[PGT] Flames 1 Oilers 2

[SeeGeeWhy]

Not winning these division games is going to bite them in the ass. They either don't make the playoffs, or meekly go into a series with a division rival without regular season confidence behind them. Don't like either way

[kyuss275]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

This team simply doesn't have the horses on offense. They are playing a better team game now but they just can't capitalize on chances. It's frustrating but that's where the team is right now as they need a skilled winger or two.

Gotta agree with this. I like the structure play of the team but they need something more on the top 9. Not saying they need a Stamkos type player for the top line, but they need to have something better than a 4th line player like Chiasson playing with Johnny hockey ( and no Ferland is not the answer) . Brouwer also has to pick his game up. He looked great at the start of the season but fizzled off well before his injury.

[FBI]

Yeah don't know how many times Chiasson loses the puck in the offensive zone. It's annoying.

[Har-Calgary]

Losing back to back sucks but what worries me more is those were maybe the worst games I've seen from Johnny in a flames uniform. Didn't matter who he was playing with, he was just fighting it. Backlund line is the only line that gets sustained offensive pressure. I think I'm agreeing with some of the above posters here and we try and split em up. The other lines need to get going. Johnny really needs a center that can win the puck battles along the boards and corners and I think Backlund is the best at that, another energizer like Ferland could work with them. Reunite the preason line of Tkachuk-Bennett-Brouwer. That leaves Frolik-Mony-Versteeg. Only thing is I think maybe we could switch Steeg/Ferland so that Johnny has another skilled guy with him. I just think we might get better sustained offense with all our lines if we split our #1 lineup.

[calgaryblood]

Originally Posted by Gaskal

Dunno why Gulutzan used that shootout lineup order - would've done Versteeg, then Gaudreau, then Monahan.

Why? Not sure how this makes a difference.

[heep223]

Originally Posted by Sample00

3 on 3

How about we leave the same three guys out there until they are so physically exhausted that someone scores a goal or someone yells "Uncle"!

The gimmick stuff is just that...gimmicky.

Both teams played well tonight. Leave it as a draw! Each one gets a point and move on.

I would take a game of Rock Paper Scissors at centre ice over a tie.

[Freeway]

Re: officiating. The NHL lost a ton of experienced referees and linesmen over the past off-season due to age/retirements/injury. I think a far more likely explanation than a far-reaching Wideman-centric conspiracy against the Flames is that a lot of good referees have been replaced by inexperienced ones.

[EldrickOnIce]

Originally Posted by heep223

I would take a game of Rock Paper Scissors at centre ice over a tie.

Agreed.
Not deciding a winner in a sporting event is the equivalent of participation medals, or not keeping score in little kid sports.
There must always be a winner and a loser, however you choose to decide it.
Ties suck.

[CaptainCrunch]

To me, the core is there, and the benefit is we're going to lose some bad contracts. We also have a fairly good prospect base.

This team can go into the off season and really look at filling 2 key positions in terms of Right Wing and 2nd pairing blueline and be stronger next year.

I liked the effort last night, but I agree, scoring is a problem, mainly because the people that should score are maddeningly inconsistent this year and the offense that should be bonus offense, 3rd and 4th line and blueline are literally our primary offense.

[EldrickOnIce]

Originally Posted by Freeway

Re: officiating. The NHL lost a ton of experienced referees and linesmen over the past off-season due to age/retirements/injury. I think a far more likely explanation than a far-reaching Wideman-centric conspiracy against the Flames is that a lot of good referees have been replaced by inexperienced ones.

Fair point - but does not explain things like the ridiculous late call on Hamilton - for what? Being big/strong.
And the worst part of the call? We all knew it was coming, right?

[Samonadreau]

I know Elliot had a good game last night and this isn't meant to slight his effort but I'm pretty sure I have him figured out.

The guy is good at fighting through screens and stopping plays and dekes in tight. What he is terrible at is making stops on point blank shots. Like completely guesses or barely flinches. I'm sure someone can find some tape showing him making a good save on one but IMO this is his kryptonite. The guy is lost on a point blank shot.

[dash_pinched]

Originally Posted by EldrickOnIce

Fair point - but does not explain things like the ridiculous late call on Hamilton - for what? Being big/strong.
And the worst part of the call? We all knew it was coming, right?

