[GDT] Flames vs Panthers, 7:00 PM, MST. Sportsnet West, Fan 960

[Puppet Guy]

Gametime once more. Our Flames host the boys from Florida. Will the Flames rediscover the scoring touch? Will Micheal Ferland return to the ice? Will Jaromir Jagr age Dorian Gray-style before our eyes? Will the Travelling Jagrs show up? Tune in to find out!

Barnum and Bailey may have given in and closed their show, but Our Hero is still up for a, *ahem*, "kick at the cat":

(with apologies to Cali)

Spoiler!

Go Flames

[Since1984]

Thanks for the GDT Puppet Guy, but I miss the days of HD's GDTs.

[TheScorpion]

Last year's Panthers game was the greatest experience I've ever had at the Saddledome. Time for a "cool story, bro" (which I told on here in a different thread like a week ago, but why not post it again, it's relevant):


So, last season, my father and I had the opportunity to go to a Flames game in January. The Flames weren't very good, and Bennett wasn't having all that productive a season. However, I never pass up a chance to go to the Dome, so when it was offered, I jumped at the chance to see Jagr and a pretty good Panthers team.

Not before running into the Travelling Jagrs (one of whom I'm pretty sure my brother-in-law knows, but that's another story), my father and I began to browse around FanAttic. I'd gotten my David Jones jersey at the previous Christmas, but I'd lost all of my other Flames memorabilia in the flood and so I wanted a jersey. However, Christmas had passed, and while I was happy with the gifts I received, no Flames uniform came. Ah well.

Off-hand, I begin looking around FanAttic for items which I could afford. I set my eyes upon two things: a Sam Bennett 93 jersey (script alternate), and a matching hat with the script logo adorned upon it. I look across the store to my dad, who is browsing the Joe Colborne and Kris Russell jerseys, and I ask of him, "hey dad, will you get me this hat?"

He says no, and that I should pay for the things I want (he's right), but said that if I made him a bet, he might consider it. So, I told him that if Johnny Gaudreau scored two goals in that game, he'd have to get me the hat.

"And?" he said. "Well," I started, thinking hard, "if he doesn't, I'll buy you a malt."

"Ok," he said. I nodded, and my eyes fell upon the Bennett jersey. Thinking wildly, I then blurted out something completely ridiculous.

"Oh, and dad?" I said, possibly slightly too loud, "If Bennett gets four tonight, you've got to get me his jersey."

His eyes widened. "That probably won't happen, but ok."

So, we headed up to our seats. They were pretty nice seats, if I recall correctly -- low in the second balcony. The game started soon after.

The opponent: the Florida Panthers.

Bennett had three by the end of the first. He still had three at the end of the second. The Flames were crushing the Panthers (even Mason Raymond scored), but Bennett's goal-scoring barrage seemed to have ended.

Finally, as the minutes ticked down in the third period, my dad turned to me and said, "empty-netters don't count."

Dang. That's what I had been hoping for. And with under a minute left, the Panthers began advancing it out of their own zone. Bennett was on the ice, but he was far behind the play.

And then Jiri Hudler stopped the puck at the blueline. He fed Bennett, who made some kind of move before unleashing an unbelievable backhander past the Panthers' goaltender. I had won the bet.

As we were leaving the Saddledome, I wouldn't stop talking about how lucky I was, how wrong my dad was, et cetera. And then, just as we were about to exit the arena, he stopped me in my tracks.

"How about that malt?"

[Gaskal]

Since there's only two Panthers Flames games all year, I'm hoping Cali busts out a big fat juicy in-depth analysis.

[Lil Pedro]

Do not pull a "New Jersey" tonight; we need these points

[CaptainCrunch]

To me with Edmonton up on us by 6 points and San Jose its starting to get to the point where the rubber meets the road and this team has to start winning.

Also last week wasn't a great week and they need to bounce back.

Its win or GTFO time.

[Toonage]

Standing pat and hoping everyone else around you loses isn't a good strategy, and thats pretty much what this team has done the past week. Win the games you're supposed to win. If you're good enough, it gets done. Goes without saying, this is a very important stretch of games here.

That being said, the play vs. Edmonton on Saturday is something to build on so here's hoping they bring that effort.

[Huntingwhale]

TIL the Travelleing Jagrs are from Calgary. Can't believe I didn't know this

http://www.calgarysun.com/2017/01/16...avelling-jagrs

[Otto-matic]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

To me with Edmonton up on us by 6 points and San Jose its starting to get to the point where the rubber meets the road and this team has to start winning.

Also last week wasn't a great week and they need to bounce back.

Its win or GTFO time.

Agree,

Its really crunch time for the flames, they need to start racking up consistent 2 pts and not this win one lose one garbage. A bunch of teams chasing the Flames are within 2-4 points and could easily be out of a playoff spot come the weekend.

[Huntingwhale]

At the very least we should at least be getting some of the losers points. Edmonton and Anaheim are racking them up and it's giving them a boost in the standings.

