[PGT] Oil @ Flames

[Arya Stark]

I like Gaudreau better on the left side of the ice on the pp. Did he get any looks from there? I missed a bit of the game.

[Dion]

[Savvy27]

Thoughts from the game:

Monahan: looks noticeably stronger and more confident. Play tailed off with the rest of the team as it went on but he looked excellent out there in the first.

Hudler: creates a lot offensively and won an impressive number of board battles. Looks like he has some chemistry with Raymond.

Raymond: saw flashes of his speed backing off defenders and allowing the team to set up offensively. He and Hudler should make for the some good powerplay control this year.

Setoguchi: awful in the first period, but improved as it went on. Finally grabbed the puck and made some things happen in the second period. Crazy that Yakupov didn't at least get an interference penalty on him.

Colborne: really strong game that looks like he's picking up where he left off. Controls the puck with his big frame and won a lot of battles. I'm not sure where he'll fit in the line up but he's an NHLer.

Gaudreau: looked good out there. He controls the puck so well and he is better at stick checking than the veteran forwards. Really liked his game and I think that if he makes it, he's got the quickness to protect himself (and the puck).

Klimchuk: Looks like a young guy out there but he started to have an impact later on in the game. He battles hard all game. Needs time.

Knight: really soft first period but improved a bit. Had a near goal that went off the crossbar towards the end. I don't like his chances of sticking to start the year. Spent the first half of the game dumping in every puck and changing.

Reinhart: works his tail off and makes smart plays with the puck. Picked up a nice assist on the powerplay. Didn't quite separate himself from being a bubble guy, but I liked what I saw.

Jooris: carried over his strong play from Penticton doing much of the same stuff. Using his speed well and cycling effectively. He's playing at a level where I could see him getting a call up during the year to see what he can do. Looks like maybe third line upside.

Hathaway: simple player, but does the things he is supposed to do over and over. Skates pretty well and he's a strong guy and he used it to put pressure on the D and drive the net. Good pick up for Addy. Huge hit near the end of the game that led to a great chance for Knight. He should keep that up.

Bollig: played okay. Nothing too noticeable, but hopefully he'll be at his best playing against some of the big Pacific Division teams. Hard to say what he'll bring at this point.

Giordano: most talented player in the game. Seemed to tone down the intensity after the first.

Brodie: love watching him play. He skates the puck out of trouble and fills in for the center on the breakout if they aren't in position and the play just moves smoothly down the ice. Nice shot on the goal.

Engelland: much better than I thought he'd be. It was a weak Oilers roster of course, but he's a physical force out there and his passing looked pretty good.

Kulak: his play does resemble Brodie's a bit. He had some really good defensive shifts where he kept the player against the boards and stripped the puck off a few guys. Had a couple blunders with the puck, but got a bunch of shots and played well generally.

Culkin: weaker than Kulak, I thought. Had several opportunities to maintain possession of the puck by regrouping and decided to just safely dump it in. Isn't at a point where he trying to do anything dynamic out there.

Brookbank: no surprises. Big guy who doesn't do anything fancy. Disrupted a 2 on 1 with a nice sliding play, but didn't notice him much other than that. Thought Engelland was better (both were fine).

Hiller: uh... looked like he would have made saves if he faced more shots.

Thiessen: played solid. Looked awful in the warm up so I was worried, but he got the job done without any panic.

Everything has to be taken with a grain of salt since a lot of veterans kind of checked out and the Oilers sent a lousy roster. It was a very boring game after the first period.

[Dion]

Originally Posted by edslunch

Maybe it was just me but Wills sounded like Ned Flanders on the radio broadcast.

There seemed to be no excitement in his voice.

[Canuck-Hater]

Gotta love beating the Oilers (At home)!

[T@T]

Originally Posted by Savvy27

Thoughts from the game:

Monahan: looks noticeably stronger and more confident. Play tailed off with the rest of the team as it went on but he looked excellent out there in the first.

Hudler: creates a lot offensively and won an impressive number of board battles. Looks like he has some chemistry with Raymond.

Raymond: saw flashes of his speed backing off defenders and allowing the team to set up offensively. He and Hudler should make for the some good powerplay control this year.

Setoguchi: awful in the first period, but improved as it went on. Finally grabbed the puck and made some things happen in the second period. Crazy that Yakupov didn't at least get an interference penalty on him.

Colborne: really strong game that looks like he's picking up where he left off. Controls the puck with his big frame and won a lot of battles. I'm not sure where he'll fit in the line up but he's an NHLer.

Gaudreau: looked good out there. He controls the puck so well and he is better at stick checking than the veteran forwards. Really liked his game and I think that if he makes it, he's got the quickness to protect himself (and the puck).

Klimchuk: Looks like a young guy out there but he started to have an impact later on in the game. He battles hard all game. Needs time.

Knight: really soft first period but improved a bit. Had a near goal that went off the crossbar towards the end. I don't like his chances of sticking to start the year. Spent the first half of the game dumping in every puck and changing.

Reinhart: works his tail off and makes smart plays with the puck. Picked up a nice assist on the powerplay. Didn't quite separate himself from being a bubble guy, but I liked what I saw.

