[GDT] Detroit Red Wings (8-7-1) @ Calgary Flames (8-7-0) - 7:00pm MST

[mrdonkey]

Originally Posted by bubbsy

Hip-Hip-Hooray!

Who wants to bet Kulak is the one who sits?

[Otto-matic]

Pat Steinberg‏Verified account @Fan960Steinberg 20m20 minutes ago
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Only 3 d-men at optional skate, but indications sure do suggest Andersson will make his season debut tonight. #Flames

Pat Steinberg‏Verified account
@Fan960Steinberg
Following Following @Fan960Steinberg
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Looks like Andersson in, Bartkowski out tonight. #Flames

Derek Wills‏Verified account @Fan960Wills 4m4 minutes ago
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Matt Bartkowski, Freddie Hamilton and Matt Stajan doing extra work following #Flames optional morning skate. Safe to say Rasmus Andersson is in vs. #RedWings. #DETvsCGY – at Scotiabank Saddledome

[fire_starter]

Hallelujah!

[CroFlames]

Avert your eyes everyone. Celebratory gif upcoming.

Spoiler!

I realize this celebration gif has nothing to do with a Flames win or the Flames, but I'm feeling edgy today and posted anyway due to the Andersson announcement.

[Har-Calgary]

Pat Steinberg‏Verified account
@Fan960Steinberg
Smith first off this morning. He'll get the start in net tonight. #Flames

[shotinthebacklund]

Originally Posted by CroFlames

Avert your eyes everyone. Celebratory gif upcoming.

Spoiler!

I realize this celebration gif has nothing to do with a Flames win or the Flames, but I'm feeling edgy today and posted anyway due to the Andersson announcement.

Too much Hip gyration. smile disingenuous. Im offended. needs more NSFW tags.
Very excited to see what Rasmus can do. Have had very high expectations for him and have always really enjoyed his game.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by Har-Calgary

Pat Steinberg‏Verified account
@Fan960Steinberg
Smith first off this morning. He'll get the start in net tonight. #Flames

My initial reaction was to hope that Lack might get the start tonight, but then I looked at the schedule: they Flames don’t play again after tonight until Monday. The breaks between games have been crazy, and I think this has had a not inconsequential effect on the Flames struggles in a few games.

[TheScorpion]

Confirmed.

Aaron Vickers (@AAVickers)
Rasmus Andersson confirms he will make his season debut tonight against the Red Wings. #Flames

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by mrdonkey

Who wants to bet Kulak is the one who sits?

I will take that bet.

[Inglewood Jack]

it's glacially slow, but the optimal lineup is taking shape. sometimes it does feel like management and coaching check the message boards for our advice, but only like once a week at most.

[Beninho]

Very excited to see Rasmus play, if he shows well I like the idea of him and Kulak splitting starts this season. Bart just isn't NHL material

[foshizzle11]

I want to see this at least by mid season if we don't start pulling ahead in the standings.

Tkackuk - Monahan - Gaudreau
Bennett - Backlund - Frolik
Ferland - Janko - Jagr
Versteeg - Lazar - Brouwer

Hamilton and Stajan in the pressbox until we suffer an injury or two. If that is the case then Versteeg moves up to fill in.

On the backend:

Gio - Hamilton
Brodie - Hamonic
Kulak - Stone

Bart in the pressbox as much as possible.

It would be great if Anderson pushes for the 5th or 6th spot and moves Kulak and Bart down in the depth chart. That is a great problem to have IMO. I know we have Stone for 3 more season (I think), but if he was expendable because Andersson and Kulak are playing well, then we get another asset out of him (maybe a trade for a backup our coaches can trust).

That being said. I think tonight we win 5-3.

[rohara66]

Originally Posted by Beninho

Very excited to see Rasmus play, if he shows well I like the idea of him and Kulak splitting starts this season. Bart just isn't NHL material

Lets all pray that Rasmus has a solid game so we never have to see Bart again.

[IGGYFORMVP]

Really excited to see what Rasmus can bring tonight. Here is hoping that the ahl and the pressbox are a thing of the past for him!

[camm13]

Gio just had his baby so I wonder if he's out of the line up tonight...in which case Bart would draw back in and Brodie/Stone would be our first pairing??

[tvp2003]

Congrats to the Giordano's:

Roger Millions‏ @RogMillions
Congrats to Mark and Lauren Giordano on the birth of their Daughter Reese! Wonderful news. #Flames

I'm assuming that means Gio is in the lineup tonight?

[joejoe3]

Originally Posted by tvp2003

Congrats to the Giordano's:



I'm assuming that means Gio is in the lineup tonight?

He'll be in the lineup and scores the GWG for Reese.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by foshizzle11

...It would be great if Anderson pushes for the 5th or 6th spot and moves Kulak and Bart down in the depth chart. That is a great problem to have IMO. I know we have Stone for 3 more season (I think), but if he was expendable because Andersson and Kulak are playing well, then we get another asset out of him (maybe a trade for a backup our coaches can trust)...

I fully expect one of either Stone or Hamonic to be traded with the emergence of a young defenseman in the next year or two.

But do you really think that the Flames coaches do not "trust" Eddie Lack? It could be, but I think it is impossible to say at this point with how the Flames' schedule has unfolded. They have played only two back-to-back games, and one of those was in Vancouver following a home game, which does not carry with it the same issues and concerns as games in the middle of a road trip. Seven of their first 15 games have taken place after at least two days' rest.

The point is, it should not come as much of a surprise to see that Smith has started 14/15 games so far with how much off time the Flames have had in between them. We will have to see what happens once the schedule gets heavier, but I will be surprised if Lack does not start to get more starts in late Nov and early Dec.

[edslunch]

How was Rasmus playing in Stockton?

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by tvp2003

Congrats to the Giordano's...

"the Giordanos."