[GDT] Calgary @ Montreal, 5:00 MT — SNW / SN960

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by Monahammer

Dube to the Monahan-Gaudreau wing please

Nope. Lindholm and Tkachuk miss having Dube on their wing a lot. He is much more effective overall if he is playing there than with Gaudreau and Monahan.

[Erick Estrada]

Assuming Markstron is 100% healthy I don't understand starting Rittich today instead of Saturday. They play the Jets three times in four nights a day after wrapping up this series Saturday night. Unless the plan is for Rittich to play 2/3 against the Jets this seems like an odd goaltending deployment strategy.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

Assuming Markstron is 100% healthy I don't understand starting Rittich today instead of Saturday. They play the Jets three times in four nights a day after wrapping up this series Saturday night. Unless the plan is for Rittich to play 2/3 against the Jets this seems like an odd goaltending deployment strategy.

Why would you assume that Rittich would play 2/3 v. Winnipeg based on this? It looks abundantly obvious that the plan is to start both goalies twice in the next four games, and I think a lot of this has to do with what is coming up in February. There are 15 games in 27 days next month, and Rittich will need to play a few times. I see this as getting him going in anticipation of what lies ahead. It would have happened sooner, except that the Flames have played only five games in two weeks, only one on the road and none on back-to-back nights.

[MrMike]

Originally Posted by Textcritic

Nope. Lindholm and Tkachuk miss having Dube on their wing a lot. He is much more effective overall if he is playing there than with Gaudreau and Monahan.

I think Mangi and Dube should both have spots practically locked in the top six.

[Stanley]

Originally Posted by sureLoss

Pat Steinberg @Fan960Steinberg
#Flames morning skate lines in Montreal, per the team:

Tkachuk-Lindholm-Leivo
Gaudreau-Monahan-Simon
Bennett-Backlund-Mangiapane
Lucic-Ryan-Nordstrom/Dube

Giordano-Andersson
Hanifin-Tanev
Valimaki-Nesterov

Rittich

Good lord that 4th line is terrible

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by VANFLAMESFAN

Don’t get this deployment. They have a back to back on Monday/Tuesday next week. Why not give him his first start there? Markstrom gives them the best chance to win tonight. Not Rittich. Markstrom has played two games in last ten days. He’s not tired.

Don’t like this one at all.

I agree 100%.

The other factor is that game 1 in a 2 game set is huge. And they are coming off two losses. A loss tonight and they are in a tail spin. Why put that on the shoulders of your backup?

[Stanley]

I figured Rittich would get the start tonight. I don't see why it doesn't make any sense the guy needs to play. I mean I get the reasons why one would opt for Markstrom with the last 2 losses but perhaps he's extra motivated in practice? He either shines or gets lit up and pulled.

[ComixZone]

Originally Posted by Stanley

Good lord that 4th line is terrible

If Dube is actually healthy enough to play, it likely means Leivo goes down.

Which means... Lucic - Ryan - Leivo.

Disaster on ice?



GFG! You untalented, emotionless buffoons! Get the win!

[savardandjokinen]

Originally Posted by Stanley

Good lord that 4th line is terrible

And the thing is it doesn’t have to be.

Ryan is a 3rd line player. If he’s not anymore he’s surely a good 4th liner

If Lucic can get his feet going again he can be effective like last year

Nordstrom was on the 4th line of a team that lost in the finals. He has no skill but he can play in the defensive zone and on the PK

The problem is Lucic can’t move and Nordstrom hasn’t been effective at what he can do best

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by MrMike

I think Mangi and Dube should both have spots practically locked in the top six.

I tend to agree, but when the Flames are healthy I think they have three pairs of players which play in the top six: Monahan with Gaudreau, Lindholm with Tkachuk, and Backlund with Mangiapane. The first pair has been great; but the second and third looked MUCH better before Dube was out of the lineup, and Mangiapane was shifted to the top line. I maintain that Lindholm and Tkachuk have missed Dube, and also think that Backlund has really missed Mangiapane. There is the potential here to ice a 1A-1B-2 set of lines with Mangiapane sliding back down to play with Backlund.

[SuperMatt18]

Originally Posted by Textcritic

I tend to agree, but when the Flames are healthy I think they have three pairs of players which play in the top six: Monahan with Gaudreau, Lindholm with Tkachuk, and Backlund with Mangiapane. The first pair has been great; but the second and third looked MUCH better before Dube was out of the lineup, and Mangiapane was shifted to the top line. I maintain that Lindholm and Tkachuk have missed Dube, and also think that Backlund has really missed Mangiapane. There is the potential here to ice a 1A-1B-2 set of lines with Mangiapane sliding back down to play with Backlund.

This.

Ward wants to roll 4 lines, and he wants to continue to use the Backlund line in a defensive role.

BUT you can't have Backlund facing the other teams top 6 if his wingers are Bennett and Lucic.

Putting Mangiapane there gives the team more flexibility and balance for how they can utilize the lineup and opens up Gaudreau/Monahan for easier matchups too.

Gaudreau+Monahan have done a good job proping up Simon and he's been a good fit there.

Tkachuk+Lindholm need to prove that they can do the same now and that they can still be just as dominant with Leivo on their wing (unless Dube returns).

That allows Mangiapane to drop to the Backlund line and suddenly you have a really strong possession line there again.

[8sPOT]

I wonder if Rittich starting is more to do with putting the team in a different mindset. Markstrom has been good, maybe the team is leaning back a bit too much because of that? Rittich in net gets everyone out of their comfort zone in a sense, I like this move. Shake it up a bit.

When this team is on, boy its fun to watch and they're hard to beat. But when they're off wow its gross.

As for the game, if Lucic is ok we have a chance, if Lucic is bad, we're toast.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

This.

Ward wants to roll 4 lines, and he wants to continue to use the Backlund line in a defensive role.

BUT you can't have Backlund facing the other teams top 6 if his wingers are Bennett and Lucic.

Putting Mangiapane there gives the team more flexibility and balance for how they can utilize the lineup and opens up Gaudreau/Monahan for easier matchups too.

Gaudreau+Monahan have done a good job proping up Simon and he's been a good fit there.

Tkachuk+Lindholm need to prove that they can do the same now and that they can still be just as dominant with Leivo on their wing.

That allows Mangiapane to drop to the Backlund line and suddenly you have a really strong possession line there again.

Exactly right. Also, I think that people tend to badly under-rate Backlund's offensive ability, which the team really needs. He is still one of the Flames's top-five scoring forwards, and giving him someone to play with who can also score and with whom he has chemistry will take advantage of Backlund's offensive gifts.

[mdubz]

Both Leivo and Simon in our top 6 is a disgrace.

[Manhattanboy]

The Calgary Pipelines thrash the loser Montreal Social Licenses 5-1.

[Toonage]

All I ask is that BSD watches the top corner of the net. Keep that helmet in tight!

[Reggie Dunlop]

Dave le Sauver Grande

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by mdubz

Both Leivo and Simon in our top 6 is a disgrace.

They're not, though. Leivo is a placeholder for Dube. If Dube is in he will be playing on the top line; if he is out I fully expect to see Mangiapane slide back up to the Lindholm line.

[dino7c]

Markstrom has allowed one bad goal this season...and it wasn't even very bad

This seems like a bad call but I guess he has to start at some point

[djsFlames]

If this goes sideways Cecil needs to do the GDTs again.