Jooris: carried over his strong play from Penticton doing much of the same stuff. Using his speed well and cycling effectively. He's playing at a level where I could see him getting a call up during the year to see what he can do. Looks like maybe third line upside.

Hathaway: simple player, but does the things he is supposed to do over and over. Skates pretty well and he's a strong guy and he used it to put pressure on the D and drive the net. Good pick up for Addy. Huge hit near the end of the game that led to a great chance for Knight. He should keep that up.

Bollig: played okay. Nothing too noticeable, but hopefully he'll be at his best playing against some of the big Pacific Division teams. Hard to say what he'll bring at this point.

Giordano: most talented player in the game. Seemed to tone down the intensity after the first.

Brodie: love watching him play. He skates the puck out of trouble and fills in for the center on the breakout if they aren't in position and the play just moves smoothly down the ice. Nice shot on the goal.

Engelland: much better than I thought he'd be. It was a weak Oilers roster of course, but he's a physical force out there and his passing looked pretty good.

Kulak: his play does resemble Brodie's a bit. He had some really good defensive shifts where he kept the player against the boards and stripped the puck off a few guys. Had a couple blunders with the puck, but got a bunch of shots and played well generally.

Culkin: weaker than Kulak, I thought. Had several opportunities to maintain possession of the puck by regrouping and decided to just safely dump it in. Isn't at a point where he trying to do anything dynamic out there.

Brookbank: no surprises. Big guy who doesn't do anything fancy. Disrupted a 2 on 1 with a nice sliding play, but didn't notice him much other than that. Thought Engelland was better (both were fine).

Hiller: uh... looked like he would have made saves if he faced more shots.

Thiessen: played solid. Looked awful in the warm up so I was worried, but he got the job done without any panic.

Everything has to be taken with a grain of salt since a lot of veterans kind of checked out and the Oilers sent a lousy roster. It was a very boring game after the first period.

[Caged Great]

Originally Posted by Savvy27

Thoughts from the game:

Agreed on every count. Really liked Kulak's game tonight. Yes he made a few mistakes, but considering his age, he was better tonight than TJ was at the same time in his development. Brodie was still somewhat lost in his end at times when he was 20. Kulak is a lot more composed. If he keeps going it'll be very good.

[btimbit]

Hiller looked pretty good out there. Didnt face many shots but I liked what I saw. However, for a guy that seems to like to play the puck he seems to fumble it a bit.

[tvp2003]

Monahan looked really strong out there. Maybe I'm biased because of the reports of him putting on 15 pounds of muscle, but he was really smart with the puck. Just solid -- skating looked good, playing with confidence. Glad to see him named as first star.

Gaudreau was okay. Played on the perimeter for the most part (compared to Colborne and Seto who were both crashing and banging), but you can see the skill he has with the puck. The calmness. The ability to make the tough pass look easy. Almost sprung Colborne on a breakaway, but he couldn't handle it.

Engelland was big and physical, as advertised. Made a few bad plays, but almost every time he used the body he came out on top.

[tvp2003]

Oh, and LOL at Yakupov for slamming his stick against the glass after a wasted 2-on-1. First pre-season game -- let the sulking begin!

[combustiblefuel]

Originally Posted by Dion

There seemed to be no excitement in his voice.

Totally agree. I said it during gt . He was in 1st gear all night. Gotta step it up a notch. This is not Hamilton this is the big leaugue.

[Wastedyouth]

Kulak was pretty darn impressive.

[flylock shox]

SB Nation Game summary

[djsFlames]

Whatever. As long as Ball is good cause 95% of the time I'll be tuning in on TV.

No one was going to come close to Peter. Let's just be thankful he sounds noting like the Oilers guy. Delusional and grating.

[AC]

First I've heard from Derek Wills, he sounds good to me!

[Gaskal]

Originally Posted by flylock shox

SB Nation Game summary

Loved their digs at the shot total difference.

Yup, 14-1. Welcome to the Calgary Flames, Jonas Hiller: you're probably going to see more shots than that, so enjoy it while you can.

Seriously, the shots were 19-2 for the Flames. Hiller, somehow, stayed awake.

[Husky]

No clue how anyone can say much good about flames playing in Calgary tonight. That was a pretty boring and lsckluster game versus a bunch of unknown oilers. Sean was the bright spot, the rest was pretty meh.

[flame^thrower]

Originally Posted by AC

First I've heard from Ball, he sounds good to me!

Unless there's a joke behind this (haven't read through), I'm pretty sure that isn't Rick Ball.
Edit: also didn't get to watch. Sounds like it wasn't too exciting but a win is still nice.

[Gaskal]

That's our new radio guy, Derek Wills.

[AC]

Originally Posted by flame^thrower

Unless there's a joke behind this (haven't read through), I'm pretty sure that isn't Rick Ball.
Edit: also didn't get to watch. Sounds like it wasn't too exciting but a win is still nice.

Oops, sorry! That's who I meant. Either way, he sounds good.

Rick Ball I recall liking from his CBC duties last season.