QOTD: What to make of game one

[flamesfever]

Originally Posted by transplant99

You have to have both...period.

So I guess you wouldn't have picked Johnny, or Martin St. Louis.

[CroFlames]

Originally Posted by flamesfever

So I guess you wouldn't have picked Johnny, or Martin St. Louis.

I probably wouldn't have. And you probably wouldn't have either. Those guys are exceptions to the rule. It's easy to look back now at it, but there were 30 teams who passed over Johnny 3 times.

I'd literally trade anyone on the team right now for a guy like Getzlaf.

[Vinny01]

I am going to be optimistic and say it is just one game the Flames will bounce back. Ramo is going to go on a hot streak

[troutman]

CHI lost 6-2 and 5-2 in the first round.

[GranteedEV]

Originally Posted by CroFlames

I'd literally trade anyone on the team right now for a guy like Getzlaf.

We'll have that, his name is Mark Jankowski. Patience =)

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by GranteedEV

We'll have that, his name is Mark Jankowski. Patience =)

Ummmmmmmm

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by transplant99

You have to have both...period.

It was painfully obvious in game 1 as a matter of fact....skill is great and necessary, but without size and speed....it doesn't matter. Anaheim is a great example of this along with Chicago and Minnesota.

That's a huge sample size! Let's see after a few more games


Chicago is one of the smallest teams in the league. They're fine

[transplant99]

Originally Posted by flamesfever

So I guess you wouldn't have picked Johnny, or Martin St. Louis.

Sure I would have...but in either guys case you have to have some complimentary skill in large bodies.

There is a reason why every team in the league wants big players over smaller ones if they are close in skill sets.

[ForeverFlameFan]

I said injuries. I think the Gaudreau - Monahan - Hudler would be a whole lot better if all three were playing at 100%. It also doesn't help that Giordano and Diaz are both out, really affecting our defense with that.

[transplant99]

Originally Posted by Street Pharmacist

That's a huge sample size! Let's see after a few more games


Chicago is one of the smallest teams in the league. They're fine

They are?

Lets look at their top guys...

Hossa 6' 1" 215 lbs

Toews 6' 2" 215

Kane 5' 11" 185

Saad 6' 1" 205

Keith 6' 1" 200

Sharp 6' 1" 205

Seabrook 6' 3" 225

Hjalmarsson 6' 3" 210



In what world is that one of the "smallest teams in the league"? Not to mention the monster that is Bickell. Other than Kane...a big team among the skill guys, cant deny that fact.

To argue size isn't important in the NHL is ridiculous...sorry. Everybody is looking for it....and for good reason.

[heep223]

Flames win 4-1 tomorrow night. Book it

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by heep223

Flames win 4-1 tomorrow night. Book it

There. I have booked it for you good sir

[Inferno]

The Flames weren't ready. They looked like they were the team with 8 days off that needed to shake off rust. I expect their effort to be much better tomorrow.

[flamesfever]

Originally Posted by transplant99

To argue size isn't important in the NHL is ridiculous...sorry. Everybody is looking for it....and for good reason.

I don't think anyone thinks size is not important...of course it is. I guess I'm concerned that if, in drafting players, you put too much weight on size, you may have a tendency to overlook someone, at the same drafting level, who may be a tad smaller yet have a much higher potential.

I think there will always be room on a team for a few of the smaller yet highly skilled players e.g. Fleury, Datsyuk, Hudler, St. Louis, Kane, Gaudreau, etc, etc, etc.

[#-3]

The Flames were just flat out, out matched.

I think they actually came out ready to play and the Ducks were just better.

Really the only hope we have is that star players on the Flames find another much much higher level or the Ducks cannot sustain that level of play.

Both are possible. But they showed why they are an elite team this year.

[mikephoen]

It's a combination of 4 things in my mind. For one, the Ducks are one of the best teams in the league, this was never going to be easy.

Two, I think the goaltending needs to be better. Neither of the Flames goalies really stepped up with the big saves in game one. When you're the underdog, you don't win unless you win the goaltending battle.

Three, the Flames depth just isn't as good as the Ducks and the Flames can't replace the missing and banged up guys as easily. Or spread the minutes to help reduce how banged up the guys are getting.

Fourth, and most important in my mind, is the injuries. We're already missing a Norris level defenseman in Giordano, but in Game one we also lost a top 10 NHL scorer in Hudler. Bouma is gone, and he was the team's 4th highest goal scorer. Ferland was a big part of round one and he was gone mid way through the first. The rest of the defense is playing banged up and so is Monahan. Probably other guys are running on fumes too. Johnny has been good, but he's probably played more games this year than anyone else on the planet. Seven playoff games, 80 regular season, 8? preseason, and 4 at the rookie tournament. That's a lot of hockey!

I think we can take a couple games in this series, but it's going to be tough to overcome all the injuries unless we start getting some really high end goaltending.

Edit* I even forgot Smid and Diaz in the injury report! There is our defensive depth, also injured!

[blender]

Some good points here, and it seems as if most of us as fans are aware of the state of the Flames and the fact that what we are seeing currently is not even our best team due to injuries.

Also, our young players will get bigger. Bennet, Monahan, for sure will fill out and we have guys on the farm who will step into the lineup in the next couple of seasons.

I am not particularly worried about size. Size and talent is the ideal, but talent trumps size every time.

[Buck Murdock]

If only we had Douglas Murray in the line up...

[browna]

Meh, different game if Flames potted one or two in the first 5.
Flames made a couple uncharacteristic large mistakes at the back, Hiller let in one so so one, and its 3-0, and Ducks had scored on basically all of their chances.

Flames still had decent puck control and decent ability to go through the neutral zone though the first and second periods.

The Flames didn't get their doors blown off by the Ducks or any team in the regular season, and Anaheim hasn't gotten any "better" since the Flames beat them 6-3 in the middle of March.

Call the third period a throw away with the top line not playing at all in that period and the Flames already in Game 2 mode as a result.

Flames can't play much worse, and they realize (if there was any hope of this in the first place), that out playing the Ducks physically isn't going to be as effective as it was against the smaller Canucks, so the game plan will change, at the expense of Ferland.

Look forward to tomorrow night; Ducks are a solid team, and I think it will be a close one...if the Flames can come out a bit better, not let the Ducks (Getzlaf and Perry specifically) set up down low, then get a break or bounce or two and come out with the two David Jones points, the momentum swings firmly the other way, just like that.

[OutOfTheCube]

Really comes down to the goaltending. Flames are over matched but any team has a chance to win with a hot goalie. Performances like game 1 just won't cut it and I'll be surprised if they even win a single game unless one of these goalies can really step it up.