The culture of the organization is perpetual mediocrity and everyone has bought in.
Didn't we just win 2 of the last 3 and only lost the last one in OT from a unlucky penalty??
I'll take this Flames team over a Brent Sutter snoozefest any day thanks.
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Originally Posted by puckluck2
Well, deal with it. I wasn't cheering for Canada either way. Nothing worse than arrogant Canadian fans. They'd be lucky to finish 4th. Quote me on that. They have a bad team and that is why I won't be cheering for them.
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We are very fortunate to have come away from that game with a point.
Having a 5 and 4 min power play and coming away with ZERO scoring chances is inexcusable. That was all kinds of awful.
That said, - and outside of blowing some serious power play time - we played a good road game limiting chances and our goalie came up huge.
5/6 points in the last three games is good so you take it and run with it after a OTL road game like that.
Lastly, BRUTAL thread title from a tiresome poster. They played a very solid road game to come away with a point. A blowout loss is embarrassing. This win was a close one goal game. Give your head a shake op.
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Three games between Wild and Flames so far, both teams have four points. Flames have one regulation win, Wild has none. That said, not a very optically pleasing game last night - by either team.
The Wild's inability to score is absurd. Not just against the Flames, against everyone (except Colorado).
Just before Minnesota scored the tying goal, I was thinking that there was no way we deserved to win this game, but that it was going to make up for the Chicago and Colorado games where we lost but were the better team.
People say these things even out during a season, but I don't think they always do. It's clear this team has enough deficiencies that they won't get a break on their own.
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"A pessimist thinks things can't get any worse. An optimist knows they can."
Games like these are exactly the reason the Flames are a mediocre hockey team and have been the past couple seasons. We have zero ability to put teams away when we have the chance.
When you're in one-goal games essentially every night it's almost impossible to be an above average team. Some teams do it for stretches, but they come crashing back down to earth when the timely goal scoring dries up. Good teams don't consistently show any ability to have better records in close games - good teams simply have better records in 2+ goal games. They put teams away when the opportunity is there and don't leave the opposition one bounce or chance away from tying it in the third.
The two third period comebacks this weekend were refreshing, but at we see tonight it just evens itself out. Until this team shows any ability to win a game where they take a 2+ goal lead in the second period and just ride it out the rest of the way they aren't a team any different than the past three seasons.
On the powerplay I can not understand why the players carry the puck up the ice, wait until everyone is standing around and then pass the puck to Iginla at the blue line. I love his scoring ability but he is possibly the second worst player, after Glencross, to carry the puck into the zone.
He tries and tries to make the same move and it doesn't work. I am not blaming him but I just think they are not utilizing the correct plays in that situation. Oh, and Giordano is brutal, every game this year.
Just before Minnesota scored the tying goal, I was thinking that there was no way we deserved to win this game, but that it was going to make up for the Chicago and Colorado games where we lost but were the better team.
People say these things even out during a season, but I don't think they always do. It's clear this team has enough deficiencies that they won't get a break on their own.
They don´t even out for mediocre/ below mediocre teams that for sure. Flames losing when they are supposed to win and losing when they... well are supposed to lose. Sounds about right considering the last 4 years.
Outside of the 9 minutes of PP time the team played a good road game last night.
Issue is good teams will use a 5 min PP and a 4 min PP to put away a team. The Flames used that time to hand momentum back to the Wild. Flames had 0 scoring chances on those PPs, while the Wild probably had 2 or 3 shorthanded chances.
They were able to bounce back after the 5 min PP since intermission stopped the momentum and allowed the Flames to regroup for the 3rd. But with no break after the 4 min PP we had no chance to regroup and the Wild turned the game.
Hartley should have taken a timeout in the middle of the 4 minute PP after we had blown the last 7 minutes of PP time.
I watched the game, but fell asleep with about 6-7 minutes to go in the third, Flames leading 1-0. I woke up an hour later, and was not shocked that they had lost 2-1.
On the powerplay I can not understand why the players carry the puck up the ice, wait until everyone is standing around and then pass the puck to Iginla at the blue line. I love his scoring ability but he is possibly the second worst player, after Glencross, to carry the puck into the zone.
He tries and tries to make the same move and it doesn't work. I am not blaming him but I just think they are not utilizing the correct plays in that situation. Oh, and Giordano is brutal, every game this year.
Totally agree, unfortunately the only other thing they ever do is get all the forwards lined up waiting @ the blue line and rifle it in around the boards. Except the flames forwards aren't staking so its a free puck for the opposing team who then ices it back down and goes off for a line change.
I'm sorry but the Flames power play pressure is easily the worst I've seen in a while. I think the only time its looked deadly was when Cervenka was winning 90% of his face offs in the zone. Outside of that they never seem to be able to even get into a rhythm because of what you outlined above.
I was impressed by the Flames' strong start to the game on the road. It really was one of our best starts to a game this season. It was frustrating that they their took their foot off the pedal after getting the lead and the power play was horrible, buy I didn't think it was a bad loss. It was certainly less embarrassing than this thread title.
I don't like trying to win a game 1-0 anyways even when D.Sutter was here its nerve racking and the team has to play perfectly. Always flirting with near disaster and seldom does it work unless the team has Stalwart shut down D pairings and Wingers that are committed to help out.
That is not this Flames team so what the hell were the veteran Flames players doing and thinking for the last 40 min.
Hartley clearly does not want them to play that style. He has said it from game 1 right through to last night.
That wasn't Hartley that was old, old bad lazy habits from every player that has been here 4 years or more. Resting on their past 2 games of accomplishment.
The only player i would exclude from that would be Stajan he played hard.
Never mind the senseless lazy 9min of PP with 1 distance shot.
The last 2 periods the Flames had 9 shots that included 13 min of PP time.