[Gaskal]

This next 10-game segment is extremely crucial - at the end of it, we have our BYE week so it gives everyone in the race a chance to use up their games in hand. And the trade deadline happens 2 weeks after that.

[Cali Panthers Fan]

Originally Posted by Gaskal

Since there's only two Panthers Flames games all year, I'm hoping Cali busts out a big fat juicy in-depth analysis.

I was originally going to keep this brief, but I just kept writing...

The Panthers have struggled to score all year long, ranked 25th in the NHL behind the offensively challenged Vancouver Canucks. It's been ugly, and it hasn't helped that Jonathan Huberdeau has missed the entire season to date with a skate laceration to his achilles. He won't play a game until early March. That's a major blow to any team's offense. Nick Bjugstad, the team's leading scorer from 2 seasons ago, has missed a lot of time on two different injuries this year, this first being 18 games. He's managed just 2 points in 21 games and is has missed the past 5 games again. Aleksander Barkov is now out of the lineup, leaving a hole not only offensively (27 pts. in 36 games after a slow start), but especially defensively. Barkov does it all. Top line shutdown center, offensive playmaker, power play, penalty kill. He's been sorely missed in the last 9 games, and there's still no timetable for his return. Alex Petrovic isn't a top player for the Panthers, but his presence has been sorely missed for the last 29 games. He hits, he can score a little, and he's a strong presence on the 3rd pairing who can play on the 2nd pairing in a pinch.

The team's top scorer is Vincent Trocheck, with 29 points in 45 games. Not bad for a second line center, but he's out of his depth as the team's top line center at the moment. He's good defensively when matched up against secondary opposition players, but he's not strong enough or capable enough to handle top line assignments defensively. After Jonathan Marchessault's red hot start to the year where he put up 20 points in 20 games, he's cooled off significantly after he missed 7 games due to injury. After being rejuvenated by Huberdeau and Barkov last season, Jaromir Jagr has started to show his age again. He can still create down low, but he doesn't have the line mates to put up regular points. He's still dangerous most nights if you give him time and space. Reilly Smith has taken a big step backward after an excellent year and has 18 points in 43 games. not terrible, but he's been largely invisible most nights when he was a difference maker on both sides of the puck last year. Jussi Jokinen has also disappointed, scoring just 11 points in his 37 games after a big year last year, partly due to a 9 game injury that kept him out of the lineup early in the season. The worst has been Aaron Ekblad, who has stumbled this year after 2 excellent campaigns to start his NHL career. It's possibly because he no longer has the savvy Brian Campbell as his partner and has to deal with Keith Yandle's ill-timed offensive forays, but Ekblad has struggled on both sides of the puck, scoring just 12 points (albeit he has 7 goals) and sporting a team worst -16. He's still a great player, but like this team, has struggled to put together any consistent play.

All those players (besides Marchessault) were on the team last year, and there were a lot of new additions, with a mixed bag of results. The best has been the previously mentioned Marchessault, but Keith Yandle has provided good value for his contract. Not nearly as defensively suspect as I have seen from him in the past, although he does have his moments where you scratch your head. Still, he leads the defense in points with 22 points in 45 games and has been the leader on the back end. Michael Matheson has moved seamlessly into the 2nd pairing. The rookie had just 3 regular season games last year after his college career ended, but he was so good that he earned a regular spot in the lineup in the playoffs and hasn't missed a beat since. He's got some offensive skills and reads the play very well for a rookie. He's a player to watch tonight if you've never seen him before. Jason Demers has also been very good on the 2nd pairing after coming over in free agency. He has a career high in goals with 8 and has been very solid defensively. Mark Pysyk has stabilized the bottom pairing with physical play and smart puck moving abilities. Jared McCann has been a massive disappointment so far, providing neither offense nor defense, and looking like a borderline NHLer in the process. Colton Sceviour has provided good energy in a bottom line role, but due to injuries, he's regularly higher in the lineup than his abilities. The team has tried to find offense in several borderline players (Denis Malgin, Kyle Rau, Seth Griffith, Michael Sgarbossa) with little to no results.

The tandem of Roberto Luongo and James Reimer have done solid to good work again this year. Luongo still gets the majority of the starts, but he's kept fresh due to Reimer taking regular games. Both goalies have decent to good GAAs and Sv%s.

Really the failure of this team seems to be in systems play. After a tough start to the year with so many key injuries, the Panthers were still in the hunt for a playoff spot. Then the much publicized firing of Gallant happens, and Rowe moves behind the bench. Since then, the focused defensive play that Gallant instilled has been very spotty, and the offensive system seems nonexistent. Firing Gallant was the worst thing this franchise has done in a long time and it's reflected in the standings.

Still, the Panthers give an honest effort every single night and they'll outwork you if you're not ready to play. Skill-wise, the team has missed some difference makers in the lineup, with some other players having very down years. Defensively, they're still good most nights, and they make it hard for the opposition to score. The team is quite small overall, so they can be pushed around at times. The PP is pretty terrible, mostly due to the lack of skill players, but the penalty kill is excellent, top 5 in the NHL.

