[Game Takes] Flames 3 Habs 2 (OT)

[Bingo]

Flames 3 Habs 2 (OT)

- Monahan with the OT winner yet again
- Rittich solid in his second start
- Hathaway a suitable bottom sixer
- Gulutzan wins a challenge!

[Draug]

Originally Posted by Bingo

... that brings us to Troy Brouwer. Lately the man has played his best hockey, and I support that. But can we please, when both Jagr and Tkachuk are back, please see an end to powerplay time for the player. He’s harder to play against of late, and less damaging on the fourth line, but he shouldn’t be hand grenading the first powerplay unit.

Thank you! Of all the decisions our coaching staff makes, this is the one that really angers me the most. It makes absolutely no sense! Brouwer doesn't have the footspeed to recover loose pucks, the hands to score off rebounds, or the shot to score on his own. He has no place on the PP!

I'd like to see Stone & Brodie on the point, and Gaudreau and Monahan on the sides, and Ferland in front.

[Northendzone]

fyp....

Originally Posted by Bingo

Flames 3 Habs 2 (OT)

- Monahan with the OT winner yet again
- Rittich solid in his second start
- Hathaway a suitable bottom sixer
- Gulutzan wins a challenge and show some emotion on the bench!

[Bingo]

Originally Posted by Draug

Thank you! Of all the decisions our coaching staff makes, this is the one that really angers me the most. It makes absolutely no sense! Brouwer doesn't have the footspeed to recover loose pucks, the hands to score off rebounds, or the shot to score on his own. He has no place on the PP!

I'd like to see Stone & Brodie on the point, and Gaudreau and Monahan on the sides, and Ferland in front.

I think he's on the powerplay because of the one thing you didn't mention; net presence. He's the best on the team for going to the net outside of his obvious replacement Tkachuk.

But if you don't have the wheels to get to the wall and keep possession you just don't use that net presence enough to warrant him being out there.

[habernac]

Good article, Bingo.

So tonight it was great to see Rittich stop 35 of 37 shots in the house that Roy built (not sure he ever played in the Bell Center), Rittich’s favourite player growing up. Great to see the Calgary backup post his second win in two starts, so key for a team looking to both contend and spell off their starter.

Roy never really did play at the Bell Centre. Got traded a few months before it opened.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Bingo

I think he's on the powerplay because of the one thing you didn't mention; net presence. He's the best on the team for going to the net outside of his obvious replacement Tkachuk.

But if you don't have the wheels to get to the wall and keep possession you just don't use that net presence enough to warrant him being out there.

That's correct. Both Tkachuk and Versteeg were out and IMO, they didn't want to disrupt the second unit more than necessary. Same reason Brouwer went to the second line to replace Tkachuk as opposed to, say, moving Bennett and thereby making two lines adjust to a change rather than one.

[Inglewood Jack]

Originally Posted by Bingo

I think he's on the powerplay because of the one thing you didn't mention; net presence. He's the best on the team for going to the net outside of his obvious replacement Tkachuk.

but how do you even measure who's the best net-front presence? he's not tipping pucks past goalies on their way in or tucking rebounds, and is there any way to determine how many Brouwerplay goals are due to screens he's created?

I think the simple answer is he's one of the very scarce forwards with RH shot and that's it. but that does no good when he flubs most of the shot attempts that come his way (which is not often because he doesn't have a good feel for where the puck's going).

[Tinordi]

Originally Posted by Bingo

I think he's on the powerplay because of the one thing you didn't mention; net presence. He's the best on the team for going to the net outside of his obvious replacement Tkachuk.

But if you don't have the wheels to get to the wall and keep possession you just don't use that net presence enough to warrant him being out there.

Except he's not a great net presence.

The one play nobody has mentioned yet from last night was the Flames PP in the first.

Brouwer's on the goal mouth, and loose puck comes through off the right wing. If Brouwer has his stick on the ice the he has a great scoring chance, instead he's just looking at it. Didn't bear down.

Frustrating.

[jaikorven]

So Backlund and Frolik both under 50% because Brower was on their other wing at the bottom of the team with 37%. That says something right there IMO.

Another great one Bingo...cheers!!

[Bingo]

Originally Posted by Tinordi

Except he's not a great net presence.

The one play nobody has mentioned yet from last night was the Flames PP in the first.

Brouwer's on the goal mouth, and loose puck comes through off the right wing. If Brouwer has his stick on the ice the he has a great scoring chance, instead he's just looking at it. Didn't bear down.

Frustrating.

I think we have a different definition of net presence, and please understand I'm not making the case for the guy to be on the powerplay.

He doesn't have the hands to finish plays, get rebounds or tip pucks. He does have the "stones" to go right to the goaltender and screen the hell out of him. It's a simple skill but one that few players ever want to do because they get hammered with pucks.

I think their thinking comes from the number of Monahan goals through Brouwer's feet or armpits last year.