[News] WCQF: Your Calgary Flames (P1) vs Colorado Avalanche (WC2) — AVALANCHE WIN SERIES 4-1

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by SmoggyFlamesFan

Did anyone else struggle to sleep last night with severe anxiety in anticipation of tonight's game 3? It's going to be a long work day.

Nope, turned off the game at the end of the first period and caught up on other shows.


I don't have any effect on the series, and slept like a baby

[Flash Walken]

Originally Posted by AC

Based on the timeout and how Peters was acting towards the team, I'm guessing there were significant changes the team just didn't bother to follow. He looked like he was saying something akin to "Well. What did you think would happen when you play this way?"

Also some credit where it's due here, the Avs have obviously crafted their gameplan around exploiting the weaknesses of specific players (brodie, gaudreau, andersson) and are executing it quite effectively.

[PeteMoss]

Originally Posted by Flash Walken

Also some credit where it's due here, the Avs have obviously crafted their gameplan around exploiting the weaknesses of specific players (brodie, gaudreau, andersson) and are executing it quite effectively.

They were dying to get their 1st line against Fantanberg last night. Wouldnt shock me if we see Valimaki or even Kylington last night because Fantanberg is too slow to keep up with those guys.

[Toonage]

^ And Fantenberg was with Brodie. Not a coincidence. Its Brodie they target more than anything IMO.

[Beninho]

Originally Posted by Toonage

^ And Fantenberg was with Brodie. Not a coincidence. Its Brodie they target more than anything IMO.

Which is why he shouldn’t play another game in this series


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[The Cobra]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

Nope, turned off the game at the end of the first period and caught up on other shows.


I don't have any effect on the series, and slept like a baby

Most people here care about their team way more than you, you are lucky when things go bad.

Of course, you can't enjoy the victories as much, so you are missing that.

[calgaryred]

Originally Posted by The Cobra

Most people here care about their team way more than you, you are lucky when things go bad.

Of course, you can't enjoy the victories as much, so you are missing that.

I'd disagree I had sleepless nights during the playoffs when I was a teenager, but getting married and then raising a family, my mind doesnt put the Flames garbage play as a center focus. When they win I enjoy it but when they lose I've got more important things to worry about. I like discussing the games win or lose and I care, but not enough to lose sleep over it.

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[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by The Cobra

Most people here care about their team way more than you, you are lucky when things go bad.

Of course, you can't enjoy the victories as much, so you are missing that.

Its true, and I will honestly say that the passion level that I had even a decade ago has faded. I'm still a fan don't get me wrong, but I don't go through the emotional ups and downs of fandom, I think in terms of all sports that's been burned out of me


I remember when I would hardcore follow this team, know pretty much all of the prospects, get excited about drafts and all of that good stuff.


Now I just don't.


I want to see the Flames do well, I want to see a long run to the cup to see if it re-ignites my passion. But I guess a combination of the costs of being a fan, to the often times passionless version of hockey that's played now, to player strikes and lockouts have snuffed me out.

[Beninho]

If the flames don’t drastically improve their game and they lose this series, where the #### do we go from here? Was not envisioning an offseason with more changes but that may be where we are headed with this disastrous performance.


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[HighLifeMan]

As dire as things may seem after that piss poor performance last night - if we win game 4, we are back in the driver's seat.



Top line needs a change - Bennett to the top line. Monahan dropped down the lineup, and Lindholm at C.



Jankowski out. Dube in.

Fantenburg out. Valimaki in.



Mark Giordano looks like a completely different player right now. He is playing with absolutely no confidence offensively, and his foot speed is being exposed off of the rush. Johhny needs to simplify things, I think adding Bennett to that line will help with that.

[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by Beninho

If the flames don’t drastically improve their game and they lose this series, where the #### do we go from here? Was not envisioning an offseason with more changes but that may be where we are headed with this disastrous performance.

We know Treliving isn't afraid to make big changes. If the Flames roll over tomorrow, I expect a couple members of the core will be moved in the offseason. Probably best to wait and see how the team responds before we speculate about who those players might be.

[Buff]

Has anybody caught any talk of what time Game 5 will be on Friday?

I heard Kelly Kersch mention on 960 that it may not be late but nothing has been released yet. We've got a large family gathering on Friday and I need to prepare my wife for my eventual absence from that.

[Weitz]

Originally Posted by Buff

Has anybody caught any talk of what time Game 5 will be on Friday?

I heard Kelly Kersch mention on 960 that it may not be late but nothing has been released yet. We've got a large family gathering on Friday and I need to prepare my wife for my eventual absence from that.

I'd expect an 8:00 start. Toronto-Boston play that night too. Unless they go for an afternoon game but I don't see it.

[TheSquatch]

Originally Posted by Flash Walken

Also some credit where it's due here, the Avs have obviously crafted their gameplan around exploiting the weaknesses of specific players (brodie, gaudreau, andersson) and are executing it quite effectively.