I'm not going to lie, it's been a chore watching their games this year. They just seem to be missing something and they often lose close games because of it. They aren't a pushover by any means, but this is a very winnable game for the Flames.

[Otto-matic]

Chad Johnson is first goaltender off the ice at #Flames optional morning skate...it looks like he'll start vs. #Panthers tonight. #FLAvsCGY

Hmm not a fan of that move, Elliott deserves the start after his game in Edmonton.

[atb]

Jagr and Keith Tkachuk were drafted in the same year. He played a rookie Keith and now a rookie Matthew, crazy.

[sureLoss]

Pat Steinberg @Fan960Steinberg
Ferland says he's a game time decision tonight. #Flames

[MrMastodonFarm]

Originally Posted by TheScorpion

Last year's Panthers game was the greatest experience I've ever had at the Saddledome. Time for a "cool story, bro" (which I told on here in a different thread like a week ago, but why not post it again, it's relevant):


So, last season, my father and I had the opportunity to go to a Flames game in January. The Flames weren't very good, and Bennett wasn't having all that productive a season. However, I never pass up a chance to go to the Dome, so when it was offered, I jumped at the chance to see Jagr and a pretty good Panthers team.

Not before running into the Travelling Jagrs (one of whom I'm pretty sure my brother-in-law knows, but that's another story), my father and I began to browse around FanAttic. I'd gotten my David Jones jersey at the previous Christmas, but I'd lost all of my other Flames memorabilia in the flood and so I wanted a jersey. However, Christmas had passed, and while I was happy with the gifts I received, no Flames uniform came. Ah well.

Off-hand, I begin looking around FanAttic for items which I could afford. I set my eyes upon two things: a Sam Bennett 93 jersey (script alternate), and a matching hat with the script logo adorned upon it. I look across the store to my dad, who is browsing the Joe Colborne and Kris Russell jerseys, and I ask of him, "hey dad, will you get me this hat?"

He says no, and that I should pay for the things I want (he's right), but said that if I made him a bet, he might consider it. So, I told him that if Johnny Gaudreau scored two goals in that game, he'd have to get me the hat.

"And?" he said. "Well," I started, thinking hard, "if he doesn't, I'll buy you a malt."

"Ok," he said. I nodded, and my eyes fell upon the Bennett jersey. Thinking wildly, I then blurted out something completely ridiculous.

"Oh, and dad?" I said, possibly slightly too loud, "If Bennett gets four tonight, you've got to get me his jersey."

His eyes widened. "That probably won't happen, but ok."

So, we headed up to our seats. They were pretty nice seats, if I recall correctly -- low in the second balcony. The game started soon after.

The opponent: the Florida Panthers.

Bennett had three by the end of the first. He still had three at the end of the second. The Flames were crushing the Panthers (even Mason Raymond scored), but Bennett's goal-scoring barrage seemed to have ended.

Finally, as the minutes ticked down in the third period, my dad turned to me and said, "empty-netters don't count."

Dang. That's what I had been hoping for. And with under a minute left, the Panthers began advancing it out of their own zone. Bennett was on the ice, but he was far behind the play.

And then Jiri Hudler stopped the puck at the blueline. He fed Bennett, who made some kind of move before unleashing an unbelievable backhander past the Panthers' goaltender. I had won the bet.

As we were leaving the Saddledome, I wouldn't stop talking about how lucky I was, how wrong my dad was, et cetera. And then, just as we were about to exit the arena, he stopped me in my tracks.

"How about that malt?"

Needed more Dave and Morley there, Stuart.

[442scotty]

Personally I don't think the flames have a good enough team to make the playoffs especially the way they have been playing lately. I'd like to see them bring up a couple of AHL guys at a time and see what they can do... Poirier and Prybl for starters. The current lineup just doesn't cut it especially if Chiasson is on the supposed first line. I feel bad for Gaudreau and its no wonder he's trying to do it all himself

[Racki]

I don't know what it is about this years version of our Calgary Flames. I just feel so apathetic about this team. I used to have an excited feeling on game day regardless of who we were playing. This year I have no passion to watch whatsoever. Maybe it's just that stage of the rebuild? Maybe it's the style of game we're playing?

We are the very definition of a mediocre team. Give me the cardiac kids from two years ago or the pesky underdogs from three years ago over these guys any day.

[Gaskal]

Originally Posted by Racki

We are the very definition of a mediocre team. Give me the cardiac kids from two years ago or the pesky underdogs from three years ago over these guys any day.

You want rope-and-dope hockey with little to no semblance of a defensive system, or a whole crapload of 1-goal games into a bottom 10 finish?

[TheScorpion]

Originally Posted by MrMastodonFarm

Needed more Dave and Morley there, Stuart.

That's quite the compliment, to me at least. Thanks