[PGT] Flames lose in shootout again…4-3 to canucks

[D as in David]

Originally Posted by Ashasx

I think that's still preferable to what's happening now.

That could be true but, based on your posts, it's difficult to not believe you would still #### on Treliving. I know that's putting words in your mouth but just the sense I (and others, apparently) get.

[Bonded]

Originally Posted by Ashasx

That is not how fandom typically works but I will certainly be giving the Flames and Murray Edwards less and less of my money until they decide they actually want to compete for a Stanley Cup

It is not a shot at you. The Flames have been a painful team to cheer for but your expectations are basically counter current to what will happen.

[Ashasx]

Originally Posted by D as in David

That could be true but, based on your posts, would you still #### on Treliving for it?

no? what's the point of this post? that's what I wanted?

[Ashasx]

Originally Posted by Bonded

It is not a shot at you. The Flames have been a painful team to cheer for but your expectations are basically counter current to what will happen.

Agreed, but I will do my duties as a single fan and I won't be surprised if others take their money elsewhere as well.

[gvitaly]

I wasn't planning on posting because I didn't have much positive to say after the game, but it's so frustrating reading some of the comments.

We all knew we had a bad situation in the summer once Gaudreau didn't sign. The Monahan to MTL deal would've still happened had we managed to resign both players. In addition, our D core would've most likely had Zadorov - Stone as our 2nd pairing when injuries occurred.

We went all in on a team that won the division, and had some success in the playoffs. How many of you were looking for a rebuild a year after winning the division and losing to EDM? Even if management decides on a rebuild/retool, they will do it in a year from now. I personally don't have it in me to sit through a 5 year rebuild right now.

There are still a lot of good parts on the team, and a lot of players that are underperforming. I get the frustration with how we've been losing, but there's no where to go but up. Perhaps we could try swapping a top 6 forward with a team to get a better fit. Mangiapane or Toffoli come to mind. In addition we have yet to try loading a line with Huberdeau - Kadri - Lindholm, or Mangiapane on PP1.

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by Hot_Flatus

This is the first time I've really and fully been concerned about him - that game was an absolute dumpster fire from the Flames top forward. Not sure if the fancy stats paint a better picture or not, but watching the game last night and how badly Huberdeau struggled definitely sets off some serious alarm bells.

Huberdeau: -2, 1SH, 1Hit, 4GVA, 4:31PP TOI

Points and goals aside, your elite forward cannot be that out of sorts at this point of the season. I'm not sure where you go from here because you've already tried other line combos, that haven't really worked either. Chalk it up as a brutal game and move on, but I'm not seeing a lot of signs that he's going to flip the switch suddenly in the next 10 games and start dominating. If he doesn't bounce back with a big effort next game it will say a lot.

I don't know what's happening with Huberdeau, he's known to be an elite passer but in our system it seems like the puck is a hot potato when he receives it and he makes a bad split second decision pass over and over again - maybe its due to chemistry and the receiving players just aren't going to where he intends to pass them but he still looks like he's pressured and makes bad passes leading to those giveaways all the time.

I don't know if it's his fault or he only works if he's playing with high-hockey IQ players like Wayne Gretzky who knows to go where the puck is going to go. Judging by Duclair and Bennett, I can't say this is the case.

[Burning Beard]

Tough game. Down two early again with Markstrom in net. Not good.

I do find the discussion about negativity funny. I definitely don't find there to be nearly as much overwhelming positivity when things are good but when the team loses 3 straight oh boy does the negativity get jacked up to eleven. It honestly makes the forums almost unreadable when it's always the same posters typing the same negative things over and over and over in every thread. No one is happy they are losing right now but typing the same negative thing out ten times a day isn't going to change that.

[activeStick]

Originally Posted by Burning Beard

No one is happy they are losing right now but typing the same negative thing out ten times a day isn't going to change that.

There are some actually. Because they are happier to be right, that so far, the transition to an easier schedule has produced the same mediocre results. Happier about this happening than they'd be if the team were winning. Sad.

[Psytic]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

I don't know what's happening with Huberdeau, he's known to be an elite passer but in our system it seems like the puck is a hot potato when he receives it and he makes a bad split second decision pass over and over again - maybe its due to chemistry and the receiving players just aren't going to where he intends to pass them but he still looks like he's pressured and makes bad passes leading to those giveaways all the time.

I don't know if it's his fault or he only works if he's playing with high-hockey IQ players like Wayne Gretzky who knows to go where the puck is going to go. Judging by Duclair and Bennett, I can't say this is the case.

He needs a system with speed like Quenneville or Hartley and players to support it. Its never going to work in a Sutter system for him imo.

