[PGT] Flames lose 4-3 to Ottawa in OT

[Paulie Walnuts]

Originally Posted by Burning Beard

Uhhhhh what?

When they asked if him we would have a shadow in McGm. He said it's too hard to do that with the speed of the game to do something like that.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Paulie Walnuts

When they asked if him we would have a shadow in McGm. He said it's too hard to do that with the speed of the game to do something like that.

He still matches lines when he can.

[Paulie Walnuts]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

He still matches lines when he can.

Not well enough that 4th line has been caught against other top lines a lot. A lot offensive zone faceoffs for them.

If it was a 4 line team it would be okay but we have 1 decent 4th liner.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Paulie Walnuts

Not well enough that 4th line has been caught against other top lines a lot. A lot offensive zone faceoffs for them.

If it was a 4 line team it would be okay but we have 1 decent 4th liner.

They are supposed to get offensive zone faceoffs. You don’t want them in the D zone to start. And they’ve been on the road since the break. Last change, you know.

[Bingo]

This is just the same four guys with their Sutter axe trying to sway the loss his way.

Gets tiring.

Sutter may play his fourth line too much, but the difference between say Calgary and the rest of the league is something like 28 seconds a game ...

They don't just roll four lines as they have a clear pecking order.

I'd prefer they sway that fourth line down a bit as well, but I'm not about to blame those 28 seconds on loss that featured the Flames dominating five on five throughout and the top line giving up two goals with the goalie pulled.

Sometimes bounces just happen people. This year is the year of the no bounce, last year was the year of the always bounce.

[dammage79]

Again, it's okay to have this season as a lost season. What matters will be how they prepare the roster for next season. Getting as high a draft pick as possible is a start. But organizational mandates and all that jazz likely will get in the way.

[KootenayFlamesFan]

Lost season? They're tied for a wild card spot and only 7 points out of first of their division. Jesus and the almighty Oilers are a grand total of 4 points ahead of the Flames. As ugly as this season has been if they get on any streak at all they are definitely a playoff team. There's no way they are selling, I just don't want them to give up any decent future assets for help this season.

[GioforPM]

If you can't play your fourth line with a 2 goal lead 4 minutes away from the end of the game, you can't play them at all. I mean, that's when you nplay them so the last 3 minutes or so are taken by the 3 better lines.

[Wastedyouth]

Originally Posted by Bingo

This is just the same four guys with their Sutter axe trying to sway the loss his way.

Gets tiring.

Sutter may play his fourth line too much, but the difference between say Calgary and the rest of the league is something like 28 seconds a game ...

They don't just roll four lines as they have a clear pecking order.

I'd prefer they sway that fourth line down a bit as well, but I'm not about to blame those 28 seconds on loss that featured the Flames dominating five on five throughout and the top line giving up two goals with the goalie pulled.

Sometimes bounces just happen people. This year is the year of the no bounce, last year was the year of the always bounce.

I would counter with the fact that there is a group that will allow no criticism of Sutter and that is also tiring.

Sutter has been outcoached multiple times in the last calendar year. Let's not pretend there is nothing to criticize.

[The Cobra]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

If you can't play your fourth line with a 2 goal lead 4 minutes away from the end of the game, you can't play them at all. I mean, that's when you play them so the last 3 minutes or so are taken by the 3 better lines.

When a game gets near the end, you should be shortening the lines somewhat.

The 4th line should certainly not be on the ice with 4 minutes left in any close game.

The lines aren't simply rolled anyway, so suggesting that you had to play the 4th line with 4 minutes left so your best 3 lines could play the last 3 minutes is showing how much you missed the point.

I bet the other team was not playing their 4th line.

[Toonage]

Given how poor Lucic (and that line) was the entire game I would have shortened the bench much sooner and gone with just the 3 lines.

Any other 4L? Sure. Let them play. This one? On that night? Come on.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by KootenayFlamesFan

Lost season? They're tied for a wild card spot and only 7 points out of first of their division. Jesus and the almighty Oilers are a grand total of 4 points ahead of the Flames. As ugly as this season has been if they get on any streak at all they are definitely a playoff team. There's no way they are selling, I just don't want them to give up any decent future assets for help this season.

Frankly....so what?

Has the play of this team, at any point, convinced you that they're about to 'turn the corner' or that there even is a corner to be turned?

So they make the playoffs as a consequence of being the mix with a lot of really bad teams. So what? They can just as easily lose in overtime in the playoffs.

