[PGT] Flames lose another season opener

[Huntingwhale]

Originally Posted by heep223

Gulutzan is trying to put a square peg in a round hole putting Brodie at LD. Get it through your head - it ain’t working. Get him back on his off side where he’s a star. He’s completely wasting him. So frustrating.

I give GG a pass on most things since he improved the team in almost all metrics last season. But this, this GMG the most about him.

Maybe it's just me, but I don't give a flying #### about having a LD/RD on each pairing. Brodie on RD had one of the best backhand passes in the league. He was a top 20 D. Literally the DAY he changed sides, his game has gone down the crapper. Blame Wideman all you want. But even with Stone as his partner, something still seemed a tad bit off. We can point to the off ice issues all we want. But IMO the difference in Brodie can be isolated down to the moment he changed sides.

I don't care if the team has 6 RD or 6 LD. You put the player where he works best, in a spot he can flourish in. You don't assign him to play a certain side simply because you feel the need to have even LD/RD on each pairing. Sounds good on paper...but as the Flames prove every year, on paper means SFA come game time.

For some reason, forcing Brodie to play his opposite sides reminds me of Montreal only hiring french coaches. F finding the right person for the job, or putting the player in their best position. We do this because it's ''something we do around here"!

[Insane_Flame]

Originally Posted by Zoller

McDavid is unreal man. This is going to be a repeat of the 80's

This has been my fear ever since they drafted the greasy punk...why is he so good!?

[burnitdown]

Originally Posted by Toonage

This isn't an Anaheim situation, not even close, but how long before the media picks up on the Flames having yet to win in Edmonton's new arena and it becomes a thing?

I think it's already become a thing. I've been seeing a bunch of posts about how the swept us last year in the prospects game, pre-season, and regular season games...and how they're on the same path again this year, sweeping us in the prospects game, pre-season, and home opener.

[Galakanokis]

When the Flames decided to move their feet they looked ok. Sadly, they only decided to move their feet for a few minutes that game.

And for the love of god somebody teach Brodie how to rub a guy out along the boards instead of meekly flailing with his stick. He will be the next Flame traded, that's what my gut tells me.

That was a tight, tentative, scared team out there tonight. No pace, no jam, no nothing.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Huntingwhale

I give GG a pass on most things since he improved the team in almost all metrics last season. But this, this GMG the most about him.

Maybe it's just me, but I don't give a flying #### about having a LD/RD on each pairing. Brodie on RD had one of the best backhand passes in the league. He was a top 20 D. Literally the DAY he changed sides, his game has gone down the crapper. Blame Wideman all you want. But even with Stone as his partner, something still seemed a tad bit off. We can point to the off ice issues all we want. But IMO the difference in Brodie can be isolated down to the moment he changed sides.

I don't care if the team has 6 RD or 6 LD. You put the player where he works best, in a spot he can flourish in. You don't assign him to play a certain side simply because you feel the need to have even LD/RD on each pairing. Sounds good on paper...but as the Flames prove every year, on paper means SFA come game time.

For some reason, forcing Brodie to play his opposite sides reminds me of Montreal only hiring french coaches. F finding the right person for the job, or putting the player in their best position. We do this because it's ''something we do around here"!

Switching sides can't possibly explain poor play down low in the D zone, bad pinches and being easily knocked off the puck. And you can't tell me that a guy that makes great backhand passes can't connect on a forehand pass to save his life.

RH/LH D pairings is not just a GG thing. Listen to Babcock talk about it.

Brodie's poor play not only coincided with switching sides - it coincided with playing away from Giordano. That, IMO, is a way bigger factor. Which just means that Gio was carrying Brodie a lot more than some people thought.

[calgaryblood]

Eldrickonice posted these stats in the locked thread.


Last Night CF%
Brodie 37%
Bartowski 35%
Brouwer 35%
Stajan 35%
Bennett 34%
Stone 32%
Glass 23%


Look at Glass....yeah he fought but was hemmed in every time he was on the ice. He's still a really bad player. Useless signing.

[TheKurgan]

McDavid vs Brouwer
TOI - 4:01
CF - 20
CA - 4

I am not an advanced stats guy but am I reading this right? Did 20 of the 45 shots Edmonton had against us last night come in the 4:01 of ice time McDavid had against Brouwer? If so, please shoot Brouwer into the SUN!

On a positive note, I thought Smith looked great. Everyone else ranged from average to really, really bad.

[Beninho]

Originally Posted by Galakanokis

When the Flames decided to move their feet they looked ok. Sadly, they only decided to move their feet for a few minutes that game.

And for the love of god somebody teach Brodie how to rub a guy out along the boards instead of meekly flailing with his stick. He will be the next Flame traded, that's what my gut tells me.

That was a tight, tentative, scared team out there tonight. No pace, no jam, no nothing.

I have to agree with Brodie, seems he relies only on his skating and when playing McDavid that's just not gonna work. He needs to be stronger in every facet, his decision making was bad last night and he looked exactly like the Brodie of last season. We have a decent sample size of him playing poorly, something needs to be fixed or he's gonna get traded. Thought he looked spineless yesterday. And for #### sakes get him off the first pp unit, the man has a muffin shot

[The Fonz]

Originally Posted by Samonadreau

That and McDiver played half the game

19:32

Usually plays around 21:00, IIRC.

