[PGT] Annnnnd..... cut! Flames allow seven unanswered, lose 7-3. Season over.

[Hemi-Cuda]

Originally Posted by Scroopy Noopers

Why would anyone move a franchise to Calgary?

Because Winnipeg set the bar really low?

[Enoch Root]

Still depressed this morning.

Not because they lost, I expected that. It sucks, but it's not like it was a surprise.

Not even because of the pathetic and embarrassing WAY that they lost. It was like a really bad movie - it was too ridiculous to even believe. But that wasn't it either, because even that wasn't a surprise.

There is no debate any more - they have had enough time and enough chances. THIS CORE HAS TO BE BLOWN UP. Period. There is no longer a debate.

But that's not it either.

What has me sad, miserable, depressed, and hopeless is the fact that I know they WON'T blow it up.

[GirlySports]

I still wonder what this current team would look like with an actual coach. We have probably the best D core in the league (counting Hamonic in the lineup). Rasmus Anderson is our #5.

Agson who are the Islanders D? They just destroyed one of the best offenses in the league

[Scroopy Noopers]

Originally Posted by Hemi-Cuda

Because Winnipeg set the bar really low?

Point taken. You win.

[Boxman]

Plenty of people here ready to jump all over Monahan and trade the #1 center. People talking about getting rid of Gaudreau. Damned if you do, damned if you don't. It's been said many times, you get what you deserve. Not much to look forwards to these days. Seems that the best way to get and keep good players is to run a team that people want to play for. I wouldn't want to work for Treliving, but you could pay me $6 million to do it and I'd make some general appearance of trying.

I say stay the course, it can be tempting to make these big moves but sometimes you have to stick with what you have.

[GrrlGoalie33]

On the bright side, at least we don't have to hear "Big Save Dave" from the sportsnet crew for a long while!

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

One thing that’s bugging me is why does it seem like the team we saw in the first period last night looked exactly like the team we saw the first 50 games of the 18-19 season.

Crisp passes, strong fluid breakout, aggressive forecheck - like honestly I was watching that period and thought “Why does this team structure suddenly look like the structure we played prior to the week break last season?”

Two things immediately stood out to me though. We were deploying a different breakout and forecheck than we had at any point in this regular season or playoffs.

For the breakout they were no longer doing the chip it up the wall to the strong side winger who is standing still with his back to the pinching d-man breakout we had seen for over a season now.

They were sending the weak side forward out the zone to push back the defense and trying to make a short diagonal pass to the low forward (usually Center) around the circle who was facing up ice and moving his feet. He then had passing options of either the Strong side winger who was facing out the zone, a pass to the soft side dman who was facing up ice and skating, or a stretch pass to the soft side winger who had left the zone.

The different breakout neutralized the Stars forecheck in the first, prevented the Stars D from pinching as much, and allowed the Flames to attack with speed. I tried to look back at some videos of the start of the 18-19 season but to me it looked like the same breakout we were deploying at the start of that season. It’s a riskier breakout in terms of where a potential turnover would occur but if you can make crisp passes it can be very effective.

The other change was the defense were playing much more aggressive on our forecheck. With the team going with a more aggressive 2-1-2 or 1-2-2 forecheck instead of a passive 1-2-2. Countless times in the first period I noticed our dmen stepping in front of a long pass the Stars d-men were making to their forwards, instead of playing it safe to make sure they didn’t get beat with a forward behind them.

It allowed the Flames to create neutral zone turnovers and keep attacking in waves against the Stars team and created a couple of mini 3-2 scenarios.It also allowed the d-men to activate more since they could step in front of that pass, move their feet, and help carry the puck in off the rush.

Once again I tried to look back at some video of the teams first 50 games of 18-19 and it looked like the strategy we used to great success at the start of that season. Of course the defense being aggressive to step in front of that pass did lead to some forwards getting behind them if the pass slipped through, but overall it seems to be what allowed out dmen to activate more in the past.

Honestly I’ll never know what exact changes to the system the coaching staff (and let’s be honest it’s still the same coaching staff with or without Peters) made during that week break in January 2019 but it clearly wasn’t for the better with this group. I think they tried to move to a less aggressive, safer style of play that would suit the “heavy hockey” of the playoffs and it just doesn’t suit this group. Instead of just letting this group play aggressive and with speed they tried to slow them down to play a safer, “low event” hockey and it just doesn’t suit how this group is built.

Sadly I don’t think we will ever get to see this group actually play that more aggressive, attacking style in a full playoff series because this core likely (and justifiably) gets broken up this offseason.

Exactly. When they move the puck like that, and have the D engage - what some have called their transition game, for lack of a proper term - they are not only effective, but dominant.

The baffling thing is: why can't they continue to play like that? Why do they revert to the completely ineffective strategy of standing still, passing it backwards, 'moving as a 5-man unit', and chipping it in?

It is baffling. and I don't think there is one simple reason for it.

[Bingo]

Game Takes: Stars 7 Flames 3 (Stars win series 4-2)

- Great start
- Crazy bounces / terrible goaltending
- Lucic penalties didn't help

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by Boxman

Plenty of people here ready to jump all over Monahan and trade the #1 center. People talking about getting rid of Gaudreau. Damned if you do, damned if you don't. It's been said many times, you get what you deserve. Not much to look forwards to these days. Seems that the best way to get and keep good players is to run a team that people want to play for. I wouldn't want to work for Treliving, but you could pay me $6 million to do it and I'd make some general appearance of trying.

