[PGT] Flames win 3-2. Thank you, Rick Ball

[Braden]

Originally Posted by Savvy27

Huberdeau Kadri Dube
Ruzicka Lindholm Toffoli
Mangiapane Backlund Coleman
Lucic Lewis Ritchie

Great game, Ruzicka looked every bit like he belongs. I'm also hoping to see these lines in the future, give Mangiapane that familiarity where he found so much success last year. Also impressed with what Lewis and Ritchie have brought all season.

[btimbit]

Was able to watch the second half of the game at work. Liked a lot of what I saw. Could tell the team turned the corner on that losing streak a few games ago, glad they finally got a W and the monkey off their back

[FormerPresJamesTaylor]

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

I also don’t think that’s a shot at Huberdeau

To me it’s more about not experimenting with Lindholm when Huberdeau is hurt and he’s a happy that’s its worked with Ruzicka and Toffoli.

Typical Francis spinning things. Sutter isn’t going to talk bad about a hurt player.

The media in this city is garbage. Steve MacFarlane posts his articles here daily so he might be protected but even he tried to twist the whole "he's taking a poop" quote by Sutter has a shot against Hubereau last week. It's just childish by both of them.

Sutter's quote last night is nothing. That new line is clicking, Sutter doesn't want to split them up upon a players return, it wasn't anything bad.

[Bonded]

Sutter also called Huberdeau the best passer on the history of the organization. Calm down people lol

[Royle9]

Originally Posted by TheScorpion

Honestly, I don't have an issue with Lewis right now. But they gotta cut Lucic's minutes in a major way.

I also think Kevin Rooney might be approaching the end of his rope. Getting serious Tyler Pitlick vibes from him. Darryl benched him again tonight.

What’s I find ironic is the amount of people who were so high on him pre-season, even penciling him in on the 3rd line. I recall being told I’m an idiot for saying he was a waste of a contract, we have better Rooneys on the farm.

[Winsor_Pilates]

The hate on for Lucic is so weird, this is the best he has looked in years. He has actually been one of the most consistent players this season.

[ComixZone]

Originally Posted by Winsor_Pilates

The hate on for Lucic is so weird, this is the best he has looked in years. He has actually been one of the most consistent players this season.

Lucic is bad.

GF%: 37.5
xGF%: 46.41
SCF%: 45.10
HDCF%: 47.37
HDGF%: 33.33

All wonderfully done with a offensive zone start % of 62.5

He is bad.

[Cecil Terwilliger]

The fact this is the best Lucic has looked in years is a testament to how awful he was before because he’s still not very good. He handles the puck like a grenade, plays die on his stick and his scoring prowess is nil.

It’s great that he’s not as much of a liability defensively anymore but he’s just not a threat offensively.

[Moneyhands23]

Originally Posted by Cecil Terwilliger

The fact this is the best Lucic has looked in years is a testament to how awful he was before because he’s still not very good. He handles the puck like a grenade, plays die on his stick and his scoring prowess is nil.

It’s great that he’s not as much of a liability defensively anymore but he’s just not a threat offensively.

I think looch is best on the fourth line and probably sitting every 3rd game.

[P-DAZZLE]

I'd take the Lindholm quote as giving the guy a bit of a boost. He missed a 2-on-1 chance where he had open net and Sutter probably felt it's a time to remind him he's a good player.

[monkeyman]

What a great game.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by jg13

I really want to give Backlund the C.

He's on pace to putting up numbers that would tie his second best season outcome despite being strictly in a #3C role and he's come out hot to start the year. Would giving him the C take away the production we're seeing now or give him a boost to be even better?

Either way, he's playing like he wants it. Huge assist on the GWG shorthanded.

Fans are always so quick to predict that players will start falling off as soon as they're in their 30s. But almost every time, it is premature to worry about it.

Despite rumours of his pending demise, Backlund, at 33, is playing the best hockey of his career, so far this year. And only one more year on that contract, so yet another veteran player who's contract wasn't a problem at all

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

I also don’t think that’s a shot at Huberdeau

To me it’s more about not experimenting with Lindholm when Huberdeau is hurt and he’s a happy that’s its worked with Ruzicka and Toffoli.

Typical Francis spinning things. Sutter isn’t going to talk bad about a hurt player.

100%

Saying he likes playing with Ruzicka DOES NOT suggest he doesn't like playing with Huberdeau. People are reading WAY too much into that comment.

Take Francis' reference to Huberdeau out of the tweet and read it again. All it is is a compliment to Ruzicka, and a comment to stop shuffling the lines too much.

[iggyloob12]

I don't blame the media trying to interpret what Sutter meant. The guy is the master of message-sending, and some of his messages can be less than clear on the surface. Case in point, the dropping a deuce comment.

[ben voyonsdonc]

Originally Posted by TheScorpion

wow

https://twitter.com/user/status/1591678648368893952

Is it possible that he meant “without Huberdeau, Lindholm is our best forward”? My guess is that is what he was saying - specifically that we need as much production from Lindy as possible while Huberdeau is out.

[nieuwy-89]

Love me a close 3-2 win against a western Canadian rival on HNIC. Good game by the boys, good win.

[bigrangy]

Looch has been a defensive liability all season. His zone exits are botched most of the time because he can’t complete passes around his own blue line (even though he’s surpringly good in the o zone doing so). Even tonight he loses his check on the d-man on the first goal and lets him walk right down the slot. Goal took a dumb bounce but it was still a dangerous chance that he shouldn’t have let happen. His backchecking is not great either, he has pretty frequently been the guy that should have had the trailer that ended up scoring on a rush.

That being said, i think these issues are compounded by playing with Rooney and Ritchie, who are equally bad defensively, and somehow offer even less offensively. Lucic still has some touch despite the stone hands, and when he’s skating his forecheck is more threatening than those two. Lucic is just fine as the 12th forward on the team, the problem is that there’s too many 15th forwards on the team already.

[D as in David]

By my eyes, the whole team still struggles on zone exits.

[Enoch Root]

Three and a half minutes left in the 2nd, it's 2-2, and shots are 20-19 in favour of the Flames.

Over the next 21 minutes, the Flames outshot the Jets 15-2, despite 2 Jet PPs which included a 1:18 2-man advantage. In total, the Jets managed 4 shots in the last 23 and a half minutes of the game.

[redforever]

Originally Posted by D as in David

By my eyes, the whole team still struggles on zone exits.

And I don't see that problem ending anytime soon. Gaudreau was a master at exiting the zone and going up the ice...don't see the likes of that talent every day. We were lucky to have him for as long as he was here.