[PGT] Snowballing in Detroit: Flames win 4-1

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by EddyBeers

That is all fine and good, but there is one major difference between this team and last years team.

1) Wideman was not on last years team, so his 25 minutes a game that he is currently getting had to go elsewhere

This was the defence, as broken down by minutes player per game last year

1) Bouwmeester - 25:57
2) Giordano - 23:01
3) Butler - 21:36
4) Hannan - 20:21
5) Brodie - 16:28
6) Sarich - 16:06
7) Smith - 15:56

This year

1) Wideman - 25:04
2) Bouwmeester - 24:40
3) Giordano - 24:16
4) Brodie - 17:03
5) Butler - 15:51
6) Sarich - 13:58
7) Smith - 13:07

Fact is that the main difference is that Hartley has a 3rd horse (Wideman) to go with this year. Last year Sutter could not really have played Bouwmeester or Giordano anymore than he did, and the fact of the matter is that a Bouwmeester Giordano first pairing last year would have really exposed how terrible the bottom four were on last years team in my opinion. It might look good in NHL 13, but if Sutter went with

Bouwmeester Giordano
Butler Hannan
Sarich Brodie/Smith

last year it would have likely been an unmitigated disaster.

Bouwmweester Hannan
Giordano Sarich
Brodie Butler

Give top units about 22 minutes and Brodie Butter 16 minutes.

Hannan, even if old, was once a top defender who could handle 1st pairing minutes. Maybe not full time 1st pairing so Bouwmeester would get SOME more minutes with Brodie or Butler. Bouwmeeser-Butler cannot be a fulltime pairing.

[EddyBeers]

Originally Posted by GirlySports

Bouwmweester Hannan
Giordano Sarich
Brodie Butler

Give top units about 22 minutes and Brodie Butter 16 minutes.

Hannan, even if old, was once a top defender who could handle 1st pairing minutes. Maybe not full time 1st pairing so Bouwmeester would get SOME more minutes with Brodie or Butler. Bouwmeeser-Butler cannot be a fulltime pairing.

I would be shocked if Sarich ever logged 22 minutes a night, let alone the current version of Sarich. The guy was 18:30 in his Stanley Cup year (good enough for 6th on the Lightning), there is no way in god's green earth that he could have logged 22 minutes.

Brodie got 16 minutes last year, Hannan was barely able to handle the minutes he got let alone more minutes.

Those d-pairings were never an option.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by Pierre "Monster" McGuire

Holy crap. I love the snowball razzing everyone's giving Kerr. Hilarious! hahaha.

On another note: Brodie had a couple of gaffs last night that are quite uncharacteristic of his play. I wouldn't worry too much about it. I'm just happy he's getting more ice time than Butler. There is justice in this world after all.

Brodie has made a few rookie blunders, which is understandable, but he is just such a smart player.

He has the poise and the ability to skate his way out of trouble. And his passes are on the tape.

If he continues to get quality icetime (which it now looks like he will), I believe he is on his way to becoming the Flames' best defenseman.

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by EddyBeers

I would be shocked if Sarich ever logged 22 minutes a night, let alone the current version of Sarich. The guy was 18:30 in his Stanley Cup year (good enough for 6th on the Lightning), there is no way in god's green earth that he could have logged 22 minutes.

Brodie got 16 minutes last year, Hannan was barely able to handle the minutes he got let alone more minutes.

Those d-pairings were never an option.

Don't forget Babchuk!

[EddyBeers]

Originally Posted by GirlySports

Don't forget Babchuk!

Hard to forget a guy who has been a 16-18 minute guy his entire career as a possible top 4 option as well.

Perhaps Bouwmeester should have played with 3 different partners each game, a rotation shift by shift.

[Bertuzzied]

Originally Posted by EddyBeers

Hard to forget a guy who has been a 16-18 minute guy his entire career as a possible top 4 option as well.

Perhaps Bouwmeester should have played with 3 different partners each game, a rotation shift by shift.

You know what. Maybe he should have instead of sticking to the butlersoft failure.

That was his main problem. He wouldn't change or adapt. Like the Phaneuf-Regehr thing.

If you forgot by the end of the season, 3 players that Brent buried played great. Stajan, Babchuk and Sarich ended of the season strong. And the only reason why they got a chance was Brent was forced to play them because of injuries.