I say stay the course, it can be tempting to make these big moves but sometimes you have to stick with what you have.

True. And most importantly there no coach these players want to live and fue for

[Boxman]

I agree about the coach. I think a critical question to ask is: which coach would the players respect, that would also want to work for the Flames in their current form or maybe in a different form?

A separate question that I think has yet to be answered, is: would Motivated Monahan play differently than he does now (or have developed his skillset differently)?

[SuperMatt18]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

Exactly. When they move the puck like that, and have the D engage - what some have called their transition game, for lack of a proper term - they are not only effective, but dominant.

The baffling thing is: why can't they continue to play like that? Why do they revert to the completely ineffective strategy of standing still, passing it backwards, 'moving as a 5-man unit', and chipping it in?

It is baffling. and I don't think there is one simple reason for it.

Confidence is part of it.

But I also feel like it had to be a coaching decision.

They went from playing that way for 50 games with great success, to just not playing that way anymore for the rest of the season after a week off. Like a switch had flipped.

Then I literally feel like 100 games (last 30 of last season, 70 of this year), two playoff series, and qualification round passed by and all of a sudden in game 6 of a playoff series it’s like the switch flipped again and they are playing that same aggressive style that they had so much success with early in the 18/19 season.

Honestly I don’t think it can be that the players just suddenly “decided” to give a damn and completely change their breakout and forecheck strategy. It had to have been the coaches trying to make them play a heavy, low event, playoff style game that they thought would be more effective in the post season.

My biggest disappointment of how the game went last night with them being done in by poor coaching; and poor goaltending is that we don’t get to see if they could have played that Style and been effective again in a game 7.

Because it worked last night until coaching and goaltending just cut the legs right out from under them. Makes me question the strategy of this coaching staff and GM because even though it’s a cliche “you don’t buy a racehorse to just strap a heavy wagon to it”.

[topfiverecords]

Originally Posted by Sheva #7

lol ok buddy, if you think johnny tying his skates right left contributed more to flames losing this game that lucic dumb momentum killing penalties or poor goaltending I'll let you have that piece of mind

I never said more.

[Flash Walken]

Originally Posted by GirlySports

I still wonder what this current team would look like with an actual coach. We have probably the best D core in the league (counting Hamonic in the lineup). Rasmus Anderson is our #5.

Agson who are the Islanders D? They just destroyed one of the best offenses in the league

[Monahammer]

Originally Posted by GirlySports

I still wonder what this current team would look like with an actual coach. We have probably the best D core in the league (counting Hamonic in the lineup). Rasmus Anderson is our #5.

Agson who are the Islanders D? They just destroyed one of the best offenses in the league

At no point this season was Hamonic in any way shape or form better than Rasmus Andersson.

I personally don't think Gio or Brodie were either, not even sure how one would begin an argument that Hanafin was.

You're out to lunch unfortunately!

[Strange Brew]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

The morning after I'm ready for the off-season and excited for it. I always find the off-season exciting but this year could be really interesting as this team makes major changes.
Trade! The Draft! Bad UFA Signings!
Let's get at it!

The off season will definitely bring some interesting news, albeit sporadically, but I prefer the sport itself.

[mrchristy31]

I admit I didn't read through all 25 pages, but what I've seen is lack of fan awareness. Calgary appeared to play very good in the first, and throughout the series....................when Dallas was not playing good. Passes were crisp because Stars sticks and bodies weren't in position. Forecheck was in and aggressive when the D-men were taking a little too long with the puck. The reason Calgary looked good, is because Dallas was playing like $#!^. The sad reality, is the current iteration of the Flames aren't good enough to compete with the top teams.

There are solid pieces to build around, but pending a home-run in the trade or drafting department, it will be very difficult for the Flames to take the next step.

I truly believe a change in direction is needed and the most obvious candidate would be a Gaudreau trade.
A)Trade Gaudreau for futures, prospects, sign Hall and extend the competitive window at the expense of ever drafting an elite player.

B)Trade Gaudreau, Monahan, Backlund, Giordano (if the value justifies) and begin full on rebuild.

I'm personally a fan of plan B (no, not that one) as I think the current makeup of the team is much closer to being a lottery team, then it is a Stanley Cup contender.

[Strange Brew]

Originally Posted by GirlySports

I still wonder what this current team would look like with an actual coach. We have probably the best D core in the league (counting Hamonic in the lineup). Rasmus Anderson is our #5.

Agson who are the Islanders D? They just destroyed one of the best offenses in the league

No I really don't think so.

[BurningSteel]

What about the pending training camp pro offers????

[CroFlames]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

The morning after I'm ready for the off-season and excited for it. I always find the off-season exciting but this year could be really interesting as this team makes major changes.
Trade! The Draft! Bad Good UFA Signings!
Let's get at it!

How about this for a change?

Seriously though, this is a patient fan base. We need to do a retool. Gio is not the guy anymore. Monahan and Johnny simply haven't got it done in the playoffs. They may become the players we thought they would, but it won't be here unfortunately.

Tkachuk is, of course, a great player and something they can start building around. It's crappy that he has a short contract, but building championship teams doesn't go perfectly.

But I think the key here is to identify a team who has been falling short of expectations and is looking for changes. There could be some serious hockey trades between the Flames and clubs like Florida, Capitals, Buffalo, and even someone like Rangers who now have the 1st OA. A shakeup is needed, but with long-term success in mind. No kneejerk reactions to chase the 8th seed in the playoffs.

[Benched]