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

[CaptainYooh]

Herald article on Traveling Jagrs. Funny stuff...

http://calgaryherald.com/sports/hock...et-will-travel

[madmike]

I want to say the Flames should win this one, but I don't think the Panthers are as bad as their record and the Flames haven't exactly looked great lately (aside from the goaltending which has been solid).

EDIT: Jut realized their record is almost the same as the Flames. Given that the Panthers are considered a pretty big disappointment this year, I'm not sure what that says about the Flames.

[Racki]

Originally Posted by Gaskal

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?

I've been bored to tears 65% of the time this year. If the net result of that is narrowly missing the playoffs and getting the worst draft pick of all the non playoff teams then ya, gimme rope a dope, no defence and a top 10 pick

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Racki

I've been bored to tears 65% of the time this year. If the net result of that is narrowly missing the playoffs and getting the worst draft pick of all the non playoff teams then ya, gimme rope a dope, no defence and a top 10 pick

And if they get in?

[bubbsy]

Outside the offensive explosion week where the flames scored 8 on the ducks and 6 on the jets, they have played 15 games. In those 15 games, they have scored 3 or more goals in 7 games.

however, if we ignore the 4 games played against the avs/yotes, in which they scored 3+, that leaves only 3 games over that time (11 other games) that they have scored 3 or more.

This team is having trouble scoring. We need the monahan and bennet lines to start producing, it's really as simple as that. Defensively and goaltending wise the team seems to be doing fine.

please win tonight....

[Toonage]

Originally Posted by bubbsy

This team is having trouble scoring. We need the monahan and bennet lines to start producing, it's really as simple as that. Defensively and goaltending wise the team seems to be doing fine.

Monahan is the only one that is scoring.

[fire_starter]

It feels like Johnny hasn't scored in forever.

I miss that

[TheScorpion]

Originally Posted by bubbsy

Outside the offensive explosion week where the flames scored 8 on the ducks and 6 on the jets, they have played 15 games. In those 15 games, they have scored 3 or more goals in 7 games.

however, if we ignore the 4 games played against the avs/yotes, in which they scored 3+, that leaves only 3 games over that time (11 other games) that they have scored 3 or more.

This team is having trouble scoring. We need the monahan and bennet lines to start producing, it's really as simple as that. Defensively and goaltending wise the team seems to be doing fine.

please win tonight....

In other words...

"If we remove all the games where the Flames scored a lot of goals, it becomes clear that the Flames don't score a lot of goals."

[Racki]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

And if they get in?

I'll be just as excited as anybody else. I'm a fan, I love this team. I've just been frustrated more than past years this season for some reason. We've been so inconsistent, a hallmark of mediocre teams.

Take a look at last week for example. We go to Winnipeg and get shut out by a team that has been giving up goals at a ridiculous pace. We follow that up with a win against San Jose. Then comes an absolutely abysmal, listless performance against a New Jersey team that has no business beating us.

[Cleveland Steam Whistle]

Originally Posted by Racki

I'll be just as excited as anybody else. I'm a fan, I love this team. I've just been frustrated more than past years this season for some reason. We've been so inconsistent, a hallmark of mediocre teams.

Take a look at last week for example. We go to Winnipeg and get shut out by a team that has been giving up goals at a ridiculous pace. We follow that up with a win against San Jose. Then comes an absolutely abysmal, listless performance against a New Jersey team that has no business beating us.

Did you expect this team to be anything other than mediocre this year though? Any one who thought this team was going to do more than hopefully make the playoffs had their expectations set way to high. And given half the teams in this league make the playoffs, just making it would be the definition of a mediocre team.

Of course we are mediocre, almost all of our key players are 23 years of age or younger.

[Toonage]

I don't think it was outrageous at the start of the year to consider this a playoff team.

Added Brouwer & Elliott from a team that was just in the WCF. Our young core one year older. New coach.

[bubbsy]

Originally Posted by TheScorpion

In other words...

"If we remove all the games where the Flames scored a lot of goals, it becomes clear that the Flames don't score a lot of goals."

8 out of 11 games where they didn't play the 2 worst teams in the league indicate the team is struggling to score. Not sure what your point is? Ok, keep the avs/yotes numbers in, and feel better that the team is not having scoring issues if you want.

are you suggesting that the team has no issues scoring at the moment?

[Cleveland Steam Whistle]

Originally Posted by Toonage

I don't think it was outrageous at the start of the year to consider this a playoff team.

Added Brouwer & Elliott from a team that was just in the WCF. Our young core one year older. New coach.

Agreed, but did you see them as a playoff team, slam dunk, top of the division, or did you see them as one of the bottom teams to make it, Wild Card spot or 3rd seed in a weak division?

I'd say it would have been a stretch for anyone to see this team as one of the best in the West, so my point is, I'm fine with people expecting playoffs. But expecting playoffs as one of the bottom qualifiers in the west means you are very average to mediocre team. We shouldn't expect the consistency yet like you'd see from some of the true contenders.

[mikephoen]

Originally Posted by Racki

I'll be just as excited as anybody else. I'm a fan, I love this team. I've just been frustrated more than past years this season for some reason. We've been so inconsistent, a hallmark of mediocre teams.

Take a look at last week for example. We go to Winnipeg and get shut out by a team that has been giving up goals at a ridiculous pace. We follow that up with a win against San Jose. Then comes an absolutely abysmal, listless performance against a New Jersey team that has no business beating us.

While everyone else wants to tell you why you're wrong, I have to agree with you. The team is about where I expected (battling for a wildcard spot, or maybe the #3 spot in the Pacific), but somehow I'm just not enjoying the games that much. I can't quite put my finger on it either, but I'm definitely at a low ebb in my Flames fandom right now.

[madmike]

At least last year we could blame the lack of success on the goaltending.

This year the goaltending has been better (not perfect, but it almost never is), but the team still seems to be very mediocre with no obvious growth from Bennett, Monahan or Gaudreau. Tkachuk, Backlund, Frolik, Johnson and Hamilton have all been bright spots but the rest of the team leaves a lot to be desired.

[Robbob]

I think Bennett has seen some growth away from the puck. He is trusted to be out killing penalties which I would consider growth. The offense I think will catch eventually.

[fire_starter]

Originally Posted by madmike

At least last year we could blame the lack of success on the goaltending.

This year the goaltending has been better (not perfect, but it almost never is), but the team still seems to be very mediocre with no obvious growth from Bennett, Monahan or Gaudreau. Tkachuk, Backlund, Frolik, Johnson and Hamilton have all been bright spots but the rest of the team leaves a lot to be desired.

[kukkudo]

It's been an odd season, Flames sit in a playoff spot but for me it feels like the season has been a combination of boring and mediocre.

[Gaskal]

Originally Posted by kukkudo

It's been an odd season, Flames sit in a playoff spot but for me it feels like the season has been a combination of boring and mediocre.

I think Johnny being in a slump and being out for part of the season has more to do with it than people think. He's a big reason for sales tickets and TV ratings. So even that we're in a playoff spot right now and a lot of things are going alright for the whole team, a frustrated Johnny not playing like the Johnny we're used to watching takes a lot of the excitement out of the game.

[442scotty]

The flames need a couple (at least 1 !) more highly skilled forwards and I'm sure the players know it. The kind that can still look great even on off nights.