[PGT] Oilers 3 Flames 1

[Dion]

The Flames played scared of the Oilers and gave them too much respect. Weren't willing to take chances or go to the net and battle for pucks. If it weren't for the play of Vladar in the first period the score could have 4-0 and game over. They need to lose the fear and battle harder.

[Goriders]

The flames played scared for most of the game. First time I had seen that in a while.

[Phaneuf_Phan]

The Flames 2023/24 playoff hopes were dashed during those 2 games where they gave up a 2-0 lead against the Leafs and then allowed the Oilers to continue their 13 game winning streak. Bring on the trade offers!

[OldSam]

Originally Posted by skcli

I enjoyed Valdez’s clutch saves and weegar’s goal. Other than that I saw a very tentative team trying to play a safe game with mediocre players. The result is not unexpected.

When did we get Juan Valdez? I would have watched had I know. My ears sure didn't miss the high pitched PBP. Oh well, as much as I would have liked a win, they aren't ready to do anything but lose to the Oilers.

And wtf? Lots of games today with B2B travel, and where are the Oilers. Home in their beds with another multiple day break. And no B2B for them for over a month. No favoritism there.

[activeStick]

How did Coronato look? I listened to Steinberg's post game and the Flames didn't sound as bad as what I'm reading here! He mentioned a bad first period, but good final 40 minutes.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Vedder

Flames can sleep easy with all of the participation ribbons awarded in this thread.

Never acceptable to lose to the Oilers, and never acceptable to make excuses about it

Darryl V1 had it right when he made beating them a priority.

What does “never acceptable” even mean? Posters throw “unacceptable” around a lot but it has zero meaning. You don’t like that they lost? Ok. But that’s different than not accepting it.

You don’t accept that they lost? Does that mean you don’t believe it, that you are quitting being a Flames fan or something else?

[Lanny_McDonald]

Originally Posted by activeStick

How did Coronato look?

Tentative and a step behind the play almost every shift. Kind of like the rest of the team. ;-)

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by activeStick

How did Coronato look? I listened to Steinberg's post game and the Flames didn't sound as bad as what I'm reading here! He mentioned a bad first period, but good final 40 minutes.

He wasn’t bad. keep in mind the stats that people are throwing around are from the whole game and the first period dug a stats hole the Flames weren’t getting out of even if they won.

The second and third were a lot closer than you’d guess from the comments.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by zamler

It was.

So, this is what I was talking about last game with Huska.

Compare how Toronto handled it, taking a time out, in order to have enough time to decide whether to challenge. What did Huska do? Nothing. Talk to the ref, ask him a question about something. Waive Vladar over to the bench. DO SOMETHING to give your video review guy enough time to make a call.

If they come out of the first 0-0, it could have been a very different game.

You HAVE to support your players and show them you have their back.

[Scrambler]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

So, this is what I was talking about last game with Huska.

Compare how Toronto handled it, taking a time out, in order to have enough time to decide whether to challenge. What did Huska do? Nothing. Talk to the ref, ask him a question about something. Waive Vladar over to the bench. DO SOMETHING to give your video review guy enough time to make a call.

If they come out of the first 0-0, it could have been a very different game.

You HAVE to support your players and show them you have their back.

That frustrated me so much. Potential offside goal and the flukiest of fluke goals, Vladar played really well and McDrai kept off the scoresheet.

Aggravating stuff for sure and feels like missed opportunity.

These last two games have had so many bad luck moments for the Flames, it's uncanny.

[Captain Otto]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

So, this is what I was talking about last game with Huska.

Compare how Toronto handled it, taking a time out, in order to have enough time to decide whether to challenge. What did Huska do? Nothing. Talk to the ref, ask him a question about something. Waive Vladar over to the bench. DO SOMETHING to give your video review guy enough time to make a call.

If they come out of the first 0-0, it could have been a very different game.

You HAVE to support your players and show them you have their back.

I don't get this.

They likely looked at the replay and decided it either wasn't offside or too close to call (see the other still of the play).

No amount of timeouts or further reviewing would have changed that.

[Winsor_Pilates]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

So, this is what I was talking about last game with Huska.

Compare how Toronto handled it, taking a time out, in order to have enough time to decide whether to challenge. What did Huska do? Nothing. Talk to the ref, ask him a question about something. Waive Vladar over to the bench. DO SOMETHING to give your video review guy enough time to make a call.

If they come out of the first 0-0, it could have been a very different game.

You HAVE to support your players and show them you have their back.

They would have came out of the first 2-0 down

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by Infinit47

Flames weren't prepared in the least for how the Oilers play. That is 100% in the coaching staff.

