[PGT] Arizona 2 Calgary 1

[BigFlameDog]

Originally Posted by Cali Panthers Fan

And on another note, this board is pretty insufferable to read after a close and competitive loss to a team that is roughly as good as the Flames. It's like everyone feels the Flames are owed a win even before puck drop? Weird.

Thanked for this....at this point I have to just assume some of you are trolling hard....

[Fighting Banana Slug]

Wasn't pretty, but we are one game removed from a near shut-out of a cup finalist from last year and 2 games removed from a dominant, all round road game shut-out.

I don't think anyone thinks we are cup contenders. I don't think anyone is immune from criticism, but Monahan wasn't very physical last year, is roughly on the same points pace and has rung a few off the posts in recent games. He is fine. The core is fine. The coaching is fine.

Edit: What BigFlameDog and Cali Panthers Fan said.

[heep223]

Originally Posted by BigFlameDog

Thanked for this....at this point I have to just assume some of you are trolling hard....

+1. Monahan goes from hero to trade bait in a matter of days. Team goes from playoff lock to top 3 pick from game to game. It's annoying.

We have a good team that's going to have ups and downs but one of the best young cores in the NHL.

[GreenLantern2814]

The high point of the night was when they said the Make a Wish kid was also going to the All Star game. If you're dying of cancer and all you get are tickets to a January game against the Coyotes, God does not have your jersey in his closet.

[Vinny01]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

Yeah but what real good is going to come out of squeaking into the playoffs in a poor division and having the 16th overall pick to show for a bad season? This team isn't a cup contender so all it does is add another year before this team can become a true cup contender. I would rather just take the lumps now and accept this is not a very good hockey team and if they make the playoffs then great but I don't want the GM making tweaks just to make the playoffs this season as if the current group isn't good enough then it's telling that they need another good draft.

I don't see the management making a move to add this year that doesn't add long term. Unless the Ducks make the playoffs I think the Flames can beat any other team they may face in the first round. They will get smashed in the 2nd round again but still having the 15th pick and making playoffs is better than having the 12-14th pick. This team is not going to fal back to the bottom of the league IMO and only chances of winning the lottery are slim

[saillias]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

Yeah but what real good is going to come out of squeaking into the playoffs in a poor division and having the 16th overall pick to show for a bad season? This team isn't a cup contender so all it does is add another year before this team can become a true cup contender. I would rather just take the lumps now and accept this is not a very good hockey team and if they make the playoffs then great but I don't want the GM making tweaks just to make the playoffs this season as if the current group isn't good enough then it's telling that they need another good draft.

Even a high pick can be 2-4 years before being an impact player. By the time this draft bears fruit, Gio will be on the bottom pairing, Gaudreau and Monahan will have big contracts and most of the team will have changed considerably.

I think ideally we would find another high end forward for the upcoming 3 years - not one who will be ready in 3 years from now

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by Cali Panthers Fan

And on another note, this board is pretty insufferable to read after a close and competitive loss to a team that is roughly as good as the Flames. It's like everyone feels the Flames are owed a win even before puck drop? Weird.

Falling to LA was a competitive loss. Last night was a blow out masked by stellar goaltending from Ramo. Full credit to the Coyotes for playing a top notch road game, but we were B. A. D.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Fighting Banana Slug

Wasn't pretty, but we are one game removed from a near shut-out of a cup finalist from last year and 2 games removed from a dominant, all round road game shut-out.

I don't think anyone thinks we are cup contenders. I don't think anyone is immune from criticism, but Monahan wasn't very physical last year, is roughly on the same points pace and has rung a few off the posts in recent games. He is fine. The core is fine. The coaching is fine.

Edit: What BigFlameDog and Cali Panthers Fan said.

I agree with all three of you. I was reluctant to even look at the board today because I knew the vultures would be out.

The team had a bad game, and in this league you can't do that and win. But they just came off a really dominant game. And while, yeah, there can be criticisms of plays by particular guys, or analysis of why a line combo isn't working it doesn't mean the player is garbage, or that the solution is simply calling up guys who are playing on a weak AHL team.

