[Signing] Flames sign Jacob Markstrom. (6 yrs, $6mil AAV)

[Scroopy Noopers]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

Goaltenders are a different breed. So strange how he's up to the task against 30 teams but against one particular team he's mentally defeated. This has been going on since he was a Canuck.

Or. Orrrr.

That team has two of the most talented offensive players in the world.

Also, just him? It’s just Markstrom? Alright.

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by Scroopy Noopers

Or. Orrrr.

That team has two of the most talented offensive players in the world.

Also, just him? It’s just Markstrom? Alright.

Yeah, if you look at the team in front of him, they play different against the Oilers. Maybe it gets Markstrom rattled, but the kinds of chances the Oilers are being given just aren’t remotely the same as the types of chances Dallas, for example, was being given.

I’m not sure if it’s the style of game that’s wrong, but I think our defence gets exposed by the Oilers’ speed. Guys like Zadorov, Gudbranson, and Stone aren’t quick enough. Guys like Hanifin and Kylington aren’t defensively sharp enough. We basically have two defence men who can handle their assignments against a team that plays all out rush and one of them is hurt.

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

Markstrom hasn't been Markstromesque and aside from the third goal, Smith hasn't been very Smithy. Markstrom hasn't been bad, but he was great in the first round and so far he's been just "fine" in these losses. I still don't blame him (especially not for Game 3 when they kept leaving Kane all alone in front) but at some point he does have to just take over a game and win it himself.

[DeluxeMoustache]

^ Smith and Markstrom have pretty much identical .912 sv% and 2.69/2.70 GAA over their careers, which is over a significant body of work

To be quite honest, there is a case to be made that out of the two, Smith is the better puck stopper

We are all familiar with Smith’s numerous gaffes. One could argue his stats would only be better if he didn’t contribute to so many goals against

[Steve Bozek]

Originally Posted by CliffFletcher

We had the same issue with Lemelin.

And even after the Flames let him go, the Oilers retained their hex on him. When the Bruins played the Oilers in the Stanley Cup finals in 1990, I recall one pundit saying “It’s over” when the Bruins put Lemelin in. He was right.

[Flamesfan05]

The Flames were screwed the moment the Oilers realized they can feast on him. It happened in the middle of game 1.

With solid goaltending series could have been 3-1 Flames

If I remember correctly., Markstrom needed a shrink to get his career on track. He needs one now.

[Manhattanboy]

Feel bad for him. What the heck happened between Rounds 1 and 2?

His fall has been spectacular.

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by Manhattanboy

Feel bad for him. What the heck happened between Rounds 1 and 2?

His fall has been spectacular.

Same thing that happened to the entire team.

[Skaloper]

Originally Posted by PepsiFree

Same thing that happened to the entire team.

Tanev injury. It sucks but we just don't realize how much we rely on him to shut down other teams top players. Markstrom I have always found to not necessarily be the guy to steal a game but he almost always keeps your team in it.

Even with Tanev not at 100% it was night and day last night in shutting down the oilers top line.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by Scroopy Noopers

Or. Orrrr.

That team has two of the most talented offensive players in the world.

Also, just him? It’s just Markstrom? Alright.

I didn't say that did I? Some of you are having a difficult time handling the situation here and want to vent but don't put that on other posters. I have not once said that it's just Markstrom so please don't put words in my mouth.

The stats don't lie. He just isn't the same goaltender against the Oilers. I have no idea why but it is what it is. If the lose the series it will be a team effort with plenty of blame to go around but Markstrom has clearly not been part of the solution and in the playoffs it's extremely difficult to win a series when your goaltender is playing below expectations. Goaltending was supposed to be a Flames advantage in this series and it's not and it's part of the reason the team is down 1-3, facing elimination.

[CroCop]

Markstroms performance or lack of against our most hated rivals in a series we’ve long waited for is frankly unforgivable to me. Thanks for the good times in the regular season but this is where you stamp your legacy and it was an epic fail. 4 more years at 6 mill… yikes.

