[PGT] Flames score 3 powerplay goals and defeat Canucks 7-4

[1_Flames_Fan]

I still think we need a veteran back-up goalie who can get some wins. I hope that the Flames braintrust agree.

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by 1_Flames_Fan

I still think we need a veteran back-up goalie who can get some wins. I hope that the Flames braintrust agree.

We have one. It's Mike Smith.

[circle]

My 2 cents after last night's game:

The New Guys:
James Neal: I thought he looked better this game than the season opener. Had a few chances from the hash-marks in. His passing was a bit sloppy last night but I'm not too worried about him adjusting quickly. I was watching Neal's release during warm-up and man, his wristshot is a thing of beauty. He's able to get the puck off his stick so quick, really impressive and I have no doubt that he'll score a bundle in his time with us.

Derek Ryan: Nothing stood out last night for me. Sample size of just 2 games though so hopefully he has a better showing during the road trip. I did notice however during this game that Ryan was being used to take defensive zone draws and then immediately changing off once the puck cleared our zone which is a nice addition to this team.

Elias Lindholm: Extremely impressed by Lindholm. He does everything at an above average level and his ability to play along the boards down low is very good. I'm surprised at how quickly he has been able gel with the top line and am hoping for more great things. I was commenting during the game that I thought Lindholm should have been shifted to the 2nd PP unit to act as the man in front for tips/deflections but after his GWG, I promptly discarded that opinion. Had a very impressive game.

Austin Czarnik: Not as much to comment on apart from his empty netter but I did like him with Tkachuk and Backlund. They had one shift in the second period I believe where that line controlled the play in the offensive end for about a full minute. I'm sure had Backs been able to pot one or two of his scoring chances, more people would be talking about the line, but it is promising that they had tons of scoring chances.

Dalton Prout: Nothing to write home about, for sure. He did make a really good hit at the red line on Tyler Motte I think. Other than that, he was pretty shaky. His 5-on-3 coverage on Bo Horvat was not good, at all. I like Prout as a 7th d-man better than Bartkowski but am still in favour of giving Andersson a shot for the next game.

The Rookies:
Juuso Valimaki: In my opinion, a complete 180 from the season opener. I thought during Vali's first game, he was tentative and made decisions at inopportune times (mainly the play where he tried to jump up in the rush on a half-baked clear by Stone which led to the 2 Canucks left unchecked for the 3-0 goal). He did have that excellent breakaway pass to Dube, but all-in-all a nervous start for Valimaki. Last night however was a completely different player. He was poised, making great decisions, and a part of many great scoring chances. Really liked his play up and down the ice and he was even relied on to take some shifts with Gio on the right side.

Dillon Dube: This kid is fast, composed, and has the hockey IQ to make a big impression this year. Really like how Dube is able to read plays. It was too bad he couldn't pot Valimaki's feed on his big scoring chance of the night, but I'm really feeling Dube's first will come sooner or later because he definitely is getting good chances. Defensively, I only noticed one mistake from Dube where he made an errant pass on our blue-line back into the zone which led to about a minute of Vancouver pressure. All-in-all, another good showing.

The Best of the Rest:
Johnny Gaudreau: The Flames are just so lucky to have drafted Gaudreau. So talented. Just unbelievable. He was making passes only a handful of players in the league could make and that third period, he was by far the best player on the ice. When Johnny is on his game, he is probably the most exciting player to watch.

Mark Giordano: I love this man. For my money, Gio is one of the best d-men in the league in his own end. Not to mention, he scored an important goal to end the 1st and assisted on a couple more. Gio sets the tone for the team and he is always playing at a 100%. No coincidence in my mind that Brodie is playing much better to start the year. Gio just simply makes players better.

Matthew Tkachuk: It seems every time Tkachuk plays against the Canucks, he scores a few points. It's almost as if Tkachuk is just rubbing it in their face for not passing him up at no. 5 in his draft year. Aside from his 4 assists, I liked that Tkachuk was one of the only Flames to start going after Petersson.

