I totally disagree on Ramage and Elson being unnoticeable. I thought Elson was all over the ice and very involved in the play. Ramage was also jumping in on the rush and making great outlet passes.
Granlund couldn't buy time in the offensive zone with the line mates he had. Positionally a wreck that line was. Needs to be paired with better players IMO.
Galiardi, I think the Flames addressed a dire need in acquiring him. Determination. Wildly impressed with his game, tracks and chases the puck better than almost anyone we had last year. Would for him to be a full time linemate of Monahan this year.
Russell, the big thing that stood out for me tonight is his ability to keep the puck in the zone, by default he takes Butlers roster spot just for that. It's a key aspect of creating offense (obviously) and he does it quite well. If he defends like Butler but produces points I call it an upgrade. Also his passes were crisp tonight.
Wideman, Showed why we pay him tonight. With a bonus Clutterbuck clobbering to boot! He had a great game.
MacDonald, isn't setting himself apart from the rest of the goalies so far. One of the three or for if you're cheering for Ortio really need to step up and own the rest of camp. I'm still betting on Berra.
Jackman was solid tonight too. Almost like he was actually fighting for his job.
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Galiardi - really good tonight. Looks like he is transitioning back to center well. I actually like him there between Glencross and Stempniak better than Stajan. He skates at a faster pace like the other two. Showed remarkable patience on that goal and had a few other good chances. Won a huge faceoff at the end of the third. Plays hard all game.
Glencross and Stempniak - good solid top 6 hockey players. They control the puck really well down low and most of their shifts took place in the offensive zone. I thought they were good on the PP as well.
Horak - I hope he makes the team, but he is in a dogfight with Monahan, Stajan, Galiardi, Reinhart and Granlund fighting for those bottom 3 spots. He's the strongest of the bunch defensively in my opinion so that should mean something.
Jackman - great first period but then quieted down. I appreciate what he does, but I wouldn't miss him if he was moved. Perhaps he can play on the line with Bouma and Horak and they can actually generate some chances as a 4th unit.
Granlund - was mysteriously shortchanged on icetime. If he was being punished for mistakes, then I didn't see them. I thought he made some good plays and then he sort of disappeard.
Gordon - can't imagine he won't be cut tomorrow.
Elson - plays like Bouma, but not as effective.
Bouma - exactly like he used to be. High pressure on opposing D, good on boards down low. I like him on the 4th line.
Byron & Street - both guys showed off their speed, but neither looked near the same level as proven NHL players. Not a good sign as they are mid-20s guys (though Byron is younger). They may not be cut tomorrow, but I anticipate both starting the season on the farm.
Wideman - first star performance. Didn't have many bonehead plays and made some great ones. He is a sniper. I wonder if he will score a lot more points this year being the focal point of the powerplay.
Russell - really strong game I thought. He skates the puck out of trouble and controls it really well on the PP. It will be interesting to see how he measures up as the young guys start being cut.
Smith - played a pretty steady game. Can't complain much, but there wasn't anything really noteworthy about his game either. Russell outplayed him tonight.
Billins - seems pretty small out there and looked like he was overwhelmed when the NHL players were matched against him. He's pretty good with the puck and his instincts seem good, however, the Flames already have Brodie, Russell, and Wideman who play similar style. I feel like he will get another game and then be cut.
Ramage - seemed like he played more in the first half of the game than the second. I thought he looked better defensively than Billins and similar to Smith. He should stick around a little longer.
Giordano - had a solid, if quiet, game. He's looking good generally though. I have high hopes for a bounce back season.
McKelvie - had a lackluster fight and barely saw him after that.
MacDonald - huge rebounds and shockingly slow going post-to-post. I really hope Ramo or Berra establish themselves.
Last edited by Savvy27; 09-17-2013 at 10:07 PM.
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It was a bit different than AC's edit, still sounded good though. Prefer AC's edit:
Yeah they went with drum entrance to the chorus, but I went with the chanting part. I think my edit works a bit better, but I liked this option over Fall Out Boy so far at least.
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watching him live here in the dome i think horak's skate may have come up and cut him on the upper leg. Clutterbuck was panicking as he left the ice and reaching under his pants.
I dislike the fact that Wideman changed his number to 6. I do love how he played tonight!
Gio and Smith were great.
Russel was awesome.
Byron has very good drive. If he was 3-4 inches taller he would probably be a lock for bottom 6 minutes.
Stempy is a player that will be in demand for a playoff team looking to full their bottom 9. He is a valuable player to have as an asset at trade deadline.
Glencross seems to float but ends up putting up points. I'm not sure sure the box score but the line of him stempy and TJ got allot of minutes
Wideman had an awesome game - and not just because of the goals, he was solid.
First time I have watched Russell play and I was really impressed. It's only one game, but watching him tonight, he looked like a lock for top 6, if not top 4.
Liked Bouma and Byron's games.
Very happy with the Galiardi acquisition. Was saying to the wife tonight how I like the way they are playing this year - feistier and more determined than past years. Galiardi pretty much epitomizes that
MacDonald was horrible - the Islanders literally had one scoring chance in the first and it was in. Actually, they didn't threaten much in the second either and Reinhart's goal was brutal.
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-I thought it felt colder which was nice (maybe just a result of less people)
-The flames are now using real Zambonis
-The new seats seemed to be installed is sections 108, 109 & 110 ... The other lower bowl seats are old ones, and the first few rows of the second level are also new.
-thought the goal song was good, but I don't think they are starting it from the best spot of the song, AC's edit is better
It was a bit different than AC's edit, still sounded good though. Prefer AC's edit:
A little off topic, but that has to be the best goal of the 2012-13 season (for the Flames). Brian freakin McGrattan!
Back on topic, couldn't see/watch/listen to the game(s) tonight. But glad to see some of the prospects contributing. Curious now who gets tossed down to the minors tomorrow.
I recall Wideman was exceptional out of the gates last year, too, but faded as the season went on. Of course the difference between stars and middle of the road guys is consistency ... Anybody can get hot. Anyway, let's hope we see his "A" game more often than not.
Was there. Sad not to see Granlund get any support, but Horak and Bouma were solid. Bouma may be on the short track to get in on the 4th line. Who's this Wideman guy? Did we have him last year? And I like Galliardi. I think he should be the 2nd center this season. Played great, I kept noticing #39 all over the offensive zone. Great game.
Wideman is going to be a solid wildcard hockey pool selection this season. With no Bouw he should be QBing the PP all season & with no Iggy he is definitely the go-to guy. I was at the game tonight & he was in a class of his own out there (not that that means much, considering the lineups).
As has been mentioned, Russell looked great. Wish we had some more physical D as we're always getting over-powered physically (HUGE problem against the Oilers the other night) but until we sort that out Russell should get 2nd pairing minutes. His smooth skating & awareness gets him out of trouble.
Glenncross is so frustrating to watch. I was surprised he put up 3 points, tbh. He can't seem to receive a pass properly. Fans on shots, out of position but manages 3 points. Can't complain if he's getting the results, I guess.
Tim Jackman was in beast mode tonight. He wouldn't look out of place on he 3rd line if he played that hard all year round. It was like 2010/2011 Jackman out there.
Ramage needs some time in the minors to hone his game. He looks way off the pace.
Galiardi looked convincing at Centre. He even won a few faceoffs & skated his butt off.
