[PGT] Flames lose 3-2 to San Jose

[Toonage]

Enjoyed Bingo's two left feet comment from yesterday and last night was a pretty great example of it.

Excluding the power play, which was atrocious, this team couldn't get out of its own way. Again.

[Rubicant]

When your game plan seems to be 50-50 hockey, you absolutely need your power play to capitalize. Close games are very often decided by who wins the special teams game, and right now our PP is only good to give the other team momentum.

[GordonBlue]

Originally Posted by Mr.Coffee

Sorry I just can't get over this. Like how are we in December and still using Brouwer on the powerplay?! It's just infuriating. It's just unfathomably stupid. WTF? I guess we just waste a season because of this stupidity?? Special teams has become SO critical in today's NHL.

Okay I'm done. Sorry.

it's an oiler decision. Brouwer on the pp is the exact same as the oilers using letestu despite his constant failures on the PP.

maybe the Flames coaches should just look at any decision of theirs and ask themselves "is this what the oilers are doing?" if it is, change it.

[Bourque's Twin]

This team lacks the fire that the 2015 team had.

I honestly can't point out a serious weakness on the roster. Realistically, the team can't be upgraded much...

Who in the top-9 is someone worth trading?
Who on D is worth trading? Don't say Brodie, because he has a lot better hockey in him.
We know the goaltending is solid.

[Huntingwhale]

Originally Posted by Mr.Coffee

I have been thinking about this for awhile now.

I think one of the worst coaching decisions I have ever seen on the Flames since I've watched them, for over 20 years on a pretty dedicated basis, is Troy Brouwer being used on the powerplay.

Brouwer has 2 goals this season and is on line 4. The powerplay is struggling. And yet he continues to be put out there. Like I stated previously on this site, at this point it's gross negligence.

I have no idea why he's out there. It's honestly shocking. Just a shockingly bad decision. Why not put David Rittich out there, or Harvey the Hound?

Unbelievable decision, that one. Just ridiculous.

Yup it's just brutal. I've been a GG supporter who is slowly starting to waive the other direction. His work as a whole has been decent. But it's little coaching decision like this that add up over time, which force me to sway the other way.

GG will likely tell you that Brouwer is out there to screen the goalie. However he is no Tomas Holmstrom. He has 0 PP goals. Our overpaid 4th line winger is being gifted top PP minutes. I seriously doubt any other team in the entire NHL is putting out a f'ing 4th liner on their top PP. Especially one who has ZERO goals.

And while it has lead to a couple goals here and there, it's nowhere near enough for him to justify those minutes. All that does is essentially make it a 4 on 4 when he in on the ice. Because the coach refuses to put the best slapshot out on the PP (Stone), the screening is useless since the team has muffin shots from the point and everyone other than Monahan has a pass-first mentality.

Again it's little things like this that add up to the product we see on the ice. There isn't any one huge decision that has the team producing mediocre results like this. It's little tiny things that add up (Brouwer on the PP, forced LD/RD pairings, poor line matchups, etc) that tilt the scale the other direction.

I want to like GG. I really do. I think he's a smart guy and the players like him. But he makes it harder and harder with each loss, with coaching decisions that make you shake your head.

[mennoknight]

Originally Posted by Huntingwhale

Yup it's just brutal. I've been a GG supporter who is slowly starting to waive the other direction. His work as a whole has been decent. But it's little coaching decision like this that add up over time, which force me to sway the other way.

GG will likely tell you that Brouwer is out there to screen the goalie. However he is no Tomas Holmstrom. He has 0 PP goals. Our overpaid 4th line winger is being gifted top PP minutes. I seriously doubt any other team in the entire NHL is putting out a f'ing 4th liner on their top PP. Especially one who has ZERO goals.

And the only reason Brouwer is out there is because ANOTHER 4th liner got hurt. It's such a leap in logic it makes my head hurt.

[Toonage]

Friedman asking on the Fan 960 what I asked last night. Isn't that intent to blow on the refs part?

Seriously, that used to be a thing. What happened there?

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by Toonage

Friedman asking on the Fan 960 what I asked last night. Isn't that intent to blow on the refs part?

Seriously, that used to be a thing. What happened there?

It's a thing until they don't want it to be a thing. I think he blew the whistle a split second before seeing the puck loose between Smith's legs and changed his mind.

[Ashasx]

To me, this quote encapsulates everything that is wrong with this coaching staff:

Darren Haynes‏ @DarrenWHaynes
Glen Gulutzan not happy with Gaudreau's turnover on GWG: "You can't turn back with three minutes left, you can't turn back. You have to play forward. You can't turn back. We needed to get points. We needed to take that into overtime and get the points. We're good at 3-on-3."