Power Play: Really encouraging signs that the PP this night was much cleaner and better executed. You could tell that they spent a lot of time working on it during practice and it definitely paid off. Zone entries were much better as players were entering the zone with speed instead of Gaudreau trying to skate it in while our other 4 players are standing still at the blue-line. The drop pass although still frequently used, was not the be all, end all. There was variety in the breakouts which causes the Canucks in the neutral zone to be more honest instead of expecting the same play over and over and clogging the blue-line. I like that the coaching staff saw a weakness and made adjustments compared to last year where it felt like the coaches tried putting a square peg into a round hole every game.

[Savvy27]

I like the look of lines that people are suggesting, but to be fair to Dube and Ryan, Neal did have two grade A scoring chances (one where he passed off instead of shooting on a 2 on 1). If he scores on either of those, I don't think there is nearly as much chatter about switching up the lines. I would give them a couple more games. Rewatching the game today, I like Ryan's game more than I did last night. Lots of smart, quick plays.

[AC]

Yeah Ryan has been pretty quiet, but I've noticed he has a great active stick and hockey sense. He picks off passes really well.

[ForeverFlameFan]

Valimaki played such a good game. Really happy we were able to pick him.

[442scotty]

Flames playing better but if they don’t crank it up a couple of notches defensively against Nashville it’s gonna be ugly. At this point I’d like to see Rittich play a game.. I have zero confidence in Smith

[GioforPM]

My biggest complaint last night was defensive zone coverage after the Canucks got set up. That’s a matter of getting to pucks first, being aware where the play is going and making the most of clearing chances.

[megatron]

I was really impressed that the Flames came back 3 different times yesterday. Last year, when they were scored on (or were behind), all hope was lost. That different mindset is already better than last year.

Lindholm was great and is a really good fit on the top line. Having another highly skilled player on that line makes the other team not cheat on Johnny/Mony. Also, that he can take (& win) faceoffs is great.

PP was much better than the first game. Lots of movement and Johnny was magic with those passes.

Wasn't impressed with Smith, but some of the dzone coverage was pretty poor, so we'll have to see if Peters can adjust.

Lastly, for a national broadcast, Randorf's constant raving about Pettersson was pretty ridiculous. Showing the parents every time he touched the puck was stupid as well.

[GioforPM]

Say, who were the three stars?

[AC]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

Say, who were the three stars?

1. Gaudreau
2. Pettersson
3. Lindholm

[Bingo]

Pettersson, his mom, his dad

[FlamesAddiction]

It's nice to see Lindholm already building confidence and chemistry with Monahan and Gaudreau. We really needed a RW who could think the game at the same level as Gaudreau, and so far the results are looking good (knocks on wood).

There definitely needs to be more cohesion between the forwards and defense though. Hopefully this is just growing pains from new coaching staff and will rectify over time.

Goaltending needs to be better. If not, there is no way this is anything more than a bubble team at best.

[midniteowl]

Originally Posted by megatron

Lastly, for a national broadcast, Randorf's constant raving about Pettersson was pretty ridiculous. Showing the parents every time he touched the puck was stupid as well.

It must be the SN thing, didn't they showoff Lack the same way? Raving about him every time he make a save, routine or not. Showing his dad every chance they have.

[Lanny'sDaMan]

Originally Posted by Bingo

Pettersson, his mom, his dad

Yeah, what was with the broadcaster interrupting The Pettersson's Show with hockey clips like that?

[AC]

Originally Posted by midniteowl

It must be the SN thing, didn't they showoff Lack the same way? Raving about him every time he make a save, routine or not. Showing his dad every chance they have.

Did they show the Valimaki or Dube family at all?

[---Hatrick---]

Little bit off topic, but is “TNT” going to be the new permanent goal song?? Or was that just for the home opener? Because I kinda liked it. And I’m not even an AC/DC fan

[FlamesAddiction]

I agree that the parents thing is annoying, but to be fair, Pettersson has 5 points in his first 2 NHL games and has looked pretty good getting them. He is something worth talking about. I hate to say it, but that is looking like a homerun pick for the Canucks.

But man that kid looks scrawny.

[megatron]

Originally Posted by AC

Did they show the Valimaki or Dube family at all?

I remember them showing Valimaki's family in the 3rd period and saying it was his birthday. I don't remember seeing Dube's family at all during the broadcast, but I was watching on NHL.TV from overseas.

[midniteowl]

Originally Posted by AC

Did they show the Valimaki or Dube family at all?

I did not notice at all, granted, I did doze off for a moment or two.