[ozzy]

Originally Posted by Paulie Walnuts

We are terrible.

We arr closer to Bedard than home ice.

Strength of schedule just wait.

we "suck" at hockey

[Kasi]

Well if your goal is to win the Stanley cup then you kinda need to be an elite team. That makes it really tough to be very excited about hovering around .500, winning a few games, losing to bad teams and playing boring hockey. Sometimes you just have to lose the short term to win long term. Lose the battle but win the war. But many see that the Flames just want to just make the playoffs and don’t have the fortitude to rebuild and get some strong assets that would enable a deep playoff run and that is frustrating to see.

[Jiri Hrdina]

Originally Posted by Ashasx

yeah? because of what it meant for this team. they took the direction I didn't want them to take.

I would have preferred they re-build too. I've felt that way for a long time. But at some point do you not get tired of beating your head against that wall.

Because if you disagree with the entire strategy to compete now, you are going to likely hate everything they are currently doing.

For me I look at it as follows

1. Do I agree with their overall strategy. Yes/No. I don't really if I'm honest because I don't think it's a path to a championship.

But I accept that's what they are doing and then I move on to

2. Are they making sound and effective decisions to execute their chosen strategy?

In other words, it's a bit of a waste of time to evaluate every decision from the standpoint of "they should be re-building" because they aren't doing that.

I wish they would re-build.
They aren't.
So I've moved on from it.

[taxbuster]

Originally Posted by tvp2003

Top line has been a bust, there’s no sugarcoating it. Huby is struggling in this new system. Lindholm-Toffoli didn’t work last year either.

What a difference from last year when the top line was dominant and basically stayed intact the entire year.

...andn accomplished exactly ... nothing.

Just for the record.

[TheIronMaiden]

For whatever reason I am not stressed about the Flames being .500 to start the season. I think they make the playoffs given the way the games are going.

That said, Huderdeau's contract next season is looking ugly, unless he can turn things around.

[OutOfTheCube]

Originally Posted by taxbuster

...andn accomplished exactly ... nothing.

Just for the record.

They won the division and won a round in the playoffs, it's not 'nothing'. If your only metric for players / teams accomplishing something is championships then 97% of the league and players are in the same boat lol.

[zamler]

Originally Posted by PepsiFree

People who are often pessimistic are at greater risk for heart disease, among other medical conditions.

How are you still alive?

[Ashasx]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

I would have preferred they re-build too. I've felt that way for a long time. But at some point do you not get tired of beating your head against that wall.

Because if you disagree with the entire strategy to compete now, you are going to likely hate everything they are currently doing.

For me I look at it as follows

1. Do I agree with their overall strategy. Yes/No. I don't really if I'm honest because I don't think it's a path to a championship.

But I accept that's what they are doing and then I move on to

2. Are they making sound and effective decisions to execute their chosen strategy?

In other words, it's a bit of a waste of time to evaluate every decision from the standpoint of "they should be re-building" because they aren't doing that.

I wish they would re-build.
They aren't.
So I've moved on from it.

I agree, but the lack of results to this point create an interesting question of how the Flames handle it.

Is this an organization that can afford to trade more futures to add another piece to a group that is more than one piece away from contending?

Do they do nothing and hope the ship rights itself?

Or if the ship doesn't write itself and they draft 14th overall again - do they really just do the same thing next year?

I have to think at some point, if things aren't going as they hoped, they throw in the towel.

I'm hoping whenever they do, they don't wait too long like they did with Iginla.

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by zamler

How are you still alive?

I don’t really get stressed out or pessimistic about much, definitely not about hockey. Certainly not enough to quit the forum over people using my gifs or anything crazy like that.

[Burning Beard]

After the huge offseason turnover they simply aren't going to throw the towel in after 30ish mediocre games. They are around .500 and I'm sure they realized that it could take some time to gel and see what they have.

Coaches and general managers are patient and don't live on the game to game like fans. We all wanted Gadreau and Tkachuk gone for whatever we could get in the offseason before last then they put it all together with a monster season. That allowed them to get a pretty good haul for Tkachuk. It hasn't worked yet but if anything they will give it a season and a half I think and see what they have if it clicks.

[HighLifeMan]

At 5 on 5 The top line of Huberdeau-Lindholm-Toffoli have a GF/60 rate of 1.13

To put that into perspective currently 431 out of the 457 forwards in the NHL who have played more than 50 minutes score at a higher clip than that.

Why are we 30 games into the season trying to make this work. We have won 13 of 30 games. I feel like I am taking crazy pills.

Lindholm and Huberdeau were both top 20 producers at 5 on 5 last year. They didn't just forget how to play hockey.... They don't work together.

The solution seems pretty easy to me.