[PGT] O offence, where art thou? Flames lose 3-0 to Kings

[Strange Brew]

Guess we’re hoping that Lindholm, Monahan and Neal all flip a switch for the playoffs. That’s a bigger group than I’d like but I’m hopeful two of them can do it.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

So true. The team laid an egg last night, but also could easily have won with a couple bounces and a slightly lesser perfomance in goal from Campbell. They cruised to a win against the Canucks and obviously this game trapped them. It happens.



Monahan isn't hurt IMO. He made a few plays last night that demonstrated this. I think the whole first line is being checked more tightly, they are off with their passing and communication. I disliked the play of Lindholm much more than that of Monahan last night, and in most of the recent games. For some reason he isn't the target of the same criticism.

I would agree with this. I wonder if Lindholm escapes notice here for all the good will he banked from his impressive first-half performance. He has really been missing that dog-on-a-bone tenacity in the offensive zone and on the boards most recently.


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[Duffalufagus]

Anyone not worried about the top line has their head in the sand. Monahan is terrible. Lindholm looks like a completely different player out there from what we saw up to the all-star break. Johnny is a casualty of their poor play IMO. That line can't win puck battles, is terrible on the forecheck, and looks to be getting out worked on most nights. That is a recipe for disaster in the playoffs.

This is a huge concern IMO.

[neo45]

Originally Posted by Textcritic

I would agree with this. I wonder if Lindholm escapes notice here for all the good will he banked from his impressive first-half performance. He has really been missing that dog-on-a-bone tenacity in the offensive zone and on the boards most recently.


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It’s because Lindholm does a lot more away from the puck then Monahan, so when he isn’t scoring (which he isn’t) he is still moving his feet, playing physical, and backchecking hard.

Monahan has been skating like Jason Allison since the new year

But yes, Lindholm has completely lost his nose for the net and it’s highly concerning.

[Mattman]

Is it too late to shake up the roster and get Wayne Simmonds...?

[agulati]

I wouldn't mind Peters mixing and matching in the next couple of games to get the top line going offensively.

[Duffalufagus]

Originally Posted by agulati

I wouldn't mind Peters mixing and matching in the next couple of games to get the top line going offensively.

problem is that he's already tried that recently and it resulted in a 4 game losing streak. At least the other lines are playing well (2nd and 4th line, actually)

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by Duffalufagus

Anyone not worried about the top line has their head in the sand. Monahan is terrible. Lindholm looks like a completely different player out there from what we saw up to the all-star break. Johnny is a casualty of their poor play IMO. That line can't win puck battles, is terrible on the forecheck, and looks to be getting out worked on most nights. That is a recipe for disaster in the playoffs.

This is a huge concern IMO.

Well, no. If there were posters here reporting that the top line is just fine THAT would be akin to "having their head in the sand." Agreeing that they are not playing well right now is not, and I think the concern is a matter of ongoing discussion. The top line could be struggling for a variety of reasons, and not all of them are uncorrectable and leading to immanent failure. There are still two weeks of hockey left before the playoffs begin. There is still time for the top line to get things turned around, and it may just take the intensity of the playoffs to get them going.

In the end I see posters who are ready to jump off the bridge, others who are nervously checking their pulse, and the rest who still have another two weeks before their term paper is due. I don't think any one of these responses is necessarily the correct one, and in the end our feelings about the problem today are practically meaningless. All we can do is hope they work it out.

[Coach]

Anyone who says “Drai” is an Oiler fan. It’s not a surprise his take is NG.

[TheScorpion]

Originally Posted by Mattman

Is it too late to shake up the roster and get Wayne Simmonds...?

Why on earth would you want Simmonds? He's been absolutely terrible in Nashville.

[Jiri Hrdina]

Originally Posted by Duffalufagus

Anyone not worried about the top line has their head in the sand. Monahan is terrible. Lindholm looks like a completely different player out there from what we saw up to the all-star break. Johnny is a casualty of their poor play IMO. That line can't win puck battles, is terrible on the forecheck, and looks to be getting out worked on most nights. That is a recipe for disaster in the playoffs.

This is a huge concern IMO.

I think you are letting Johnny off the hook.
He's the guy that drives that line and he's become predictable and making bad decisions.

