[PGT] Rocky Mountain High -- Flames win!

[FanIn80]

Man, I just love how Kylington has gone from not even dressing to starting OT alongside Johnny and Lindy against the top team in the league. All it took was Valimaki and Zadorov alternately playing like ass at the start of the year and Kylington coming out of preseason looking like Ray Bourque.

[JackIsBack]

Originally Posted by FanIn80

Man, I just love how Kylington has gone from not even dressing to starting OT alongside Johnny and Lindy against the top team in the league. All it took was Valimaki and Zadorov alternately playing like ass at the start of the year and Kylington coming out of preseason looking like Ray Bourque.

I think it has more to do with his speed out there as why he started… he’s been good, I don’t mean he hasn’t, but I think he was out there to neutralize MacKinnon’s speed.

[SebC]

Originally Posted by Winsor_Pilates

Really?
Fans here have by in large been proven right on most of the common things repeatedly posted in recent years.
-This team needed a true head coach
-Monahan needed to be demoted from #1C
-Team needed to get bigger
-Kylington needed an opportunity

To name a few that the team acted on proved fans correct.

We dont get them all right, but engaged fans know a lot.
I'm sure that's true of other fan bases as well.

A lot of those will always be applied in hindsight whenever the team does well though:

"True head coach" - If the team sucked, I guess the head coach wasn't true. Team improves? True head coach!

"Monahan needs to be demoted" - Yes, if you can demote your #1C, you've very likely improved your team. The challenge was how.

"Get bigger" - This could've backfired, if our big players weren't also good.

"Kylington" - This is the riskiest call. If he didn't pan out, it would've been erroneous.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by SebC

A lot of those will always be applied in hindsight whenever the team does well though:

"True head coach" - If the team sucked, I guess the head coach wasn't true. Team improves? True head coach!

"Monahan needs to be demoted" - Yes, if you can demote your #1C, you've very likely improved your team. The challenge was how.

"Get bigger" - This could've backfired, if our big players weren't also good.

"Kylington" - This is the riskiest call. If he didn't pan out, it would've been erroneous.

And a lot of posters weren’t crying out for the team to get bigger. They wanted smaller players keyed to offence.

And coaching? I don’t think they needed a “true” head coach - I think they needed one of a very small number of elite coaches. And they got the best one.

[Winsor_Pilates]

Originally Posted by SebC

A lot of those will always be applied in hindsight whenever the team does well though:

How is it applied in hindsight if they were stated repeatedly before they happened??

I'm just responding to the post that fans don't know anything (as a general statement for all teams).
That's really not true for highly engaged fans who follow teams closely.

[Mathgod]

Originally Posted by SebC

A lot of those will always be applied in hindsight whenever the team does well though:

That's not what hindsight is. If the changes are being called for before they actually happen, it's foresight, not hindsight.

"True head coach" - If the team sucked, I guess the head coach wasn't true. Team improves? True head coach!

Well yeah that's... kind of how it works. If the roster (for the most part) doesn't change, but the coaching staff changes, and it leads to a dramatic turnaround in the team's performace, that's a clear sign that the coaching change was the reason for the improved results.

"Monahan needs to be demoted" - Yes, if you can demote your #1C, you've very likely improved your team. The challenge was how.

Monahan needed to be demoted from the #1C position for one simple reason: injuries were hampering him, he wasn't playing anything close to a #1C level any longer, and it was clear that he was holding Johnny back. Fans saw this and called for Johnny & Mony to be split up for weeks prior to it actually happening.

"Kylington" - This is the riskiest call. If he didn't pan out, it would've been erroneous.

With the departure of Gio, it was clear that someone outside of the top 3 on the d-core was going to have to step up in a big way. Giving Kylly an opportunity to show what he had was the right call, whether he panned out or not.

[CSharp]

Originally Posted by Bingo

Nobody doubts Sutter is a smart guy, I always hate the smartest guy in the room comments because these guys are paid to be smart, not avoid being the smartest guy in the room by taking the easy way, or the way that fans will be happy.

So with that you know he sees what we do ... a bottom half of the forward ranks that isn't really working right now. He knows Ritchie can't finish, and that Lewis is in the right spots but his hands are shot. He sees that Lucic has had a tough month, and that Toffoli is playing on a line that can't produce, potentially wasting him.

Would assume he makes decisions based on things we don't necessarily see ... like how his teams have behaved in the past when they go up against teams that are physical through their line up. How he loses say 30% of his bench on those nights.

Then you look at Ritchie and Lewis and Lucic a different way. Also why he took a chance on a 450 pound third pairing.

If I had a $1 for every time someone on twitter pointed out Ritchie had no points, or that he needs to be fired to the sun I'd be wealthy. Think maybe points just aren't the point.

