(GT) Calgary Flames @ Detriot Red Wings

[TheScorpion]

Originally Posted by FBI

I HATE Versteeg on first PP.

Same, it's well past the point of being a sane risk at this point. Stone needs to go there ASAP. The Brouwer problem was fixed, now deal with this one.

[wwkayaker]

Lack was probably hoping for a better showing by his defense, too. Throw Lack under the bus as much as you want but he didn’t have a great team in front of him tonight.

[AC]

Originally Posted by CampbellsTransgressions

When is Shinkaruk gonna be called up

3 goals + 2 assists in 12 games Shinkaruk? Not anytime soon.

Mangiapane has 7 goals + 12 assists in 13 games.
Hathaway has 9 goals + 7 assists in 13 games.

[calgaryblood]

So by my count in the last season and a bit it has been Brodie-Engelland Brodie-Hamilton Brodie-Wideman Brodie-Hamonic

And only one has worked so far Brodie-Gio. I think we under estimate how great Gio is and how much he covers his partners mistakes.

[crapshoot]

Originally Posted by Strange Brew

Lack deserves more than one bad game before being written off. That said the leash is short to be sure.

I thought the leash should have been shorter than five goals tonight, hopefully a lot shorter next game if he gets another one in.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by Strange Brew

Lack deserves more than one bad game before being written off. That said the leash is short to be sure.

Has he had a good game? He's started two and they have both been loses where he hasn't looked that great. He came in late last game and made one clutch save but otherwise there's not a lot of positives to draw from. Wins are extremely important and how many points are you going to throw away in the standings in hopes he can get his game back?

[dissentowner]

Originally Posted by calgaryblood

So by my count in the last season and a bit it has been Brodie-Engelland Brodie-Hamilton Brodie-Wideman Brodie-Hamonic

And only one has worked so far Brodie-Gio. I think we under estimate how great Gio is and how much he covers his partners mistakes.

You forgot Brodie-Stone which seems much better than Brodie-Hamonic.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by dissentowner

You forgot Brodie-Stone which seems much better than Brodie-Hamonic.

Nothing wrong with Brodie-Stone IMO.

[Karl]

Originally Posted by TheScorpion

I don't see how either Versteeg has ever been a "fringe NHLer". Versteeg has 356 points in 636 games, a 0.56 P/GP pace. Versteeg was the Flames' best powerplay scorer last season. Versteeg was one of the best value players in the NHL last season

Versteeg is a good hockey player who is in a slump. He's still one of the team's best play-makers and he's been improving game-by-game since his horrendous start. He's also got the cheapest contract of any forward on the team not named Mark Jankowski or Curtis Lazar. Aside from his powerplay usage, which I agree is bad this year, what is there not to like?

He's really not very good anymore.

To me Versteeg is a player who's game is in real decline this year. His shot has become a serious muffin and he's clearly lost a step skating wise from last year, and he often has committed some horrific turnovers this year.

[Gaskal]

Originally Posted by devo22

yup. And that's why he should have got the hook earlier ... Gulutzan shouldn't have waited until the fifth goal. After the third, you just knew that a couple more would come. Zero confidence.

This is my biggest bone to pick with Gulutzan.

It hasn't been much of an issue this season and has remained at mostly a minor annoyance, but tonight really set me off into a rage and I ended up going on a text message rant to a friend also watching. He absolutely needs to add this to his repertoire. It is a valuable tool, as proven by Hartley, and he simply refuses to utilize it.

[DeluxeMoustache]

Originally Posted by Strange Brew

Lack deserves more than one bad game before being written off. That said the leash is short to be sure.

I don't know a goalie that saves more than 1 of Lack's 5.

That panel was brutal.

But the way I understood them, they started the program asking the coach's strategy starting Lack while not even mentioning Smith's injury

That one guy is a loudmouth dumbass

[TheScorpion]

Originally Posted by dissentowner

You forgot Brodie-Stone which seems much better than Brodie-Hamonic.

Yeah, we can't discount this point. Brodie's actually looked real solid with Stone.

It almost makes me want to see this:

Brodie - Stone
Kulak - Hamilton
Giordano - Hamonic

Just to shake things up.

[Cali Panthers Fan]

Originally Posted by devo22

yup. And that's why he should have got the hook earlier ... Gulutzan shouldn't have waited until the fifth goal. After the third, you just knew that a couple more would come. Zero confidence.

It's hard to do that when the backup is fresh up from the AHL. It also undermines Lack to pull him that quickly in a game. If you want a guy to have some confidence in himself, you gotta say to him, "Nah man, you got back out there. You got this." Anything less and you're saying to him, "forget it, you suck. I can't trust you."

Tough situation to judge in hindsight. If Lack pulls it together and makes some big saves, then everything will likely work out much better going forward, especially with Smith out.

[Kybb79]

Train ride and beers after the game.

[calgaryblood]

Originally Posted by TheScorpion

I don't see how either Versteeg has ever been a "fringe NHLer". Versteeg has 356 points in 636 games, a 0.56 P/GP pace. Versteeg was the Flames' best powerplay scorer last season. Versteeg was one of the best value players in the NHL last season

Versteeg is a good hockey player who is in a slump. He's still one of the team's best play-makers and he's been improving game-by-game since his horrendous start. He's also got the cheapest contract of any forward on the team not named Mark Jankowski or Curtis Lazar. Aside from his powerplay usage, which I agree is bad this year, what is there not to like?

Versteeg was out of the league before he couldn't get a contract prior to last season. And only because he couldn't get insurance did he come back and accept a pto and got a last minute job. He then got a bunch of pp points riding Monahan and Gaudreau and the rest is history. Useless 5 on 5 and a fringe nhler.

[TheScorpion]

Flames dominating the shot attempts once again tonight, which leads me to believe that this one goes right on the goaltending and maybe a defender or two.

[Lanny_McDonald]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

Nothing wrong with Brodie-Stone IMO.

They did look good. Maybe move Kulak up to the 2nd pair and Brodie to the third and see what shakes out. Give Kulak a chance to prove his ability to handle some minutes.

[DeluxeMoustache]

Originally Posted by TheScorpion

Flames dominating the shot attempts once again tonight, which leads me to believe that this one goes right on the goaltending and maybe a defender or two.

That is why this Corsi stuff is crap in the wrong hands.

[Aarongavey]

Originally Posted by dissentowner

I agree with this, I think the pressure and then a few unlucky turns and Lack was pretty much done mentally.

Bill Peters was a fan of his mental fortitude.

[DazzlinDino]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

Has he had a good game? He's started two and they have both been loses where he hasn't looked that great. He came in late last game and made one clutch save but otherwise there's not a lot of positives to draw from. Wins are extremely important and how many points are you going to throw away in the standings in hopes he can get his game back?

I know he likes to stay in the crease but some of those goals were in high above the shoulders. Smith can overcome that due to size. Maybe Lacks positioning is actually an issue?