Biggest problem I had with that particular call (aside from stopping an odd man rush for the Flames) is that Draisaitl initiated contact (borderline interference/roughing on his part) and Hamilton is just trying to protect himself. Also, it had no impact on the actual play going on 100 feet away.

It's like a CFL ref throwing a flag for illegal contact on the opposite side of the field when the QB is throwing the ball. Just let it go (like you did with a bunch of other infractions in the 3rd period and OT).

[Fire]

3 on 3 overtime was once an exciting part of the game, now it's game of keep away. Didn't take long for the coaches to make it boring.

[CGY12]

Originally Posted by PeteMoss

And you wouldn't have flipped out if they had lost with that line-up instead of the guys who are actually successful at the SO?

I didn't "flip out" anyway so the answer would be no.

[Corral]

Originally Posted by Fire

3 on 3 overtime was once an exciting part of the game, now it's game of keep away. Didn't take long for the coaches to make it boring.

Keep away yes, but it still generates exciting plays and chances. I'd rather they just play 3 on 3 till the game ends. Last night the 3 on 3 really contrasted with the tight checking rest of the game.

[EldrickOnIce]

Originally Posted by dash_pinched

Biggest problem I had with that particular call (aside from stopping an odd man rush for the Flames) is that Draisaitl initiated contact (borderline interference/roughing on his part) and Hamilton is just trying to protect himself. Also, it had no impact on the actual play going on 100 feet away.

It's like a CFL ref throwing a flag for illegal contact on the opposite side of the field when the QB is throwing the ball. Just let it go (like you did with a bunch of other infractions in the 3rd period and OT).

Exactly the way I saw it too. Initiates contact, goes down easy, draws bs call late in the game far away from the play.

[The Fonz]

Originally Posted by Fire

3 on 3 overtime was once an exciting part of the game, now it's game of keep away. Didn't take long for the coaches to make it boring.

Yep. It won't be long before the NHL has to make it a rule that players cannot carry or pass the puck back across the red-line (from offensive zone to defensive zone). McDavid did this multiple times in the 3v3 last night; got the puck inside our blue-line, didn't like what he saw or was pressured, so he skated it back to his own blue-line for a "re-group" and a little more keep-away.

I thought the momentum in that 3v3 was really poor, relative to what we've seen in other OTs.

[Strange Brew]

Originally Posted by Freeway

Re: officiating. The NHL lost a ton of experienced referees and linesmen over the past off-season due to age/retirements/injury. I think a far more likely explanation than a far-reaching Wideman-centric conspiracy against the Flames is that a lot of good referees have been replaced by inexperienced ones.

Shame on you for trying to be rational. Don't you know officials are against us, the announce teams are homers for the other side and every other team is just way luckier than us?

[calgaryblood]

Originally Posted by Freeway

Re: officiating. The NHL lost a ton of experienced referees and linesmen over the past off-season due to age/retirements/injury. I think a far more likely explanation than a far-reaching Wideman-centric conspiracy against the Flames is that a lot of good referees have been replaced by inexperienced ones.

Care to elaborate how many experienced refs they lost? Actually interested.

[tvp2003]

Originally Posted by The Fonz

Yep. It won't be long before the NHL has to make it a rule that players cannot carry or pass the puck back across the red-line (from offensive zone to defensive zone). McDavid did this multiple times in the 3v3 last night; got the puck inside our blue-line, didn't like what he saw or was pressured, so he skated it back to his own blue-line for a "re-group" and a little more keep-away.

I thought the momentum in that 3v3 was really poor, relative to what we've seen in other OTs.

Until they do, the coaches need to do a better job of preparing the players for the 3-on-3. Hartley did an excellent job the first year it was implemented, but last night they looked unstructured and tentative.

The 3-on-3 is all about possession, the long change, and odd-man rushes. By logging the puck back into the neutral zone, you can look to exploit bad positioning; you can also change off your guys while tiring out the other guys stuck in their own zone (line changes are absolutely crucial and Dougie didn't get off quick enough on his change, resulting in the breakaway). They actually had a terrific play when they passed it back to Elliott -- he baited in the Oilers player and boom: it's 3 against 2 coming back. Only an errant pass foiled that play, and it resulted in another Oilers cycle because Gio was tired and couldn't change (see above).