So, I understand the idea of getting to overtime for the extra point, but instead of actually trying to win the game, the coaches just wanted to eat out the last 5 minutes and simply hope nothing bad happens? Don't go out and try to win the game, because you might lose it for us? I feel like that's the motto of this team: "Let's hope nothing bad happens".

Just a complete lack of killer instinct. The team was dominating the Sharks in the 3rd. Why take your foot off the gas? Gaudreau was trying to create a play and was hooked (and if the officials were calling penalties as they are read in the rulebook, it should have been called a penalty), but of course Gulutzan instead wants him to dump the puck and freely give possession away, go to the bench for a line change, and probably put the 4th line on.

The coaches on this team are absolutely clueless. Special teams are awful (and why should we be surprised when Cameron operated the worst powerplay in the league when he was with Ottawa?) and they completely stifle creative and intelligent hockey.

If the coaching staff was more upset with their continued failures to try and get the powerplay working when they keep putting Brouwer on the top unit, maybe we'd actually start to see some progress.

[Erick Estrada]

I didn't think that was very tactful of him calling out his lone offensively creative player especially when the turnover was caused on a play that you could debate could have been a penalty and even at that should have resulted in nothing more than a routine save and ensuing faceoff. Maybe he should have at least followed it with a "and Smith would have liked to have that one as well.". I don't recall him calling out Brodie for his numerous gaffes this season that have resulted in pucks in the Flames net. Why start that now on the one guy that actually creates offense for this team? He's just so off with everything he does. When he does finally come out and criticize a player for his play it's the wrong player at the wrong time.

[SebC]

Assuming that Gaudreau actually had a choice between taking the game to overtime and possibly creating a goal but possibly giving one up, then taking the game to overtime would've been the correct choice. Of course, that's a simplification and the game doesn't actually work that way.

[Robbob]

It is game management. The Flames were pressing the entire 3rd period and their one mistake turned into a odd man rush the other way, which unfortunately went in. I don't think he is trying to not go for it, Gaudreau just put himself into a position where he got out muscled and the puck went the other way with Hathaway and Jankowski trapped deep.

[Canehdianman]

I will take the blame for this one.

It seems the Flames don't bother to show up when I go to my annual game.

I'm legitimately boggled that people are willing to pay thousands of dollars to watch them halfheartedly meander around the ice 42 times a year.

[Robbob]

I don't think you are giving the Sharks enough credit. They played a good road game.

[Toonage]

So what happens if Gaudreau does get the puck in with 2+ minutes left? He had no support at that time. Its more than likely the Sharks carry it back up the ice anyway. The Flames would still need to kill those last 2 minutes. If thats the plan, to hold off a charging team and pray for OT, thats a s####y plan.

[ForeverFlameFan]

What will make or break this team is how we do against the Pacific the rest of the year. We can’t afford to lose crucial games like this one. Same amount of points, 2GP more, and we don’t even gain a point from it. Those upcoming Vegas games could very well be the deciding factor if we make the playoffs or not.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Toonage

So what happens if Gaudreau does get the puck in with 2+ minutes left? He had no support at that time. Its more than likely the Sharks carry it back up the ice anyway. The Flames would still need to kill those last 2 minutes. If thats the plan, to hold off a charging team and pray for OT, thats a s####y plan.

GG was correct in his analysis, IMO. It was a bad positional decision by JG. The only debate is whether he should call out JG when asked about it. I think Sutter would have done it to Iginla (in fact I know he did).

It's a little different quality than Brodie's gaffe, say, in the 3 on 3. It's not like GG is going to explain to everyone and Brodie "hey, it's a bad idea to have the puck slide off your stick from behind the net and go to the other team while in OT".

[Tinordi]

It was a bad play by Gaudreau. Full stop.

Absolutely within the coaches prerogative to call that out. Gaudreau needs to lead out there.

[Ashasx]

Originally Posted by Tinordi

It was a bad play by Gaudreau. Full stop.

Absolutely within the coaches prerogative to call that out. Gaudreau needs to lead out there.

When a team relies on you so much to create offence, you're going to make mistakes every now and then. He had no puck support from his linemates (and maybe you'll say he should have known that) and the play should have resulted in a penalty.

[Bingo]

Originally Posted by Robbob

It is game management. The Flames were pressing the entire 3rd period and their one mistake turned into a odd man rush the other way, which unfortunately went in. I don't think he is trying to not go for it, Gaudreau just put himself into a position where he got out muscled and the puck went the other way with Hathaway and Jankowski trapped deep.

Exactly ... you have to manage the puck when you're high in the zone. That's hockey 101.

To not do so if foolish.

Gulutzan isn't saying dump it in and assume that is silly. He's saying we have to be smarter in our high in the zone decisions.

Good lord people ...