Good points! First two lines are fairly small and fast. But size on the opposition over a long game and a long series is what's needed to slow the faster team down. If you look back on that Kings come from behind win in that Sharks/Kings series years ago, that's what Sutter did. He wore down the Sharks to make it a game of attrition. That was an awesome show of why you need a big team regardless if the bottom lines can score or not. And, the Kings went on to win the Cup after that. Heck, Richards and Lewis make less than a million together. They're more reliable than Dube who is twice as fast but is a huge reliability.

[DazzlinDino]

Originally Posted by FanIn80

Man, I just love how Kylington has gone from not even dressing to starting OT alongside Johnny and Lindy against the top team in the league. All it took was Valimaki and Zadorov alternately playing like ass at the start of the year and Kylington coming out of preseason looking like Ray Bourque.

Good for him as he adds an important element to the team. He deserves the opportunity. If he could bulk up a bit more I could see him adding a bit more to his game.

[Shazam]

Originally Posted by Winsor_Pilates

Really?
Fans here have by in large been proven right on most of the common things repeatedly posted in recent years.
-This team needed a true head coach
-Monahan needed to be demoted from #1C
-Team needed to get bigger
-Kylington needed an opportunity

To name a few that the team acted on proved fans correct.

We dont get them all right, but engaged fans know a lot.
I'm sure that's true of other fan bases as well.

Bleh. Some people said those things. Other people said the opposite.

[dino7c]

90% of posters thought the team would be terrible this season not leading the division by quite a big when you factor games in hand

I was basically mocked off the board for saying they would be a divisional playoff team

[Flames_Gimp]

Originally Posted by Philly06Cup

Really liking this bet I made a couple weeks ago.

Where are you betting man?

[Tsawwassen]

Postgame links
http://sportsstats.cbc.ca/hockey/nhl...cap140454.html
https://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/games/2367508
https://scores.nbcsports.com/nhl/rec...=03&final=true
https://www.espn.com/nhl/recap/_/gameId/401350019

[Ziggy Lidstrom]

This game was amazing hockey to watch. Got to watch the whole thing uninterrupted.

The first was wild. Lindy really willed him self into the fabric of that period with two goals and numerous good defensive possessions.

Our defence were physical and explosive. Our pK has been rock solid. Big Z was fired up for this one. Badbranson was a bad man that night. Ask nazem.

The second period vladar really played focuses hockey. I’d say him lindy and our twin towers were why we won that game. PK was a big part.

The avs forced many turnovers with that forecheck and their ability t move as a team with good speed. Makar, towes and girard see to that. But missing the physical players they used to employ back there has left them exposed a bit and why we hang around.

Colorados team possession game and speed outclassed us but the flames played like a team and didn’t quit. They compete better than any group I have seen in years. It’s gotta be the Darryl heart effect.

Even though the flames didn’t sustain as much as the avs in the offensive zone they played really good structured systems hockey with high effort and intensity.

More even of a game than I was dreading but this team keeps proving me wrong and that’s a good thing so far.

This team over the span of a year has really had their fortunes change. The pieces of Big Z, Bad man son, The kyller, have really solidified our defence corps. What a rework. Wel done Brad.

And lindholm has really benefitted from Darryl. What he did in the first period and in OT were so impressive. His goal scoring as the bumper on the PP has been a god send for this group. And his physical grittiness and compete when In the dzone has become truly elite. He bodied rantanen who arguably has 5 inches in height and 20 lbs of size on him but Zebulon says, nope. Name a more impressive centerman over the course of the last few years. Patrice comes to mind. He’s playing Patrice level center right now.

I bet he wins the week for sure. I’d argue he’s a bit more valuable than Johnny. But Johnny has flourished playing with a defensively capable/dominant center, who can make plays in the offensive naive zone to give defences more to think about allowing Johnny to roam more. Night and day diff. And Darry has their hearts if hohnnybis competing the way he is lately.

Sadly his boy monny looks lost. He doesn’t want the puck on his stick at all. He looks a bit more physical but man his confidence is shot. If he can become a top six caliber player before the playoffs we may make some real noise. Internal solutions would really bolster our chances. So far he looks nearly unplayable off the PP. even then he looks like a second Unit guy.

The overtime was a thing of beauty. You know MacKinnon out his foot in his mouth jawing Johnny. Yet to see Johnny finish it was poetic justice.

Great game and great hockey.

Darryl is our saviour. We are one of the best teams in the league. Treliving deserves gM of the year.

Avs are scary good tho. We are a deeper team imo. We can run so many looks at you now with ruzicka and toffoli augmenting this group. Lewis is a sneaky great depth guy. They have a bit more size speed and skill in the top line but lindy is really evening out that comparison.

One last shout out to Milan! That was a real heavy weight tilt and he got the better of mcdermitt. The comparison ends there. Lucic is a 200 ft reliable player. And Edmonton is paying him to play for us. That guy deserves an A and lindy is our new C.

GFG

pS I eat crow like it was made at a michelin star restaurant in a subway.