[PGT] Capitals 4, Flames 2

[oldschoolcalgary]

tough game for the flames... capitals are really on a roll right now, so i wasn't expecting a win necessarily...

pretty good effort, but to win on the road versus the caps right now, you need more than 'good'...

[OldSam]

Meh. The effort was there most of the time. Absolutely zero puck luck. Can't get the PP going because we are hardly ever on it. Our PK is good because...we all know why. Come back home and get some practices in.

[Strange Brew]

Didn't really expect a win. We may look back a month from now and include this game in a strech of where the Flames played some pretty good hockey hopefully.

[midniteowl]

Originally Posted by SmoggyFlamesFan

I should add: Signed long term. In that event, it would be worth it.

Ummmm.....

[djsFlames]

Originally Posted by oldschoolcalgary

tough game for the flames... capitals are really on a roll right now, so i wasn't expecting a win necessarily...

pretty good effort, but to win on the road versus the caps right now, you need more than 'good'...

You need to be good and lucky.

We got #### all in the luck department.

[Snuffleupagus]

Didn't mind the overall effort but our best players have to be at their best against a top 4 team, Gaudreau, Monahan and Giordano sucked.

[SmoggyFlamesFan]

Originally Posted by blender

So the first can end up as lottery pick?
Who's playing centre?

Lindholm

Look, I realize there is a certain degree of absurdity (and alcohol consumption) to my trade proposal. Part of it is due to irrational anger over the loss, the other is realism. Monahan at this time, is not playing like a top line center. The only top line player who is performing is Lindholm. I am just mad. I wish our team had the ability to be better when starting the season, which they are notoriously not. I wish our team had the ability to win more than one playoff series in the last decade and a half. I am bitter, I am drunk, and I am sorry.

[Jeff Lebowski]

I thought they played hard and battled. After they scored the first goal, CGY really played great and strung a few shifts together. WAS then pushed back with zone time and scored. It was a back in forth for awhile with both teams seemingly asserting their will.

WAS was able to get some outnumbered chances and just cashed in on chances. Last year CGY was able to assert their will (carry the play) for longer stretches than they are now.

In games against top opponents you have to be mentally strong and execute the small plays (quick passes in the dzone to move puck away from pressure). That's the issue I see, the d are being forced into mistakes that lead to zone time against. They've got to know where to put the puck away from pressure and a lot of time they are just passing up the wall and it's someone else's problem. WAS actually moved the puck into the middle in their end to escape pressure. CGY has to find comfort in doing that and then they can exit better.

Gaudreau, even when people are saying he's playing bad is still producing - the expectations are high. I know he will be there for the team. He's got to channel everything into owning the puck and getting it back - then his sublime ability will take over.

This game, against a good opponent came down to a few bad breaks. Again they battled hard. That fight in their game is great to see. Keep going!

[Kovaz]

Thought we looked solid through most of it, but we're in tough to beat a team like the Capitals without Gaudreau and Monahan scoring like 1st line players. Gaudreau is really fighting the puck right now, he's usually so good at sliding the puck into a tiny opening but it just isn't working this year for whatever reason.

[djsFlames]

Johnny needs to learn to meditate or take naps pre game.

Your instincts are always best when you're relaxed, and he looks the furthest you can possibly be from that like 98% of the time. Looks like an angry gnome that hates puppies and sunlight and lives off candy. The goals are not going to go in when you're in that headspace. Hope he figures that out. The cure for what ails johnny is having fun again.

[oldschoolcalgary]

Originally Posted by djsFlames

You need to be good and lucky.

We got #### all in the luck department.

for sure... there were a couple of scrambles i can think of that, if calgary got a good bounce could have been goals...Johnny's stick breaking on that one-timer kinda epitomized calgary's night

[Manhattanboy]

Certainly don’t agree with those who think JG needs to sit. He will find his game.

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by Manhattanboy

Certainly don’t agree with those who think JG needs to sit. He will find his game.

5 points on a 5 game trip...what a bum

[1qqaaz]

If Johnny had 1 point so far, I wouldn't want to sit him. That's the type of stupid thing that drunk people suggest to Pat on overtime.

[locsofblu]

Second game of a back to back and they played well enough they could have won with a little bit of puck luck. The team seems to be getting better as the season moves on though . Also Gaudreau needs to get going asap as hes becoming more of a liablitly rather than an offensive threat, but if the top line is consistently their hardest working line and lead by example then I think they will eventually work them selves out of it and become more consistent.

[Poe969]

They're a good team, they just have to realize they are and put in the work to stay that way. They look like a completely different team, they need to show that they can be better than this or just play uninspired and call last year a fluke. Last year they looked like they had a chance to win every game even when they didn't. This year, for the most part, it seems like you can tell if they're going to be in the game fairly early.

Just wake up and crap or get off the pot.

[heep223]

Originally Posted by SmoggyFlamesFan

Lindholm



Look, I realize there is a certain degree of absurdity (and alcohol consumption) to my trade proposal. Part of it is due to irrational anger over the loss, the other is realism. Monahan at this time, is not playing like a top line center. The only top line player who is performing is Lindholm. I am just mad. I wish our team had the ability to be better when starting the season, which they are notoriously not. I wish our team had the ability to win more than one playoff series in the last decade and a half. I am bitter, I am drunk, and I am sorry.

2nd night of back to backs on the road against one of the hottest teams in the league. The last game of a long road trip. With their backup in net. They had a good effort, really could have gone either way.

Yes Monahan has been struggling somewhat. But we’ve seen parts of his game advance, namely his physicality. How does trading our top line C solve anything. Our centre depth is already questionable. I agree that Lindholm could have his own line but we lack the depth to do so, and trading Monahan doesn’t make it better, it makes it worse.

Might be the alcohol talking on my side as well

[The Hendog]

The start of this season would look a lot better if we had beaten the Kings

McLellan has this teams number

Why does he always have to coach in our division ?!?

[JohnnyB]

I'm totally fine with that game. The Flames started to trend in the right direction with the comeback in the Nashville game, played well against Columbus and also played well tonight but were up against a very good team with a lethal offense. I see the last 2 & 1/3 games as hopefully the start of a trend in the right direction.

[Traditional_Ale]

It wasn't a bad effort, but they looked tired and everyone was making mental mistakes. Also, the Caps are an amazing team. They always look so composed in every zone. They also look much larger physically than the Flames, which I've always thought is the Flames` primary weakness. I had hoped that Jankowski would toughen up at some point but he is just so soft.

Also, did anyone else notice a few times tonight that a Caps player would be skating east/west with the puck in the neutral zone not looking up and the Flames player would let them by, rather than going full Scott Stevens on them? I don't mean a head-shot, but for sure in the third I remember seeing Tkachuk pass up an opportunity to obliterate the guy in open ice and he just let him by. I think it was before the Caps` fourth goal as well.