Flames fall 3-2 to the cargo planes

[Huntingwhale]

Feel bad for Rittich as I know he's a better goalie then he's shown the last while. But it's going to be damn hard for him to find his groove playing behind Markstrom. Just goes to show what separates the decent tier of goalies from the great ones. Feels like shades of the backups playing behind Kipper. I genuinely feel bad for the guy.

Team is now in 2nd last in the division. 2nd worst offence but at least we have the best GA . The only solace I take is that the team hasnt' had a chance to feast on the Sens yet (which could easily be 'trap' games) and they have games on hand on everyone.

Going to need to start winning more often before it gets to be too big of a hole.

[Da_Chief]

Just watched the highligts, they have to get lucic off the PP at least, no? He wont get benched or scratched but thats twice in that last week he's given it away for SH goal.
The worse is the laziness after giving it away, just standing there while a Jet skates by him and scores.

[Lanny_McDonald]

Same players continue to be a drag on this team. Ward just doesn't learn and keeps going back to the same well even though its proven to be dry. His stubbornness and inability to recognize the obvious is what is going to finish this team off early. Say what you want about the schedule, but falling behind in the standings like this is a sure way to miss the post season. Time for something significant to happen if they want to save the season and that is a shakeup in the lineup. There are some players that need to be sent to the taxi squad never to return. Get it done and lets move forward.

[bubbsy]

Great to hear the fan already talking about how trash the coach has been. There's no sugar coating it.

Dube benched after a terrible call, yet lucic gets Nada after an idiotic turnover and not even trying to get back.

Treliving deserves nothing less.

[Erick Estrada]

I'm really starting to tire of Geoff Ward hockey. Dube gets pinned to the bench for taking one bad penalty and one phantom one. The golden boy Lucic puts the team behind the 8 ball early with a terrible giveaway and he gets 12 minutes of ice time which is about 4 more minutes than Lucic should play in any game. His player deployment is worse than Gulutzan's and the team has been .500 since the initial six game winning streak after Peters was fired. Last season he had benefit of not being Bill Peters but it's his team this season and they are what their record says they are. It's pretty sad that early into February the top two spots in the division are already out of reach. Worst part is that of all the teams in the division this is the one that's in their win-now stage. Brad Treliving's Flames has been a massive disappointment but the silver lining is that he's not likely going to survive Geoff Ward as the sooner Treliving is fired the sooner this organization can move forward.

[Moneyhands23]

Originally Posted by bubbsy

Great to hear the fan already talking about how trash the coach has been. There's no sugar coating it.

Dube benched after a terrible call, yet lucic gets Nada after an idiotic turnover and not even trying to get back.

Treliving deserves nothing less.

It has to be the #1 issue as it's so obvious that BT has not got it right in his time here. The talk about Peter's being on the payroll still limiting cash for our HC would make sense to me. Tre did not do his due diligence and really #### the bed with Peter's. It was always super weird that he only interviewed Peter's and that Carolina let him go while under contract.
I can't get over the fact that we have never gotten an experienced top teir coach.

#BringbackDarryl

[Lanny_McDonald]

IMO, Treliving has one move left to save his ass. He's got one more trade as an out and he has to make a difference with it, otherwise he's driven the last nail in his own coffin. I can't see him surviving this season if the team misses the playoffs and making it past the first round. There is more than enough talent on this team but when you hand it over to an AHL level coach you get AHL level results. Between the coaching selections and the inability to recognize bad hockey players and divest the team of those assets Treliving is proving to be nothing more that a good AGM and not capable of making the correct big decisions. It will be very hard to take yet another lost season.

[Monahammer]

I think the team is suffering build and consistency problems because of the lack of a stable rw presence on our top offensive line, requiring line juggling and removing the potential for strong chemistry in the bottom 6. Bennett or mangiapane+ should be traded to address this.

Gaudreau-monahan-new rw (ideally someone with a cannon for a wrist shot)
Tkachuk-Lindholm-Dube
B/M-backlund-leivo
Lucic-Ryan-Nordstrom/Simon

Then leave the lines for 10 games to gel.

[Red]

Coach is lost. Another Gulutzan unfortunately.

Besides that, boy, would Josh Anderson look good on this team right about now. With Markstrom and to a lesser degree Tanev deals I thought Tre finally got it. You can't win by only shopping in the bargain bin.

[Voodooman]

For how great the 2 main FA signings have been to start the season, the other 3 have been equally, if not more atrocious (Nordstrom, Leivo, Simon). These guys are contributing nothing. I’m not expecting 20 goals each, but I thought the plan was for this alleged depth to take pressure off the top 2 lines.

It’s such a waste because there were a ton of FA’s looking for jobs, and we seemed to have picked the runts of the litter. Even Athanasiou would have been worth a 1 year deal, at least there is some offensive potential there. These 3 guys don’t seem like they could score against the Sens.

More 4D chess from Tre that is beyond my mere mortal comprehension, I guess.

[Toonage]

Originally Posted by Red

Coach is lost. Another Gulutzan unfortunately.

Right? Its like we've jumped from Gully to Gully's Dad. With his surly racist uncle in the middle I suppose.

[Red]

Originally Posted by Toonage

Right? Its like we've jumped from Gully to Gully's Dad. With his surly racist uncle in the middle I suppose.

LOL, well put.

[Red]

Originally Posted by Voodooman

For how great the 2 main FA signings have been to start the season, the other 3 have been equally, if not more atrocious (Nordstrom, Leivo, Simon). These guys are contributing nothing. I’m not expecting 20 goals each, but I thought the plan was for this alleged depth to take pressure off the top 2 lines.