I'd go further. I think they have specific strategies with regards to Smith and his puck playing, which has been nearly negated and in a few times wound up being dangerous for the Flames. They are picking off Gaudreau as he gains the blue line, spins, and feeds cross-ice on every single play. And they have obviously seen something about how our forwards engage (or fail to) without the puck - there's a very fast d-zone exit occurring pretty often where one of the forwards comes all the way back and acts like a trailer, and the d get moving then dump it back to this forward who is usually skating full speed and voom, up the ice it goes. Flames haven't answered this.

So the Avs booked up on the Flames, and the Flames went in saying "We play OUR game." and ... looks like that's not going to cut it. Need some major adjustments.

And... a bunch of Flames just look lost and disengaged to me. There was a post in the PGT about dreaming of an angry, engaged Monahan (just as one example) But it is just a dream.

[rohara66]

Originally Posted by TheSquatch

I'd go further. I think they have specific strategies with regards to Smith and his puck playing, which has been nearly negated and in a few times wound up being dangerous for the Flames.

Did the Avs dump the puck in at all last night? Felt like they didn't have to cause they just carried it in every damn rush.



If you dont dump the puck in then Smith can't play it. Simple game play from their side.

[Jore]

I don't think the problem with Monahan is that he's not angry or motivated. He's just playing the same game he always has, which is to look for openings in the offensive zone to get shots off, and he's managed to that a couple of times when he's been in the offensive zone this series including his goal.

The problem is that they never get into the offensive zone with control against ANY Colorado line, including their fourth line. In the regular season Monahan can get away with not being able to do anything in the d zone or the neutral zone or on the forecheck and making the wrong choice on the cycle in the offensive zone more often than not when he has time to think. But in the playoffs when teams are specifically keying in on how Gaudreau is Calgary's only option for a zone exit and transition on that line you need other skaters on the line, especially the centre, to get the puck from deep in your own zone and move it up well, through skating or smart passes or deception or knowing when to hold on to the puck for an extra few seconds. Monahan has just never been able to do that since he's been in Calgary.

Him being mad doesn't change how he just hasn't had the pace, vision, puck control, or strength to play well as a 2 way centre. He's great as a goal scorer if you can surround him with high-level execution and puck control, but you want more from a cup contending 1C and in any case the surrounding cast hasn't been executing either because of how Colorado has been pressuring the D and Gaudreau because of a big void in the centre of the ice

[tvp2003]

Originally Posted by HighLifeMan

As dire as things may seem after that piss poor performance last night - if we win game 4, we are back in the driver's seat.

And that's the bizarre reality of the playoffs. If we can scratch out a win in game 4, all of a sudden we're even and have regained home ice advantage. Can't lose sight of that -- it takes four W's to win the series and Colorado is only half way there.

[calgaryred]

Originally Posted by TheSquatch

I'd go further. I think they have specific strategies with regards to Smith and his puck playing, which has been nearly negated and in a few times wound up being dangerous for the Flames. They are picking off Gaudreau as he gains the blue line, spins, and feeds cross-ice on every single play. And they have obviously seen something about how our forwards engage (or fail to) without the puck - there's a very fast d-zone exit occurring pretty often where one of the forwards comes all the way back and acts like a trailer, and the d get moving then dump it back to this forward who is usually skating full speed and voom, up the ice it goes. Flames haven't answered this.



So the Avs booked up on the Flames, and the Flames went in saying "We play OUR game." and ... looks like that's not going to cut it. Need some major adjustments.



And... a bunch of Flames just look lost and disengaged to me. There was a post in the PGT about dreaming of an angry, engaged Monahan (just as one example) But it is just a dream.

Flames are by far not playing their game

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[iamca]

Struggling with some really fair weather Avs fans giving me the business today and last night at the tail end of the game.

If you are Peters and the coaching staff, you have to radically change your approach and make some actual lineup changes for Game 4, or it's a long off season.

[Sainters7]

Originally Posted by tvp2003

And that's the bizarre reality of the playoffs. If we can scratch out a win in game 4, all of a sudden we're even and have regained home ice advantage. Can't lose sight of that -- it takes four W's to win the series and Colorado is only half way there.

Yeah exactly. Going to Colorado I felt as long as we come back with a split I'll take it, which is still doable. It's just more the way it went down which is so alarming. Washington also got pumped in game 3, but they at least had a 2-0 series lead going in...something we were 2.5min away from on Saturday. I wonder what the narrative today would be had game 3 gone the exact same way, but we had a 2-0 series lead going into it..would we be as alarmed today?

Crazy to think after how demoralizing and frankly embarrassing yesterday was, that it could all be wiped out with an encouraging win tomorrow. Playoff swings, man.. They better play their butts off tomorrow and show some actual playoff intensity