[PGT] Golden Knights 4 - Flames 2

[Tailgator]

Has there ever been a more mentally deficient (maybe dense is easier to say) and fragile than this year’s Flames? What an effing joke.....where’s the Tylenol?

[Frank MetaMusil]

Originally Posted by bubbsy

Not disagreeing at all, I've held that opinion much of the year.

I'm just saying, looking at this game in complete isolation, the flames played well other than the 2 individual players screw-ups and a a useless pp. I'm disappointed with the players more than the coaches this game.

They still definitely need to make roster moves. Lazar experiment should be over. Waive him and get eatbread back up for some games.

Stajan is done, waive him too.

I'm just of the opinion you try a coaching change first. Can't have another Savard/Phaneuf trade for junk. Many of these players will outlast Gulutzan no matter what.

Frolik got totally mindwiped. Definitely on the player. You have to call a timeout after that gaffe though.

Gulutzan isn't even mad. He wasn't mad after the Oilers game either after a blown 2 goal lead.

This is the Brent Sutter 2.0 era we are in. Gulutzan is wasting the time on these contracts.

I'm praying for a firing.

[Beninho]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

They were 2 minutes away from a win (an ugly one but style points don't matter) and 2nd in the division until Frolik makes one of the stupidest plays in the history of the organization. I can't blame the coach for that but I would have pulled his ass off the ice for the rest of the game and instead he puts that line right back out. Looking back this is far too similar to the incident last week when he left Brouwer out for an entire penalty kill in OT where he had already lost his last two face-offs to lose his 3rd which ultimately led to a lost point. These bench management mistakes are costing the team valuable points in the standings and the worst part is that this stuff really isn't rocket science but I feel he overthinks things to the point where he's just hurting the team at critical junctures in games.

The majority of Flames wins are ugly, limping over the line games. They rarely beat a team by more than 2 goals. That’s GG hockey

[dino7c]

I just don't see GG getting fired...until summer

[zamler]

At least Butter got angry from time to time.

[Ozy_Flame]

Originally Posted by zamler

You really need to stop. Take Gaudreau off this team and we are scraping bottom.

Sorry man, but this is the hill I will die on for this argument. Gaudreau isn't converting at the rate we need him to and making them count, even if it is fun to watch him score points during hot streaks. I'll take Tkachuk right now, thank you.

[ricosuave]

It is so f$&king hard to be a sports fan in this town

[Manhattanboy]

When a bunch of fans like us can specifically point to coaching decisions that have clearly resulted in or significantly contributed to losses you know the coaching staff has failed terribly.

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame

Sorry man, but this is the hill I will die on for this argument. Gaudreau isn't converting at the rate we need him to and making them count, even if it is fun to watch him score points during hot streaks. I'll take Tkachuk right now, thank you.

Who is on a hot streak...you are so ridiculous

50% of our points and as consistent as anyone in the league.

[AC]

[zamler]

The Flames are a good team on the road I'm convinced it's because Gully's system can't be fully utilized without last change.

[Ozy_Flame]

Originally Posted by dino7c

you are wrong, have been proven wrong by facts

at this point you are trolling...please let us get back to talking about the game

32% conversion rate on the PP is a real thing. This is not wrong. Five PP points in the last two months.

This team needs more from him.

But I will say, Cameron is probably the problem more than Johnny right now for that anemic special teams unit.

[Beninho]

Originally Posted by dino7c

I just don't see GG getting fired...until summer

Ya I don’t see it either unfourtunatley, GG is his guy and I’m worried he will die by that hire. I think Tre is a good gm but I’ve yet to see him rectify mistakes he’s made and own up to it. This was an awful hire from the start, Canucks assistant coach who had little success at the NHL level. Oiler esque hire

[drewtastic]

Just home from the game. I'm sure the freak 90 seconds has been played to death. And all of it was as horribad live (my seats are in the Flames defensive end) as you imagine.

Nevertheless, there are so many other problems with this team right now that the Frolik error and subsequent faceoff are, in my view, merely symptoms of a tremendous lack of focus and grit that permeates this lineup.

