Yeah, I think Father Time has caught up to him unfortunately. He really should be on the 3rd pairing, hopefully he can hang in there for another season but his best days are definitely behind him.
I have not been worried at all about Backlund's bad start this year. Even in the last game I thought he had a really good first period before everything fell apart in the second.
I am pretty worried about Giordano, though.
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They changed the rule, so it's still a penalty even if you get the puck. But that begs the question, why does McDavid get to play so close to the edge that any little bump or tap (say a one handed stick tap) sends him flying?
Based on penalties and how he is played by dmen, I have no doubt people have been told directly or tacitly, that any meaningful contact on McDavid will be a penalty. See the two calls against Tkachuk.
I don't understand why he gets to continually put himself in vulnerable positions to gain an edge, but if a damn tries to play him on that edge it's the end of the world. The NHL really does think McDavid should have the right of way.
Edit: If you are required to be in control of your stick then McDavid needs to be in control of his body.
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I have not been worried at all about Backlund's bad start this year. Even in the last game I thought he had a really good first period before everything fell apart in the second.
I am pretty worried about Giordano, though.
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For me it’s not so much worry about Gio - it’s just what I have expected for a while coming true. That said, maybe our expectations are too high. After all, there are only a few players older than him taking regular shifts in the NHL: Chara, Marleau, Greene, Spezza and Keith. Thornton before he got injured. Is he worse than any of those guys? He’s tied with Keith for the second most points after Spezza. IMO he just needs to play a safe game, help Rasmus develop and transition to a less offensive role.
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So of the dozens of NHL color “guys” out there, who actually provides anyone with new insight into the actual game? I’m hard pressed to name one that is particularly insightful and when I watch, it’s just mainly background noise. Some nice rapport with the PBP person can make the viewing experience more pleasant.
IMO football and golf are where the announcers are really worth listening to. And a couple of the NBA color folks are good. I like Doris Burke and Van Gundy.
But hockey. It’s been a long time since any in game analysis has struck me as really improving the viewing experience.
I thought it was a gutsy effort last night. They could have folded up the tents after the first period and sulked, but they didn't. They played through the adversity and showed some strength. I like this team for the most part and think they are close. Just a little tinkering and some better coaching decisions.
With the Oilers, you just have to be paitent and stick with things and the overall talent will prevail. The Flames didn't come out with any different strategy in the second or third, they just executed better.
That is because the Oilers aren't changing their game plan much at any point in the game because they don't have the overall talent/ commitment/cohesiveness in the lineup to quickly send out a checking mentality and pivot to a trap strategy or left wing lock, or doing much adapting. As you see, the change in strategy is to just play Draisital and McDavid less or more and hope they outscore the opponent.
If that was the Habs or Leafs in our division, who would make more subtle adjustments after going up 2-1 (or down 2-1), to anticipate the Flames having to change their strategy, that's where the Flames have to improve. Other teams seem to adapt quicker then the Flames do, in game.
Last edited by browna; 02-07-2021 at 12:06 PM.
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McDavid is going down on that play before any stick makes contact with his skate. He is going in full tilt, at a crazy angle, its inevitable he won't be able to keep himself stabilized. He also knows 100% what he's doing. He knows the D are going to be careful about taking a penalty so he'll get a great chance to score, or the D will be forced to take a penalty, or it can be sold as such, by attempting to stop him. It's actually a somewhat smart play by him, but the refs knew what he was doing last night and correctly called the penalty on him. He is basically heading towards the crease like an out of control wrecking ball, knowing there's a strong likelihood he loses control and can crash into the goalie, but he can sell it as the opposition's fault.
The idea that the Flames or any other teams Dmen have to allow him to get to the net unimpeded is asinine. It's their job to hold their position and protect their net.
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A few weeks after crashing head-first into the boards (denting his helmet and being unable to move for a little while) following a hit from behind by Bob Errey, the Calgary Flames player explains:
"I was like Christ, lying on my back, with my arms outstretched, crucified"
-- Frank Musil - Early January 1994
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Yeah, I think Father Time has caught up to him unfortunately. He really should be on the 3rd pairing, hopefully he can hang in there for another season but his best days are definitely behind him.
I’ve been watching him closely. I don’t think he’s lost too much. What he’s lost is a very smooth skating D partner that was able to scoop up loose pucks whenever he couldn’t get to them.
I’m not lamenting Brodie’s loss too much as I think there will be an adjustment period for Gio.
If it is anyone else, other than McDavid, it would not be a conversation.
The NHL decided years ago to protect the goalies. Crashing the goalie like that is a penalty. Full stop.
Can it be argued that Tanev could have been given a tripping penalty as well? Sure. But it was really minor contact, the kind that happens 10 or more times a game, and gets called once or twice. Watching it live, I didn't even see him contact McDavid. Neither did the announcers. Or the refs. But show a slow motion replay at the net 10 times, and you will see a potential trip or slash 7 or 8 times out of 10.
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We need Gaskal to start producing two ATLs. One from elsewhere and one from CP.
This might be a good idea, not to give Gaskal more work; Maybe we can find someone will highlight those doom and gloom comments before a win so we can silly they are!
McDavid has already suffered two significant injuries due to his speed. At some point he's going to have to be less reckless otherwise he's going to have more of those types of injuries.
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McDavid is going down on that play before any stick makes contact with his skate. He is going in full tilt, at a crazy angle, its inevitable he won't be able to keep himself stabilized. He also knows 100% what he's doing. He knows the D are going to be careful about taking a penalty so he'll get a great chance to score, or the D will be forced to take a penalty, or it can be sold as such, by attempting to stop him. It's actually a somewhat smart play by him, but the refs knew what he was doing last night and correctly called the penalty on him. He is basically heading towards the crease like an out of control wrecking ball, knowing there's a strong likelihood he loses control and can crash into the goalie, but he can sell it as the opposition's fault.
The idea that the Flames or any other teams Dmen have to allow him to get to the net unimpeded is asinine. It's their job to hold their position and protect their net.
Almost the exact play that caused his knee injury, not a very smart move by McDavid! Looked to me like he was leaning in and falling on his own. Very reckless play. Pretty sure he knows Markström could have been injured on that play.
McDavid has already suffered two significant injuries due to his speed. At some point he's going to have to be less reckless otherwise he's going to have more of those types of injuries.
Sportsnet and the documentary film community got so excited for a moment there last night.
McDavid has already suffered two significant injuries due to his speed. At some point he's going to have to be less reckless otherwise he's going to have more of those types of injuries.
It's a matter of time until McDavid has a catastrophic collision with a player, goaltender, net, or the boards. He's either going to seriously hurt himself or another player.
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It's a matter of time until McDavid has a catastrophic collision with a player, goaltender, net, or the boards. He's either going to seriously hurt himself or another player.
Hope it happens against the Leafs so the talking heads can spin themselves in circles...too bad the Leafs like to give McDavid a free pass to the net