This team could be summed up as 'Wholly Uninspiring.'

[Macindoc]

As much as I appreciate Looch, at this stage of his career, there has been a noticeable decline in his foot speed. He is not someone you want on the ice near the end of the third period when the other team is pushing for a tie. If he is caught on the ice with an icing call, he could end up with a shift that is 2 minutes or longer, and that’s just asking for trouble due to his inability to keep up the pace.

[Bingo]

Originally Posted by Wastedyouth

I would counter with the fact that there is a group that will allow no criticism of Sutter and that is also tiring.

Sutter has been outcoached multiple times in the last calendar year. Let's not pretend there is nothing to criticize.

I certainly lean to the players over the coach ... but that's not a Sutter thing to me it's been pretty consistent.

And I've pointed out over use of the fourth line in the past compared to NHL averages, and the possibility of under playing their best players.

But a blown lead without the fourth line on the ice in a game where the team dominated five on five isn't the hill to die on for the hate Sutter crew.

[Macindoc]

Originally Posted by Locke

Frankly....so what?

Has the play of this team, at any point, convinced you that they're about to 'turn the corner' or that there even is a corner to be turned?

So they make the playoffs as a consequence of being the mix with a lot of really bad teams. So what? They can just as easily lose in overtime in the playoffs.

This team could be summed up as 'Wholly Uninspiring.'

I have to disagree with this. Losing in OT or the shootout in the regular season is entirely different from losing in OT in the playoffs, and frankly, the Flames have been a tire fire in extra time this season, maybe even the worst team in the league.

Points percentage in games decided in regulation would be a much clearer indicator, and would have the Flames ranked significantly higher.

[Jason14h]

Flames fans always get hung up on the 4th line and bottom pairing D (and even defensive depth)

Guess what- almost all teams 4th lines and bottom D stink relative to the rest of the NHLers!

Flames never have enough game breaking talent. Yet fans always believe the 4th line and bottom pairing D are the issues .

We’re losing because we have no PP, no 1st line and one goalie playing poorly

[TrentCrimmIndependent]

Originally Posted by Locke

Frankly....so what?

Has the play of this team, at any point, convinced you that they're about to 'turn the corner' or that there even is a corner to be turned?

So they make the playoffs as a consequence of being the mix with a lot of really bad teams. So what? They can just as easily lose in overtime in the playoffs.

This team could be summed up as 'Wholly Uninspiring.'

I liked the buffalo game and 98% of the Ottawa game, even the OT

Sadly Markstrom kyat the bed, but I think they've earned a look to see if they're finding a groove

Those were two very dominant games where the opposition had 4 shots and 5 shots respectively on the Flames net by the midway points

That's suffocating hockey

[Bingo]

Originally Posted by Jason14h

Flames fans always get hung up on the 4th line and bottom pairing D (and even defensive depth)

Guess what- almost all teams 4th lines and bottom D stink relative to the rest of the NHLers!

Flames never have enough game breaking talent. Yet fans always believe the 4th line and bottom pairing D are the issues .

This has been the case for a decade and why we’re always overpaying for depth and average D

Well said ... defenseman number 6 and forwards 11-12 just aren't the driving factor in wins and losses.

Sure you want to improve the weakest link on the team if you can, but it's not why a team or a season isn't successful.

The Flames have had middling to poor goaltending, and under performing offensive core this year (powerplay). Worrying about where Lucic is playing or how much is missing the narrative.

[TheScorpion]

well, for quite a lot of the season, Darryl has deployed Lucic alongside his offensive core as if he's been one of them

thankfully, that is no longer the case

[Macindoc]

Originally Posted by Bingo

Well said ... defenseman number 6 and forwards 11-12 just aren't the driving factor in wins and losses.

Sure you want to improve the weakest link on the team if you can, but it's not why a team or a season isn't successful.

The Flames have had middling to poor goaltending, and under performing offensive core this year (powerplay). Worrying about where Lucic is playing or how much is missing the narrative.

My issue isn’t with the composition of the fourth line, although I believe Lucic’s performance would likely be better if he platooned with another player and rested every other game. My beef is with the deployment of that line with less than 4 minutes left in the game if we are behind and needing to score or if we are leading by a small margin and the other team is pushing hard to even it up. When the pace of the game picks up in these situations, Lucic’s lack of speed and endurance are easily exploited by the opposition.