[PGT] Flames lose 4-3 in OT

[really?]

Originally Posted by Rhett44

We have almost no talent, and it shows in every overtime.

We are one elite goalie away from being right with the Sharks in the standings. I don't know why they don't play the kids, we aren't making the playoffs.

This organization is so frustrating sometimes.

I agree that the decisions the team makes can be frustrating, but more than goalie play separates the Flames and the Sharks. This is a veteran team with a few younger pieces mixed in. The Sharks are pretty much the converse of that, so they lack the experience needed to do what is needed on a nightly basis to be competitive. Unless the veteran majority on this team packs it in, they will at least be competitive on most nights. Like most youth based teams the Sharks die by a thousand paper cuts that will likely cease only with experience.

I applaud the effort this year’s team brought on a nightly basis and think it’s somewhat demeaning to ignore that effort and say that this team is all goalie. Wolf looks like he could be a great one, but to get this kind of effort from veterans is impressive.

In the long run this season will have been a good experience for guys like Wolf, Coronato and Zary, but on the flip side the team has probably turned Anderson into a diminished asset, if he is to be moved, and a man with leverage if the Flames are looking to keep him. Trading Anderson prior to the new year would have likely been the only thing that could have realistically could have bolstered the future prospects for the organization, but that wasn’t going to happen after the way the team started. The organization let the players decide which way the season would go and we see the results. Like you I find it frustrating, but I’m not sure that a tear down is possible if guys want to stay and there is limited interest in what we’re offering. Enjoy what’s left and then onto the next.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

Yeah they weren't great goals to give up given how important two points were to the Flames. Because of his size, positioning is a need of constant refinement but given this is his first season of NHL hockey I'm not too worried as he's nowhere near a finished product.

Yup. We’ve all seen great goalies have bad games. Kipper had them, Hayek had them, Brodeur had them, Hellebuyck has them. I’m not sure why it’s blasphemy to note, in a discussion about a single game, that Wolf missed some saves.

[united]

Four West teams competing for playoff spots and the highest paid players rose to the occasion. Mostly.

McDavid 3 points
Kyrou 2 points
Thomas 2 points
Kaprizov 3 points
Boldy 4 points
Huberdeau 0 points

April is crunch time and Huberdeau has 1 point in 5 games with a -4 to add to the blow. Per Natural Stattrick 5v5 xGF of 46% too.

[bdubbs]

Even if the Flames end up not making it, I'm with the posters who think there's a bright future here in Calgary. We just need to nail our next couple of drafts and all will fall into place. I don't think we're capable of being Buffalo or San Jose bad. People care too much about winning here to accept that kind of futility.

[The Cobra]

Originally Posted by bdubbs

Even if the Flames end up not making it, I'm with the posters who think there's a bright future here in Calgary. We just need to nail our next couple of drafts and all will fall into place. I don't think we're capable of being Buffalo or San Jose bad. People care too much about winning here to accept that kind of futility.

If you watched any of the Wild/Sharks game, and saw Celebrini and Smith perform, yes we currently aren't SJ bad, but they will eventually pass us with the elite talent they are assembling.

Nailing a draft where you pick in the 20's is not assembling elite talent.

What is falling into place is the continuation of bubble hockey.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by bdubbs

Even if the Flames end up not making it, I'm with the posters who think there's a bright future here in Calgary. We just need to nail our next couple of drafts and all will fall into place. I don't think we're capable of being Buffalo or San Jose bad. People care too much about winning here to accept that kind of futility.

This is sort of what is needed. It illustrates to the younger guys what it takes to make it.

Those doldrums in February and March? Those are still important points.

You want to make it? You gotta show up EVERY DAY.

Otherwise you wind up like this, scratching and clawing at the end of the year like a student who loafed around all year and all of a sudden is panicked and cramming for his finals.

Also, it shows that everyone needs to step up. The Vets are trying but Huberdeau might as well have stayed home and Kadri is trying but he can be shut down if he's all by himself.

I like this team. I like their jam. But they need some help. This is not the 'Finished Product.'

[The Cobra]

Originally Posted by united

Four West teams competing for playoff spots and the highest paid players rose to the occasion. Mostly.

McDavid 3 points
Kyrou 2 points
Thomas 2 points
Kaprizov 3 points
Boldy 4 points
Huberdeau 0 points

April is crunch time and Huberdeau has 1 point in 5 games with a -4 to add to the blow. Per Natural Stattrick 5v5 xGF of 46% too.

Huberdeau stuck on 59 points, needs one more to break the 50 point cycle.

While he looks so much better this year, his point total hasn't largely increased notwithstanding a huge jump in shooting percentage.

I think his large amount of primary assists vs. secondary assists means he's not getting any cheap points this year.

[Robbob]

Originally Posted by The Cobra

Huberdeau stuck on 59 points, needs one more to break the 50 point cycle.

While he looks so much better this year, his point total hasn't largely increased notwithstanding a huge jump in shooting percentage.

I think his large amount of primary assists vs. secondary assists means he's not getting any cheap points this year.

Crazy stat they showed last night that he leads the league with 80% of his assists being primary assists.

[flamesgod]

Originally Posted by Rhett44

It is not like Wolf was letting in muffins. These were point blank chances against talented players who can score.

It is crazy to me to blame Wolf for anything, when we are right there with the Sharks in the standings if we replace him with almost any goalie in the league.

