways. Huberdeau has not made up for his gaffs.

It's time to stop making excuses for this team. They've had half a season to get it together. When on the ice, the players have plenty of time to improvise and adjust. Stop the b.s. about Sutter's system. If they make the playoffs, they'll be gone in the first round. Ownership will make a few more dollars and we'll all eat up the propaganda about "next year".

[Always Earned Never Given]

What's the point of having 3 assist. coaches behind the bench if most think that Sutter does what he wants?

If us fans see what is wrong with this team, you don't think that Muller, Huska or Maclean see it as well and do not say a word to Sutter?

Sometimes you wonder if those 4 are playing truth or consequences on off days.

Maclean to Sutter: Truth or consequence?
Sutter: Consequence:
Maclean: I dare you to put Looch on the 2nd line for 20 games!
Sutter: Ok!

Huska to Muller: Truth or consequence?
Muller: Consequence
Huska: I dare you to ask your PP to pass the puck around and take low quality chances for the next 25 games.
Muller: Done deal

Meanwhile Labarbera walks by: Hey can I have a consequence too?
Sutter: Sure tell Marky he needs to stop 5 shots per game with his chest and 2 with the back side of his glove!

[activeStick]

Originally Posted by Cali Panthers Fan

If you listen to Sutter pressers he constantly talks about this team as not having enough skill to play that kind of game and so they have to play "the right way" which is his way. Mentions shot volume a lot instead of making skillful plays. He also refers to them as a low-scoring team...but that again is due to style of play.

This honestly seems like a mind game to me. Constantly tell players they're not talented so they play to his system. It doesn't shock me at all to see players who are naturally gifted offensively struggle so much right now. His messaging is NOT doing this team any favors at the moment, and quite frankly, it's starting to piss me off. I can only imagine how the players feel about it. They don't seem to be having too much fun these days.

Sutter has implied that the team doesn't have the skilled players to play a skill game ever since he arrived, even when Johnny and Chucky were on the team. I'd agree that it's done to get the team playing a specific way.

[Cecil Terwilliger]

Originally Posted by N-E-B

Meh. I don’t think I’ve been this apathetic towards a Flames team since 2013 when they traded Iginla. I’m finding it hard to care about them right now. I don’t find myself looking forward to games, and honestly I don’t find myself getting overly excited about wins right now.

I miss caring about this team, but I’m finding it difficult to find a reason to care right now. They’re not an elite team. They have no high end prospects coming. They have no elite talent on the current roster. They don’t play an exciting brand. I seriously struggle to think of a single franchise that I’m glad I don’t cheer for compared to the Flames right now. Maybe Vancouver or San Jose? Philly? That might be it.

Originally Posted by Huntingwhale

Sucks to say, but that is what happens when you lose 2 elite 100+ points players in a single off-season. Say what you want about both players "betrayal", greed, wife issues, lack of desire to win, whatever. Both those guys brought fans out of their seats on a night to night basis, even when the team was losing.

I know we were all excited thinking we "won" the FLA trade. But deep down I knew the team was losing a lot of the excitement factor and you could at least look forward to being entertained. Not sure what Huby is at this point. Extremely hard to believe he was considered a legit superstar over the past half-decade. I get trying to adapt to a new system. But I can't recall a single play this season where I thought he did something "magical" or got me out of my seat. All I see is a guy who is a class act in front of the mic, but often misses passes, sucks 1 on 1, has very few elite moves, and looks like a middle 6 forward most nights. Hasn't been a single game this season where he has legit taken over and you could point to him being the stand out 1st star of the night. Very disappointing. I guess the good news is his new contract doesn't kick in until next season, so maybe it takes him a year to figure things out here before he takes off.

Big Sutter fan here, but his choices are baffling. Seems to have lost the concept of icing your best possible roster night in and night out. Otherwise we'd have seen the younger guys being put in positions to succeed and Vladar in the net more often.