[Rejean31]

Originally Posted by Toonage

This isn't an Anaheim situation, not even close, but how long before the media picks up on the Flames having yet to win in Edmonton's new arena and it becomes a thing?

How long until everyone picks up that our head coach is now 0-5 against our biggest rival!!! Have to figure out how to compete against Edmonton, or should I say McDavid.

[calgaryblood]

At one point we had Bartkowski, Stajan and Brouwer killing a penalty.

Does that seem like 3 out of 4 players on the ice that's going to have a good time?

For all this supposed depth on center I am just not buying that quite yet.

[Robbob]

Originally Posted by The Fonz

19:32

Usually plays around 21:00, IIRC.

I think mainly because there weren't that many PPs.

[FlamesNation23]

I didnt want to post last night because like everyone else, i was livid with the effort. After sleeping on it, im still upset at how poorly we played but ill give the team the benefit of the doubt here. It was a ####ty game and noone besides smith stood out at all. Lets see how the boys respond vs Winnipeg and save the doom and gloom for later

[transplant99]

Originally Posted by Huntingwhale

I give GG a pass on most things since he improved the team in almost all metrics last season. But this, this GMG the most about him.

Maybe it's just me, but I don't give a flying #### about having a LD/RD on each pairing. Brodie on RD had one of the best backhand passes in the league. He was a top 20 D. Literally the DAY he changed sides, his game has gone down the crapper. Blame Wideman all you want. But even with Stone as his partner, something still seemed a tad bit off. We can point to the off ice issues all we want. But IMO the difference in Brodie can be isolated down to the moment he changed sides.

I don't care if the team has 6 RD or 6 LD. You put the player where he works best, in a spot he can flourish in. You don't assign him to play a certain side simply because you feel the need to have even LD/RD on each pairing. Sounds good on paper...but as the Flames prove every year, on paper means SFA come game time.

For some reason, forcing Brodie to play his opposite sides reminds me of Montreal only hiring french coaches. F finding the right person for the job, or putting the player in their best position. We do this because it's ''something we do around here"!

Its not just you and im not sure when this became such a big "thing" but it seems so dumb.

A bit anecdotal but going back many years to the powerhouse Red Army team under Tikhnov was entirely LH shooting. Every. Single. Player.

They did OK.

[Weitz]

Does Brodie's fall in play coincide with moving sides? Or moving to a different pairing than a top D man in Giordano?

Also I think the flames should load up their top line better. Bennett should play instead of Ferland... I don't think a line of Versteeg-Bennett-Jagr is going to be very good, Bennett needs to play a higher pace game. These comments are with keeping the 3M line together.

[killer_carlson]

Certainly was eye opening watching McDavid pull away from Ferland. Ferland isn't slow and McDavid was in a different league.

I thought Glass was good
Smith was excellant.

brodie and Hamonic need more time together.

I thought Hamonic would have finished his checks more. He got manhandled by Draisaital on the Oilers first goal, earlier in the shift.

Brouwer.....

[Strange Brew]

Not a fan of believing that we only lost because of McDavid. Flames did nothing for the 40 minutes when he wasn't on the ice.

Not going to read too much into one game. Flames got spanked, generated no offense and the bog money forwards were invisible.

If that continues - bad. I presume they will get their act together soon.

This is two bad training camps and pre season in a row for this group. Disappointing.

[VladtheImpaler]

<--- Smartest guy in the room? Reading this, I am glad I was asleep by 830...

[PeteMoss]

Originally Posted by Weitz

Does Brodie's fall in play coincide with moving sides? Or moving to a different pairing than a top D man in Giordano?

Also I think the flames should load up their top line better. Bennett should play instead of Ferland... I don't think a line of Versteeg-Bennett-Jagr is going to be very good, Bennett needs to play a higher pace game. These comments are with keeping the 3M line together.

Brodie is not great with Giordano.

Hamilton was not great wwhen he didn't play with Giordano.

Giordano is a really good player and the last two partners he's had have looked like different players playing with him vs playing without him.

[Ashasx]

Originally Posted by 868904

So much bias here.

The same posters all the time blaming the same players all the time.

The Flames didn't lose this game because Tanner Glass and Matt Stajan was in the line-up. The Stajan line was arguably the best line for the Flames and the only line that showed up to play. Sure they got hemmed in their own zone a few times, but so did every single other line the Flames had. Hell even the commentators were saying that the top line was not generating any offense because they were defending against McDavid the whole night.

The Flames lost because Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan, Matt Tkachuk, Backlund, Frolik, and Sam Bennett did not compete. One poster even blamed Ferland for the top line's struggle, yet he was the best player on that line and generated the only scoring chances and cycles.

When your best players aren't your best players, you will lose, it's that simple. The Flames "best" players no showed, yet some posters love giving them a free pass. These guys are paid to score yet they couldn't generate any offense, that is not Tanner Glass's fault.

This is really minimizing the issue. Stajan, Brouwer, Glass, etc... virtually any depth player, got absolutely destroyed in terms of possession last night. And I'm not necessarily talking about playing against McDavid (and too often they did), but the Oilers 4th line with the likes of Kassian made them look silly.

So yeah, Gaudreau didn't create any offence, but his line never actually allowed a goal against. Our 1st line didn't create anything, but it was ultimately our depth that cost the game. We can't lose the depth battle when the other team has McDavid.