Frolik's failure to clear the zone was only the last of about a dozen similar instances where the Flames got the puck to the defensive blueline, only to nonchalantly attempt to skate the puck out, resulting in turnovers and more defensive time in our zone. Needless errors like these make games far more difficult than necessary.

Conversely, the Flames simply refuse to cycle the puck and grind in the offensive zone. As a result, many rushes are "one and done", if that. Rarely do the point-men decide simply to keep the puck in deep in order to maintain possession, instead preferring wrist shot after wrist shot from the point. I understand that the coaches have instructed the defencemen to get pucks on net, but how many times does a puck have to hit an onrushing forward's shin/skate before these guys realize that it's really difficult to get a solid object through another solid object?

And, of course, the powerplay was atrocious. Again. In the Saddledome, it's coming to the point where fans know that a Flames powerplay is a two minute bathroom break. It's bad enough that the PP hasn't been effective in months, but that it gives up quality chances against is unforgivable at this point in the season. Stop me if you've heard this one before: if the Flames scored at least ONCE on the powerplay (as the Knights did), we aren't even talking about Frolik's blunder.

Perhaps the most infuriating thing I saw tonight, after all was said and done, was that, with the game 3-2 and the Flames needing to pull the goalie, Mike Smith skated to the bench, waving his arms, trying to get the coaching staff's attention. He was less than fifteen feet from the bench before they gave him the sign to leave the ice. For me, this is representative of the whole team's lack of mental sharpness or focus. And for this, who else can be responsible except the coaches? (God bless Mike Smith--I shudder to think where the Flames would be without him.)

It is now five straight losses, no matter how you want to justify the OTL points gained. And it's not even THAT they lose, it's HOW they lose.

The next game against Tampa will speak volumes about this team's character. Sadly, outside of a few players like Smith and Tkachuk, I am uncertain as to their collective ability and desire to commit to the work ethic and focus required to be a consistently good NHL team. Hoping to be proven wrong in two days' time.

[zamler]

Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame

Sorry man, but this is the hill I will die on for this argument. Gaudreau isn't converting at the rate we need him to and making them count, even if it is fun to watch him score points during hot streaks. I'll take Tkachuk right now, thank you.

Fair enough, but Johnny would need to be having a season like Crosby in his best year for you to be satisfied.

[Manhattanboy]

Originally Posted by dino7c

I just don't see GG getting fired...until summer

Oh that’s true because as has been pointed out ad nauseum (to me) on this board coaches don’t get fired at this point in a season when the team is on an 11 game point streak and in a playoff spot.

So we’re stuck with these losers for now. And there is no reason to think the string of poor coaching decisions will stop any time soon.

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame

32% conversion rate on the PP is a real thing. This is not wrong. Five PP points in the last two months.

This team needs more from him.

But I will say, Cameron is probably the problem more than Johnny right now for that anemic special teams unit.

you keep changing your stupid argument...now its just PP points

IDK man...move on. The 81 point in 81 game player you seek does not exist.

[midniteowl]

Originally Posted by bubbsy

I'm not defending the coach. Feel free to go thru my post history all year, I'm all for getting rid of the guy and his assistants.

As far as your comment on skill, I disagree. The knights success is that they basically have 3 second lines. Sure our top line is better then theirs, but each of their other forward lines is more impressive then the flames counterparts.

Sorry, I know you're not GG defender, I'm just extremely frustrated by his dumb decisions game after game. Not picking on your post per se.

Well, may be they have 3 second lines as you said, but I still think the Flames top 3 lines are comparable, the only problem is we have a really really crappy 4th line. And GG is dumb and stubborn to always rolls 4 lines regardless of situation.

[dino7c]

I dont think GG is a good coach...its really hard to pin this game on him though. Things were going pretty well until the Flames shot on their own net

[Strange Brew]

Originally Posted by zamler

Fair enough, but Johnny would need to be having a season like Crosby in his best year for you to be satisfied.

Yep. It’s a preposterous assertion. Gaudreau having an incredible season and let’s not act like he’s making $12 million. But yeah, let’s trade him for some “grit”.