[PGT] WCQF Game 3: Ducks 5 - Flames 4

[GreenLantern]

I like the playoff experience for the young core and the taste of defeat will motivate them. What I don't like is heart breaking losses due to bad goaltending.

Fix that in the off season and this team will have a much better shot next year. One absolute positive I can take away from this series is Bennett, I was a little worried about him this year but he has shown in 3 games that the kid is alright. And if he is the type of player that will be a solid, while not spectacular, contributor during the regular season but step up as an absolute warrior in the playoffs I am ok with that.

[cannon7]

At this point I would be satisfied if the Flames can push it to game 5 and break the curse. Was hoping to see an extended playoff run, but I'll take that and call it a season.

[redforever]

Originally Posted by Art Vandelay View Post
I think play should have been stopped when Cory Perry was punching players on the bench. Goal 2 never would have happened.

Originally Posted by Huntingwhale

To me that's the play that completely turned the game around. And barely anyone is talking about it. Nothing on the panel, only like 4 people on CP (including me) even noticed it. Last time I checked, it was a penalty when a player on the ice start chucking their fists at players on the bench. At the very least, a whistle. At the most, a game misconduct.

Yes that goal was weak. But it shouldn't have even counted. An official was right there telling him to leave his stick, and instead Perry start punching Flames' players. No stoppage in play. Goal.

To me that was a worse blown call then the high stick. Even as Perry was punching away, you could see the camera on the jumbotron focusing in on the event.

Is there a rule now where that's not a penalty/stoppage in play and I'm completely out to lunch?? To me that's the turning point in the game. Yes Elliott sucked taint all night. But it was 2 screw jobs that helped contribute to the loss. Perry at the bench, and the high stick. Unreal.

This a thousand times over. Yes the goal was weak but it never should have happened.

I was at the game and it was blatantly obvious the play should have been called dead right with that scrimmage at the Flames bench...and an official was RIGHT there and never stopped play.

To me that was the turning point in the game.

[Rick M.]

Originally Posted by GoJetsGo

That's because this is a young team where the pieces you're talking about are - for the most part - all very young players who are still maturing.

This is such a short sighted take.

By the time players like Monahan, Bennett and Tkachuk are matured and hitting their prime, Gaudreau (who is also just a 3rd year player) will be making players like that better around him for years to come.

I don't buy all the nonsense about how you can't build a team around a guy like Gaudreau. We haven't. He's a 4th round pick for heaven's sake. He's found money. We've built the team around Monahan and Bennett as well as our top 3 D.

[ComixZone]

Originally Posted by Rick M.

I don't buy all the nonsense about how you can't build a team around a guy like Gaudreau. We haven't. He's a 4th round pick for heaven's sake. He's found money. We've built the team around Monahan and Bennett as well as our top 3 D.

and you know what is the most painful thing about our current state and it's totally being overlooked?

Bennett and Monahan are outplaying Getzlaf and Kesler. We're winning that battle. What a huge step for our young centres.

Brian Elliott has broken my heart into a million pieces.

[Huntingwhale]

Finally got around to reading the entire thread this morning. At least IntenseFan's drunken coked up rambling and subsequent banning was pretty entertaining.

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by Huntingwhale

Finally got around to reading the entire thread this morning. At least IntenseFan's drunken coked up rambling and subsequent banning was pretty entertaining.

Wow, looks like we got another WORD-THINKER here!

[Benched]

add insult to injury was all the slashes, punches, face washes, etc. we took in the 3rd.

I know the Ducks got 0 powerplays last night....but in Game 2 they called that sh** on us, and you just knew that A) the Ducks would not be called so they could keep doing it all night and B) if we retaliated or got involved we WOULD get one.


Luck not going your way
Command Centre watching Wideman videos
Goalie having a meltdown
and then being hacked and wacked and punched every 2s and nothing you can do about it but grin and bear it.


*sigh*

Loss is on us. But that was just salt in the wound.

[SuperMatt18]

Originally Posted by ComixZone

and you know what is the most painful thing about our current state and it's totally being overlooked?

Bennett and Monahan are outplaying Getzlaf and Kesler. We're winning that battle. What a huge step for our young centres.

Brian Elliott has broken my heart into a million pieces.

This is what kills me and keeps me positive at the same time.

It's horrible that we are waisiting the effort that Monahan, Bennett, and Backlund are making this round.

But it's also a pretty big step in the teams development for those three to go head to head with Getzlaf, Kesler, and Vermette and look good doing it.

[redforever]

Originally Posted by Rick M. View Post
I don't buy all the nonsense about how you can't build a team around a guy like Gaudreau. We haven't. He's a 4th round pick for heaven's sake. He's found money. We've built the team around Monahan and Bennett as well as our top 3 D.

Originally Posted by ComixZone

and you know what is the most painful thing about our current state and it's totally being overlooked?

Bennett and Monahan are outplaying Getzlaf and Kesler. We're winning that battle. What a huge step for our young centres.

Brian Elliott has broken my heart into a million pieces.