[Nelson]

I'd say the Flames as a whole actually played pretty well last night. Score effects were on full display, but I think, in general, when your team has an overall CF% of 71.59% at 5 v 5, it can't have been that bad of a night.

I think the problems from last night were:

(1) Although the Flames definitely had more attempts from in close than the Kings did, the heat map doesn't exactly show them burning up the ice in front of the net. The attempts at net were coming from all over. While the Flames outplayed the Kings, the Kings did a good job of blocking the way to the net.

(2) The PP was not good. In 8 minutes of 5 v 4 PP, the Flames were 2-1 in HDCF.

(3) While Monahan and Gaudreau did not score, at 5 v 5 they were 8-2 in shots for and against. That's not abysmal. They were 5th and 6th in SF% on the team last night. It's still a problem that they didn't score because they are supposed to be scoring a lot, but they also didn't really hurt the team that much.

[jlh2640]

Smith was unreal, Rittich starts against Dallas imo. But what a terrible loss to ruin a great chance to gain even more ground. Thank you Detroit and St. Louis

[Teroy]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

I think you are letting Johnny off the hook.
He's the guy that drives that line and he's become predictable and making bad decisions.

Totally agree. He's all over the ice with the puck and does nothing with it till he coughs it up.

[Robbob]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

I think you are letting Johnny off the hook.
He's the guy that drives that line and he's become predictable and making bad decisions.

He is starting to give me flashbacks of Blake Comeau the way he circles the offensive zone and then either gives the puck away or puts it in a bad spot.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

I think you are letting Johnny off the hook.
He's the guy that drives that line and he's become predictable and making bad decisions.

Originally Posted by Teroy

Totally agree. He's all over the ice with the puck and does nothing with it till he coughs it up.

When I watch him recently I think there are times that he carries the puck for too long and too often. The biggest issue with the top line right now might be that they are overthinking things, pushing too much, and this results in poor decision making and trying to do everything on their own. We know for a fact that they did not suddenly become dumber and less skilled. It's a adjustment.

[Manhattanboy]

Originally Posted by Textcritic

I would agree with this. I wonder if Lindholm escapes notice here for all the good will he banked from his impressive first-half performance. He has really been missing that dog-on-a-bone tenacity in the offensive zone and on the boards most recently.


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I suspect fans in Carolina would say his play of late mirrors the Lindholm they knew (and loved?) when he was there.

[Igottago]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

I think you are letting Johnny off the hook.
He's the guy that drives that line and he's become predictable and making bad decisions.

Every team in the NHL knows he drives the line, so they are probably keying on him way more. There are only so many ways you can gain the zone and create space. If his line mates looked for opportunities to create their own plays it might be nice. It's like the expectation is "get Johnny to do everything and wait by the net for a pass". Not really fair to Johnny to expect him to do it all every single game. Even now at least he is noticeably trying to make things happen. The others, not so much.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by Igottago

Every team in the NHL knows he drives the line, so they are probably keying on him way more. There are only so many ways you can gain the zone and create space. If his line mates looked for opportunities to create their own plays it might be nice. It's like the expectation is "get Johnny to do everything and wait by the net for a pass". Not really fair to Johnny to expect him to do it all every single game. Even now at least he is noticeably trying to make things happen. The others, not so much.

Do you really think that is what is happening? That elite level offensive players who have succeeded at every level for their entire lives are just hoping that someone else will do all the work so they can reap the benefits?

I suspect the much more likely situation is that Gaudreau is putting a tonne of pressure on himself, feeling like he has to be doing more, and as a result is carrying the puck too much, for too long, and not finding the lanes and openings quickly enough.

[Hot_Flatus]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

I think you are letting Johnny off the hook.
He's the guy that drives that line and he's become predictable and making bad decisions.

I'm not sure why Johnny has become the problem in many peoples eyes? His game hasn't changed one bit, infact, he's one of the few guys consistently trying to create chances. I think you're viewing his decisions as "bad" only because he has no other options when Monahan isn't driving the slot or making himself a threat at all.

He has had no-one to work with the last number of games. The support he's getting from Monahan is non-existent, and coming from the centre ice position, you simply cannot produce at a high level when that position is such a non-factor night in and night out.