[AC]

Here's the Begin hit finally:

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by EddyBeers

Hard to forget a guy who has been a 16-18 minute guy his entire career as a possible top 4 option as well.

Perhaps Bouwmeester should have played with 3 different partners each game, a rotation shift by shift.

Perhaps! A coach needs to be creative sometimes with the lack of resources he's got.

[MissTeeks]

Rob Kerr ‏@SNRobKerr

Weird stat from last night #Flames @ #Wings it was the 3rd time J. Howard faced a Calgary penalty shot and has stopped all 3.

[Bertuzzied]

^ Can a team decline a penalty shot and ask for a 2 minute minor?

[Flames Fan, Ph.D.]

Good game last night.

- the Iginla goal reminded me of the one he scored in game 7 against Vancouver during the run.

- Backlund is showing poise; if he had just a bit of an extra edge to him the goals would come

- Tanguay looks like he's having fun out there. He had a little play late in the third where there was a loose puck in the neutral zone with Bertuzzi coming on, and he just extended his stick, tapped the puck ahead with one hand, went around the red wing and nonchalantly picked the puck up

- thought the flames were a little lucky too. Datsyuk uncharacteristically missed quite a few chances

- the Wideman goal was all Brodie... that turn in the defensive end immediately opened up the ice for him and turned that play from backtracking defense to instant offensive rush

[robaur]

I am all for charities but Fan 960 has spent the past 3.5 hours talking about Big Brothes and Sisters. I support this charity and know someone who actually is a Big Brother...but this is ridiculous.

I didnt want to put this in a new thread.

/end rant

[H2SO4(aq)]

Originally Posted by zamler

Best game I've seen the Flames play in a long time, they looked calm and composed.

nice contrast to shaky, nervous rob kerr. i was kinda on the sauce, can someone remind me what he was trying to get at with the meatballs or whatever that was?

[vektor]

Originally Posted by Flames Fan, Ph.D.

- Tanguay looks like he's having fun out there. He had a little play late in the third where there was a loose puck in the neutral zone with Bertuzzi coming on, and he just extended his stick, tapped the puck ahead with one hand, went around the red wing and nonchalantly picked the puck up

I saw this and thought it was amazing, Tanguay looks so calm out there it's ridiculous. His pass to Iggy when he scored came off a move where he was boxed in and he deked the hell out of the guy covering him with an extremely simple yet effective move.

[Phanuthier]

Originally Posted by vektor

I saw this and thought it was amazing, Tanguay looks so calm out there it's ridiculous. His pass to Iggy when he scored came off a move where he was boxed in and he deked the hell out of the guy covering him with an extremely simple yet effective move.

In his draft year (98?) I remember he was supposed to go top 3 before he got bumped on the head... some were saying his talent level was above Lecavlier...

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by EddyBeers

Well the litmus test for any coach is definitely whether Bouwmeester is finally playing at the level his contract dictates he should play at. Wins and losses are mere window dressing compared to that litmus test.

C'mon man. Stupid decisions are stupid decisions. Stop deflecting

[EVERLAST]

GOD I loved watching TOOTOO getting his nose busted all over his mug by Begin last night!!!

Not bad eh all you Begin haters!!!! ahhh, who am I kidding ...I could care less what the haters think Begin Busted his ass up good and I enjoyed it...the fact Stevey was laughing made it better.


Keith

[EddyBeers]

Originally Posted by Street Pharmacist

C'mon man. Stupid decisions are stupid decisions. Stop deflecting

It was not a stupid decision, it was Sutter's only option. He had to have a two dmen play in the top six outside of Gio and Bouwmeester, his options were:

Sarich - with the exception of one or two years the guy was never a top four dman, he was not going to be one last year

Brodie - He was way too young and it would have been horrible for his development to play him in top four minutes last year, he was not an option

Hannan- played him in a top four role which he no longer had the ability for. This was one of the two options Sutter choose

Butler - played him in a top four role even though he was probably not ready for it.

Babchuck - guy has never played top four minutes and he is terrible defensively, not the greatest option.

Smith - He has never played top four minutes and probably never will on any NHL team.

Sutter more or less went with the best option out of six terrible options. I would love to know who all the bellyachers and whiners would have played in a top six role Smith? Sarich? Babchuk? Brodie? I threw out a weird never tried before rotation idea, maybe that could have happened.....