I think Gaudreau thinks the game at a higher level than many Flames as well. He sets up so many beauties and we don't have enough talent on the Flames to finish many of those plays. Monahan is at his level and Ferland does an adequate job and is probably the best right winger for that line right now, but I don't think Ferland is the long term solution for that line.

And we don't have elite passing defensemen. I believe it was the third period and Gaudreau had set himself up for a clear break away...and sigh, the pass was behind him and by the time he turned around to get the pass, the Ducks were there. Part of the problem is Gaudreau is so fast, but an elite passing defenseman would be able to figure that out.

And I truly believe the Flames should have picked up Iggy or someone like him at the trade deadline. You will never convince me that Iggy would not bring more to the equation than either Bouma or Brouwer. I would have liked to see Iggy out there in game 1 on the 5 on 3 power play we had that we never scored on. And Iggy's experience is something sorely lacking on this young team.

[polak]

He's not found money?

He's the highest paid player on the team. He's paid like a franchise player.

Anyways, having sobered up I still can't believe some of you are blaming the refs. Sure that looked like a high stick but it doesn't matter. They let ducks, who had NO powerplays, score 4 unanswered goals in what was essentially a must win game in front of their home fans.

This team is weak. The leadership should definitely be called into question and if GG still sticks to his "don't talk to the players" rule in a game like that he is also part of the problem. They're so soft mentally.

[Gaskal]

Originally Posted by Flash Walken

The flames have scored TWO 5-5 goal through 3 games of playoff hockey this year.

2

The Ducks have scored EIGHT goals 5-5.

8

Ok, but how many of those 8 were Elliott pooping his pants?

[Joe Nieuwendyk]

Originally Posted by redforever

I I believe it was the third period and Gaudreau had set himself up for a clear break away...and sigh, the pass was behind him and by the time he turned around to get the pass, the Ducks were there. Part of the problem is Gaudreau is so fast, but an elite passing defenseman would be able to figure that out.

I think that was a pass from Ferland, not a defenceman

[cannon7]

Originally Posted by redforever

This a thousand times over. Yes the goal was weak but it never should have happened.

I was at the game and it was blatantly obvious the play should have been called dead right with that scrimmage at the Flames bench...and an official was RIGHT there and never stopped play.

To me that was the turning point in the game.

Just like the botched line change in Game 1 that was yet another example of the Flames losing focus and the Ducks capitalizing. The refs have not done the Flames any favors, but they've punched themselves in the gonads multiple times this series.

[redforever]

Originally Posted by Joe Nieuwendyk

I think that was a pass from Ferland, not a defenceman

Can't remember anymore.

But if it was Ferland, and don't get me wrong, he impresses me, but he is no Hakan Loob or Jarome Iginla.

[PeteMoss]

Originally Posted by Flash Walken

Something to consider:

Is Elliott the real problem it is he he right goalie for the wrong team?

Do the soft goals from Elliott matter if the flames have 2 more legitimate scoring threats in the top 6?

Backlund, even with 3 points, has looked rough in these playoffs, that line went from being Calgary's best line toaybe their worst between the regular season and playoffs. Backlunday be hurt, but still.

This team is struggling to score and I wonder if that might be a bigger hurdle for the team than the bad goals, the belief that once they are down by a couple that they are out of it.

Originally Posted by Flash Walken

The flames have scored TWO 5-5 goal through 3 games of playoff hockey this year.

2

The Ducks have scored EIGHT goals 5-5.

8

Giant font aside, pretty sure every goal counts whether its 5 on 5 or PP/SH.

[Johnny Makarov]

Originally Posted by Joe Nieuwendyk

I think that was a pass from Ferland, not a defenceman

No that was in overtime. Instead of Gaudreau going in for a breakaway we had a faceoff in our own end leading to the OT goal.

If we can't beat the Ducks missing their top 2 d-man and with Bieksa playing 23 mins a game, we may never beat them ever again!

[FlamesAddiction]

For the most part, I think the team has played well enough that any of the games could have gone either way.

There have been a few stupid mistakes and bad goals and that has been the difference. Anaheim capitalizes on mistakes like no other team.

[Kipper_3434]

Elliott played himself out of several million dollars tonight. Before tonight I thought he would get a 3 year contract somewhere just under 4 aav. Now I think he'll be hard up for another contract, maybe 1 year show me type deal. Big games matter.

[SuperMatt18]

Originally Posted by polak

He's not found money?

He's the highest paid player on the team. He's paid like a franchise player.

Anyways, having sobered up I still can't believe some of you are blaming the refs. Sure that looked like a high stick but it doesn't matter. They let ducks, who had NO powerplays, score 4 unanswered goals in what was essentially a must win game in front of their home fans.

This team is weak. The leadership should definitely be called into question and if GG still sticks to his "don't talk to the players" rule in a game like that he is also part of the problem. They're so soft mentally.

Go back and look at goals 2 & 4 and tell me what the players not named Elliott could have really done differently to prevent that from happening.

You have to rely on your goalie to be able to save the shots from the outside.

Hell one of the biggest hockey cliches is "Keep then to the outside", they did that tonight and still let in 5 goals because their goalie couldnt make a single big save.