Nobody in here is talking about his season. He’s being critiqued on his performance last night. The facts about last nights game don’t undermine how important he’s been this season.

[Hockey_Ninja]

Originally Posted by Royle9

I can promise you that Craig wants to see Parekh in the lineup more than any of us.
He's their golden egg at this point.

But the decision isn't Craig's alone, at least he'd never force anyones hand to make it happen. The decision has to come from the coaching staff and management group together as that's the respect Craig has for his staff.

With that said, I see very little reason not to slot Zayne in for Bean next game. Play him 8-10 minutes at even strength and give him ALL the PP time on PP1 group. Boy that group looked lifeless, even more so when we lost Frost.

I just want to say that I always appreciate the intel you and Sec give to us. Ya'll don't gotta say anything but you drop the little tidbits you can for free. And even when posters complain about the validity of the info you guys give us. Thank you

[cannon7]

To have to go 4-0-1 to have a shot at a playoff spot and to have your OTL come at the hands of the Ducks. Yuck.

Not sure this group has what it will take without infusing some young blood into the lineup. *cough* Parekh

Team just looks worn down.

[TheIronMaiden]

Originally Posted by Shazam

Too much pressure. They caved.

Watching them play, it was less caving under the pressure, and more a broken down team that was tired and hurt not able to limp past the finish line.

[topfiverecords]

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

TBH a change is overblown IMO.

If you do the division winners and 3-8 seed format you'd get:

Jets - Blues
Knights - Wild
Stars - Oilers
Avs - Kings

Washington - Montreal
Toronto - New Jersey
Carolina - Ottawa
Tampa - Florida

Or the current format

Jets - Blues
Knights - Wild
Stars - Avs
Oilers - Kings

Washington - Montreal
Toronto - Ottawa
Carolina - New Jersey
Tampa - Florida

TBH the current format actually provides more intriguing round one matchups even if they aren't necessarily the most fair.

Whichever format that gives the Oilers the harder opponent is the right one.

[TheIronMaiden]

The meta in the new NHL is having rested players come in for the playoffs.

They are going to start taking a page from the NBA and start letting stars sit.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by TheIronMaiden

Watching them play, it was less caving under the pressure, and more a broken down team that was tired and hurt not able to limp past the finish line.

Well...thats kind of the deal when you have a team of this make-up.

It reminds me of the Hartley team. In order to win they've got to play balls-to-the-wall 110% every night...eventually that grinds you down.

Elite teams have a number of players that can coast at 70-80% most nights and still win and then ramp it up to 100%+ when it counts in the playoffs.

These guys have to give it all every night and eventually theres just nothing left in the tank.

[Rhett44]

Pretty typical for the Flames to finish 9th in the conference. Not bad enough to get a great draft pick. Not good enough for the playoffs.

I know you can't fault players for trying, but man being a Flames fan is rough lol.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by Robbob

Crazy stat they showed last night that he leads the league with 80% of his assists being primary assists.

People like to discuss how the Flames lack finish but I would argue they lack talented playmakers just as much. It's a great personal stat for Huby but his lack of secondary assists means that the other players he's playing with aren't setting up enough high quality chances.

[Vinny01]

At 3-1 it felt like a done deal so the epic collapse was disappointing.

2 years ago it was all about 1 more save or 1 more goal and this team was going from 93 to 100+ points. That team had 17 OT losses so there is a chance for this group to match or even beat those totals but it certainly has not felt like a one more save type of year. To be honest it doesn’t feel like a one more goal type of year as well since this team is seemingly over performing. The 22/23 team had the Selke and Vezina runner’s up from the previous year, a forward who finished tied for 2nd in points and a fresh Stanley cup winner who played at a 100pt pace along with a 35 goal winger who just got a new 3 year deal all playing for a hall of fame coach who was the reigning Jack Adams winner. This flames team was predicted to be one of the worst in the league. Having our undersized but uber talented goalie prospect silence any of the doubters and some inspired play from the vets has lead to a massive overachievement from this group.

Sure one more goal in half of those OT losses and this team is battling for a Pacific division spot but based on this roster I don’t think it was realistic to expect that to happen.


It feels inevitable this team will chase the playoffs moving forward as Wolf will make it difficult to tank and a stud goalie and can an average team look like a contender.

[PaperBagger'14]

Yet another punted season by this team. At least it wasn’t a complete waste of a year now that we can see something special in Wolf.

Conroy should be under some level of scrutiny for being neither a buyer or seller at the deadline. Missing the playoffs & losing the first rounder was a fumble on his part and not a great sign that he believed this team could be better than they were all year.

Hello 9th in the west my old friend.

[bdubbs]

Originally Posted by The Cobra

If you watched any of the Wild/Sharks game, and saw Celebrini and Smith perform, yes we currently aren't SJ bad, but they will eventually pass us with the elite talent they are assembling.

Nailing a draft where you pick in the 20's is not assembling elite talent.

What is falling into place is the continuation of bubble hockey.

I am just not as 'yell at clouds' about our current situation as others are, but I am not even disagreeing with you in this.

I just think Connie has proven that he has a path he wants to take and did as much as he legitimately could have to get younger as he promised. Nobody predicted the season the Flames had and I'm sure Conroy, even if he'd deny it, expected us to suck this year.

Next year, we might be even worse because our older players are older and Wolf is far from a finished product and is not immune to a sophomore slump.

I have more hope now about the Flames direction than I did in the Iginla twilight years.