I still watch the games, albeit more in the background while doing something else. I think the team will struggle to get to the post-season ,but make it in. Will take a miracle to win more than a few games though, as every team seems to be a bad match up for them right now. God help us if we somehow play the Oilers again.

No choice but to ride the rest of the season out and pray they get it together at the right time. However Flames' history tells us that will not be the case.

While I understand the frustration, I can't help but chuckle a bit at these posts.

This is the EXACT same stuff people said when Johnny and Chucky were leading us to multiple consecutive disappointing seasons and disappointing playoff exits.

Our talent wasn't elite, they weren't true stars and gamebreakers, we have no identity etc. Even the stuff about coaching making the team play down and being less than the sum of their parts was the same.

Then for 1 season everyone acted like Johnny and Chucky and Lindy became elite overnight and they could win with a real NHL calibre coach.

Oops. Looks like it might be more complicated than that. I mean really, which is it? Was it the elite talent? Darryl? Lightning in a bottle? Fluke?

It's actually funny for anyone to suggest Huberdeau was a flash in the pan when Johnny and Chucky have repeatedly shown that they aren't consistent superstars in this league. I thought we'd have learned our lesson by now. I mean legitimately funny. It's like we all have some sort of memory loss issue but collectively as a fanbase.



Time is a flat circle. Everything we've ever done or will do, we're going to do over and over again. - Rust Cohle.

[SuperMatt18]

Originally Posted by Cecil Terwilliger

While I understand the frustration, I can't help but chuckle a bit at these posts.

This is the EXACT same stuff people said when Johnny and Chucky were leading us to multiple consecutive disappointing seasons and disappointing playoff exits.

Our talent wasn't elite, they weren't true stars and gamebreakers, we have no identity etc. Even the stuff about coaching making the team play down and being less than the sum of their parts was the same.

Then for 1 season everyone acted like Johnny and Chucky and Lindy became elite overnight and they could win with a real NHL calibre coach.

Oops. Looks like it might be more complicated than that. I mean really, which is it? Was it the elite talent? Darryl? Lightning in a bottle? Fluke?

It's actually funny for anyone to suggest Huberdeau was a flash in the pan when Johnny and Chucky have repeatedly shown that they aren't consistent superstars in this league. I thought we'd have learned our lesson by now. I mean legitimately funny. It's like we all have some sort of memory loss issue but collectively as a fanbase.



Time is a flat circle. Everything we've ever done or will do, we're going to do over and over again. - Rust Cohle.

And it was always overlooked that that line was very fortunate last year.

Gaudreau and Tkachuk had a 13.0% on ice shooting percentage last year. They generated a ton of quality but were also very fortunate and got some good bounces as a line.

It was a huge career high for all three last year:

Gaudreau: 13.17% - previous high 10.6%
Tkachuk: 12.33% - previous high (9.83, 10.8 in Florida this year)
Lindholm: 12.48% - previous high 10.4%

It's quite possible that even if they stay together here as a line that shooting percentage normalizes and we are saying that we bought high on career seasons for Gaudreau and Tkachuk.

They were still dominant with 60% xGF ratio last year, but if they shoot even 11% on the ice together instead of 13% on the ice together that's 14 fewer goals with them on the ice at 5v5 last year. If you look at their xGF last year and their actual goals for they outperformed it by 27 goals - they were unbelieveable as a line last year but also extremely fortunate.

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

I agree 100%

As to the bold, we have seen this before - we had the exact same situation with a coach named Brent Sutter. I was really excited that they hired BSutter, but when he came in, he kept saying over and over that the team didn't have much talent and had to play his way (plodding, defensive game).

The team never got going under his tutelage. And now it's deja vu, all over again.

The death knell of that season was when we beat a team 5 - 0 and Brent came out to the media and whined and said it was a bad game because we didn't play the "right way".

Media and fans laughed and gushed and proclaimed "oh man, if that's them playing the wrong way, just wait until we're playing the right way". Unfortunately, what he did was dismantle our offensive style that was fun and producing results and ruined the whole season.