Then there are the one trick ponies who have it in for a player and point out every mistake (notwithstanding the exact same mistake gets made by other players on a nightly basis). Bennett can go in a huge scoring slump and make the same unsuccessful inside out move night after night with hardly any criticism and continued calls for him to play a position he's never played before, on the top line. But let Raymond get checked off a puck, let Colborne miss a pass, or let Wideman's shot get blocked... the response is instant and continuous. It's tiring. I get it, you don't like the guy. I got it the first hundred times. And in fact, I would normally agree that they aren't great players, and if we had our druthers. they would be on another team with better replacements. But let's face it, there's not too many winger options in Stockton who would do much better. If we are tanking for Matthews great, if not, then there's not much choice in who to play, is there?

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by saillias

Even a high pick can be 2-4 years before being an impact player. By the time this draft bears fruit, Gio will be on the bottom pairing, Gaudreau and Monahan will have big contracts and most of the team will have changed considerably.

I think ideally we would find another high end forward for the upcoming 3 years - not one who will be ready in 3 years from now

You are correct but we all knew that that by the time the Flames are a real cup contender Gio's contract would be a boat anchor which is why I feel they need to move him before his extension kicks in for a prospect such as Druin. There's no quick fix to speed things up as it is what it is.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by Vinny01

This team is not going to fal back to the bottom of the league IMO and only chances of winning the lottery are slim

People keep saying stuff like this ignoring that the Flames are three points away from picking 3rd overall. What do you mean they are not going to fall back to the bottom of the league? They are at the bottom of the league.

I'm not criticising the team or players as I feel Hartley has done a decent job and this season they are playing to their level and where they are in the rebuild. I'm not mad I'm just patient and willing to see the full process through rather than expect big things too early.

[Vulcan]

Negatives- the group seem reluctant to adapt. It's now obvious to me (and if it's obvious to fans......) that the way to beat the Flames is to slow the game down, play a nice neutral zone trap and force the Flames to dump it in because they rarely retrieve it and if they do, they struggle to keep it in the zone and sustain pressure.

They rarely retrieve the puck because we don't have enough players who are capable of retrieving it. Hartley has to use a game plan that suits his players. We have deficiencies and some teams are able to make us pay.

[KamFongAsChinHo]

I take full responsibility for last night's loss. A typical game night ritual is a cozy get-to-gether with Captain Morgan and my liver.

As I have an important job interview this morning, I disrupted this routine and the results speak for themselves.

I will endeavor to be better in the future.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

You are correct but we all knew that that by the time the Flames are a real cup contender Gio's contract would be a boat anchor which is why I feel they need to move him before his extension kicks in for a prospect such as Druin. There's no quick fix to speed things up as it is what it is.

We all knew this?

[calgaryblood]

I blame the loss on Hartley. Really bad line combinations lately. Colborne has the puck 90% of the time when it should be Gaudreau with the puck. Split. Them. Up.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by KamFongAsChinHo

I take full responsibility for last night's loss. A typical game night ritual is a cozy get-to-gether with Captain Morgan and my liver.

As I have an important job interview this morning, I disrupted this routine and the results speak for themselves.

I will endeavor to be better in the future.

I too must take some responsibility. I have been wearing my 3rd jersey to every game and it has not failed me this year.

Last night I was stuck in a suit and the results speak for themselves.

[heep223]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

I too must take some responsibility. I have been wearing my 3rd jersey to every game and it has not failed me this year.

Last night I was stuck in a suit and the results speak for themselves.

I'll take my share of the blame. Had the wife at the game. When I'm there with a buddy and we are dipping into the dome foams at an alarming pace, we can't seem to lose.

[Flamenspiel]

I agree with the posts about being patient but its a fact that the Flames two top right wings are injured and its showing. Its quite apparent that Hudler has been injured for awhile and its just coming out now.

Missing 2 of your 6 top forwards in a balanced NHL will eventually show up in the win/loss results. Its not so complicated as people make it out to be.

[CroFlames]

Originally Posted by calgaryblood

I blame the loss on Hartley. Really bad line combinations lately. Colborne has the puck 90% of the time when it should be Gaudreau with the puck. Split. Them. Up.

Your hate on for Colborne is getting tiring.

While it's true that not all players can play together, it's not near as bad as you think it is.

[calgaryvictorious]

On the bright side, I really loved Ferland with Monahan and Gaudreau. Hopefully it sticks for next game.

[dino7c]

man people around here take losses hard...has more to do with the horrible start and the position we are in I guess. Game could have gone either way, they got the go ahead and locked it down. Flames didn't play great but really they lost 2-1 to a team ahead of them in the standings. Not sure why anyone thought it was a sure win