Huska is the most passive coach I can remember for the Flames. Gulutzan's system looks high octane in comparison.

Savard is epically under qualified and should have been replaced 20 games ago.

Trade the UFA's, tank and try another magic beans coach when you punt Huska 20 games into next season. Its the Flames way.

McDavid and Draisaitl were both held scoreless. It isn't Huska's fault the Flames couldn't put 2 passes together.

The one thing I'll agree on is that, when they are breaking out, having the winger on the boards facing backwards is the worst play in the game. The defenseman can pinch EVERY time, because the winger has no chance of getting past them if he is facing the wrong way.

However, blaming bad execution on the coach is tiring.

[TheIronMaiden]

Well I hope the Flames are as tired of getting pimped in their own building as I am. A home game against the Oilers is a nightmere situation these days.

[Jiri Hrdina]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

So, this is what I was talking about last game with Huska.

Compare how Toronto handled it, taking a time out, in order to have enough time to decide whether to challenge. What did Huska do? Nothing. Talk to the ref, ask him a question about something. Waive Vladar over to the bench. DO SOMETHING to give your video review guy enough time to make a call.

If they come out of the first 0-0, it could have been a very different game.

You HAVE to support your players and show them you have their back.

You are ignoring the completely different situations.
Toronto used their time out in the third, to dispute a tying goal.
You are suggesting Huska should have burned his time out, early in the game, to probably arrive at the same conclusion (not to challenge) or risk challenging and handing the Oil a PP to go down 2-0 potentially.

Basically people are upset that he didn't use a time out to make the same decision he made, but without using that time out?

Makes no sense.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by Cecil Terwilliger

So many loose pucks in the defensive zone, especially in the corner, where flames players were infuriatingly passive. The puck would pop loose and every flames player would just hold position and watch while Edmonton regained possession.

Then when we could clear it, which was a struggle against Edmonton’s forecheck, we’d get held up in the neutral zone without many passing lanes.

Oilers just have our number. It was very frustrating game to watch with flames struggling to capitalize on their chances near the net and the oilers getting bounces. Not to mention the abysmal power play.

Coronado struggled mightily and is not a great fit on that line.

The way to play the Flames is with a full on, 5-man forecheck. All the time. Defensemen pinch every time. Just keep the pressure on because 1) they'll turn it over sooner or later, and 2) the Flames don't push up ice with speed, so even if they do get it over the blueline, they aren't generating enough speed for odd-man rushes - you can always get back.

[Teroy]

Originally Posted by jar_e

Man, Coronado looks like a fish out of water coming up to the NHL again. Just bullied off the puck a bunch and really poor decision making. Hopefully we start seeing some positive progression at this point if he stays up.

Putting him on the Kadri/Zary line was a mistake. I would have put Klapka on that line for some muscle. Klapka is talented enough to compete and would have been much more effective. I don't get the love affair with Coronado. He;s AHL at best.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by nieuwy-89

This is what I don’t understand. We always had stars who got up for these Battle of Alberta games - Iginla, Tkachuk, heck - the whole team in the 80s.

For two seasons now, this team has shown absolutely no GAF against these guys. Was there even one big hit tonight? One scrum after a face off? One “yo mama” joke? I saw nothing.

Instead we have guys getting beat by a scrub on an icing with an empty net. And getting turnstiled by Ryan ####ing McLeod.

Conroy, please get rid of the tired old guard and bring in some guys who will actually get up for a rivalry game.

IMO, it's the current leadership group.

Andersson, Lindholm, Backlund, Hanifin - all great players, but they all play timid against the Oilers for some reason. I would add Gaudreau to that list.

Speaking of Hanifin, did he dress last night? I literally cannot remember a single play, or even hearing his name.

A well built team not only has elite players, but those players need to be the leaders in the biggest games, at the biggest times. That is my biggest complaint with the leadership on this team, ever the last 5+ years.

[Bill Bumface]

All year I've thought Huberdeau absolutely struggled when the play ended up on the boards. Falling down, blind spinning attempts at passes. He's been playing great lately, but seems to definitely thrive away from the boards in possession, even if in limited space.

I just figured that was a shortcoming in his game. I thought that would render him ineffective in a game like last night. Oddly enough he was an absolute beast on the boards, winning battles and creating turnovers on the forecheck.

I don't know where that came from, but I hope there's more. And it's not like whatever he was doing differently cost the rest of his game, he was still zipping insane passes to barely open guys. Sharangovich had a couple good looks, just too bad it was hard to get them through the traffic in front.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by Goriders

The flames played scared for most of the game. First time I had seen that in a while.

The last time it happened was in the Heritage Classic.