[Jiri Hrdina]

4 more years at 6M won't be an issue. Teams would line up to get a legitimate proven #1 goalie at that rate.

Doesn't mean he hasn't played poorly this series. He has.
But it doesn't mean he's not a legit #1.

[Itse]

I don't understand why Vladar hasn't been given a chance already. The evidence is now 13 regular season games and 4 playff games, Markström can't handle the BoA.

[PuckSlap]

Originally Posted by CroCop

Markstroms performance or lack of against our most hated rivals in a series we’ve long waited for is frankly unforgivable to me. Thanks for the good times in the regular season but this is where you stamp your legacy and it was an epic fail. 4 more years at 6 mill… yikes.

This is how I feel, and there is nothing wrong with that.

When we needed him the most, and I don’t mean getting past the second round, I mean beating the ####ing oilers, he hasn’t done his job.

I hate the fact that so many people are willing to accept that.

[Flamesfan05]

It’s an issue if your #1 can’t come close to beating your biggest rival

[Shazam]

It's a tradeable contract.

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

I didn't say that did I? Some of you are having a difficult time handling the situation here and want to vent but don't put that on other posters. I have not once said that it's just Markstrom so please don't put words in my mouth.

The stats don't lie. He just isn't the same goaltender against the Oilers. I have no idea why but it is what it is. If the lose the series it will be a team effort with plenty of blame to go around but Markstrom has clearly not been part of the solution and in the playoffs it's extremely difficult to win a series when your goaltender is playing below expectations. Goaltending was supposed to be a Flames advantage in this series and it's not and it's part of the reason the team is down 1-3, facing elimination.

“Let me psychoanalyse the people responding to me, but please, don’t you dare put words in my mouth.” You at least half to laugh at that

I think the point is that looking at what has gone wrong goes well beyond Markstrom being “mentally defeated” or unable to play against the Oilers. I’m not even sure those two things are true at all. But they’re easy excuses, for sure.

Game 1, Markstrom was straight up bad. The rest of the time he’s been anywhere from good enough to keep us in it to great, usually period to period. So what’s actually happening? Tanev is obviously a big loss, but the last half of game 2 and game 3 the entire team absolutely stunk. We’re facing a team where the best D is Darnell Nurse and their goaltender is Mike Smith, and we only mustered a single goal in game 3.

Like we’re literally facing a team where the goons run into each other and the goaltender let’s in a shot from OUR end, and our top line has done nothing. We’re facing McDavid the equivalent of the three stooges of the NHL, and we can’t close out a game. We’re giving up grade A chances, countless two-on-ones every game, and letting guys like Nugent-Hopkins outmuscle us in the crease.

The types of golden opportunities Dallas got 2-4 times a game, the Oilers are getting 10-15 a game. Sure, the stats don’t lie, but we’re all watching the game. We can put our head in the sand and say “oh if it weren’t for this one player’s performance it would be a different story” but I think that’s lazy. Markstrom let us down in game 1 but the rest of the team picked up the slack. They’ve responded by hanging him out to dry and playing scared.

If the Flames need an out of this world goaltending performance to get past the Oilers, they don’t deserve to get past them.

[KootenayFlamesFan]

Besides the first (terrible) goal last night, he was fine, even good in the last 40 minutes.

His worst game was Game 1. If he plays like he did the last 2 periods last night I'll be way more concerned with what the rest of the team is doing to win.

[Itse]

Originally Posted by Flamesfan05

It’s an issue if your #1 can’t come close to beating your biggest rival

It wouldn't be such a huge issue if the coaching staff wouldn't refuse to even try the other goalie against the Oilers.

[Jiri Hrdina]

Originally Posted by Flamesfan05

It’s an issue if your #1 can’t come close to beating your biggest rival

The rival that you've faced once in the last 30 years in the playoffs.
You can't toss away Markstrom on that basis.