It’s such a waste because there were a ton of FA’s looking for jobs, and we seemed to have picked the runts of the litter. Even Athanasiou would have been worth a 1 year deal, at least there is some offensive potential there. These 3 guys don’t seem like they could score against the Sens.

More 4D chess from Tre that is beyond my mere mortal comprehension, I guess.

Now watch them break out against Ottawa lol.
But it's true, this was supposed to be good depth and it hasnt shown a pulse yet, like at all

But how much of it is the system they are playing in? The D to D passes that slow the attack, the cycle on the boards and flick a shot from the blueline with no screen etc. It's tough to score that way, especially when your scorers dont play physical.

They are at their best when they quickly move through the middle of the ice. It's risky with turnovers etc, but this team just doesnt have the bodies or skill to grind their way towards the net. They routinely get boxed out. And this is just the start of the season, gets more difficult in the later stages and playoffs.

[VANFLAMESFAN]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

It's pretty sad that early into February the top two spots in the division are already out of reach.

6-7 points back with a game in hand and 47 games to go is already “out of reach”. Holy overreaction Batman! Massive eye roll here.

They play the teams they are chasing for those two spots 7 more times each!! My goodness.

And while it certainly looks like Montreal is starting to run away with it, so what if they do. This year, probably more than ever, in this division with no powerhouse, is a “just get to the dance” kind of year.

[Red]

Originally Posted by VANFLAMESFAN

6-7 points back with a game in hand and 47 games to go is already “out of reach”. Holy overreaction Batman! Massive eye roll here.

They play the teams they are chasing for those two spots 7 more times each!! My goodness.

And while it certainly looks like Montreal is starting to run away with it, so what if they do. This year, probably more than ever, in this division with no powerhouse, is a “just get to the dance” kind of year.

To win the division the Flames will have to almost run the table against Montreal and Toronto because you just know they will split with Ottawa

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

The thing about Rittich is, we won't see him in the playoffs.

"But we have to make the playoffs!"

... sure. But Vancouver and Ottawa suck. You can write them off. You only have to beat one more team. Winnipeg is totally beatable. And Edmonton is right there, standing on the edge of suck canyon, waiting for a multi-game losing streak to push them over. If this team can't beat one of those two clubs regardless of who's in net, Rittich ain't the issue.

[bubbsy]

Originally Posted by VANFLAMESFAN

6-7 points back with a game in hand and 47 games to go is already “out of reach”. Holy overreaction Batman! Massive eye roll here.

They play the teams they are chasing for those two spots 7 more times each!! My goodness.

And while it certainly looks like Montreal is starting to run away with it, so what if they do. This year, probably more than ever, in this division with no powerhouse, is a “just get to the dance” kind of year.

They aren't catching the leafs/habs. Those teams are better constructed and better coached. On paper, once the jets get dubios, that is a better team also.

Flames definitely still in it, but as per usual, in the most mediocre of fashion. Probably battling out a bottom playoff spot and a first round long shot to win.

Woot..... Woot......

[Toonage]

I think the concern is how the team's play is trending. Middle of the road performance, moments where they seem to be putting it together only to regress immediately the next game. If this is how the season is likely to play out then yes, they'll fall behind too soon enough.

They'll probably put some wins together and make it in. But I'm not entirely confident in predicting that.

EE provided us the script to how this season will go a few days back and I think thats how it will turn out. They'll go on a tear at some point, hit a slide en route to the playoffs and be dumped in the first round. I can see that.

I can also see making the playoffs being enough to keep the coach & GM around too. Which is too bad. Mediocrity isn't stability. Its just mediocrity.

[Burning Beard]

Yeah well with Markstrom in goal now I could just as easily see this team finally learn to play a full 60 minutes without having to worry every game about a goaltending collapse and go on a real burner here. We will just have to wait more than 9 games before writing them off for not "dominating" the division.

Also, does Montreal feel like that Flames team under Peters the first year or what? I think they are having some pretty good luck right now and it seems every shot Tofolli takes is going in. I'm not sure if this run they are on will last the whole season.

[SuperMatt18]

Originally Posted by Monahammer

I think the team is suffering build and consistency problems because of the lack of a stable rw presence on our top offensive line, requiring line juggling and removing the potential for strong chemistry in the bottom 6. Bennett or mangiapane+ should be traded to address this.

Gaudreau-monahan-new rw (ideally someone with a cannon for a wrist shot)
Tkachuk-Lindholm-Dube
B/M-backlund-leivo
Lucic-Ryan-Nordstrom/Simon

Then leave the lines for 10 games to gel.

Honestly they just need to try Dube there. IMO he's always made more sense on that line then the Tkachuk-Lindholm line.

Or alternatively they could just keep Simon there...the line has performed really well with Simon...no idea why the coaching staff seems to have fallen out of favour with him.

Gaudreau+Monahan+Simon

TOI: 35 Minutes

Corsi For: 57.7%
HDCF%: 53.9%
xGF%: 54.7%

Goals For: 3
Goals Against: 1

Gaudreau+Monahan w/o Simon

TOI: 67 Minutes

Corsi For: 53.9%
HDCF%: 40.9%
xGF%: 55.7%

Goals For: 1
Goals Against: 1

They were playing legitimately good with Simon on their wing until the coach decided that Simon deserved to sit on the bench for a week.