[PGT] Bruins win Shoot-out

[Flames Draft Watcher]

Originally Posted by Monahammer

Goaltending still a major question mark this season IMO

How would this game tell you anything about goaltending when neither of the goalies likely to start the season in Calgary played?

[Samonadreau]

Originally Posted by Fire in the disco

Anyone else’s PVR cut out with 10 min left in the third!? Liked what I saw from the boys aside from the first period collapse, the comeback was resilient and this team looks like they may have the spark they were missing last year, at least early on

mine was fine but i PVRd beyound the game JIC.

[bigrangy]

Originally Posted by Fire in the disco

Anyone else’s PVR cut out with 10 min left in the third!? Liked what I saw from the boys aside from the first period collapse, the comeback was resilient and this team looks like they may have the spark they were missing last year, at least early on

Mine tried to shut down and update itself but I was able to tell it not to, thankfully. I'm on Bell.

[SportsJunky]

Originally Posted by Fire in the disco

Anyone else’s PVR cut out with 10 min left in the third!?

Yup, mine did too. I'm PVRing the truncated 11:00 a.m. broadcast just to see the 5 on 3 goal close to the end.

[ST20]

Great game. I'm really impressed with Ryan and I feel like Lindholm game can translate up and down this line up. I'm also really impressed with Czarnik but it's a little tempered because I think his game translates well on bigger ice surfaces so I'd love to see if he and ryan can keep that chemsitry in an NHL sized rink.

Overall great game even if it was against Boston's back upstairs. There are so many new players it's good to see chemsitry already developing.

[DeluxeMoustache]

I rewound on Telus to catch the OT and shootout as I only put 30 extra min on the recording

Tkachuk’s shootout goal was a thing of beauty

Ryan looked pretty good. I loved him, but I’m not in love with him. Peters appears to be in love with him.

[wretched34]

Starting the day with a good Flames game is awesome.

Thought Czarnik, Ryan and Hanifin all looked great. Neal was as advertised, some hard nosed plays and always around the net.
It's so nice seeing Brodano reunited, so calm and collected together, and their transition game has to be among the best in the league.

After seeing how some of the new guys played, I wouldn't change much.
I liked Linholm on the top line, he's creative and adds a second shot.
Neal and Tkachuk together will drive the opposition mad.
I'd put Czarnik with Bennett and Janko though. Czarnik showed great speed and creative skill, this can let Bennett drive the net, and let Janko be a shooter.
Frolik-Ryan can be a solid defensive duo with offensive skill, would like to see Dube with them.

All in all, thought the majority of the team looked great, much faster, a lot more skill. Gonna be a fun season.

[442scotty]

Not sure how everyone else feels but I think the NHL needs to move to the larger ice size because the speed of the games today just makes it common sense

[Willi Plett]

Originally Posted by Fire in the disco

Anyone else’s PVR cut out with 10 min left in the third!? Liked what I saw from the boys aside from the first period collapse, the comeback was resilient and this team looks like they may have the spark they were missing last year, at least early on

Yes! I just figured this out. Good thing there is a replay

[---Hatrick---]

Originally Posted by Flames Draft Watcher

Willing to let him go? He was an UFA. They had no choice in the matter about him leaving unless he wanted to stay or they massively outbid every team for him.

All I’m saying is he looks like a player that Boston should have tried hard to sign. And maybe they did, who knows ?

[squirtle]

i dont agree with a few posters saying Bennett struggled. I thought Bennett was actually good. He made a few highlight plays and even though he didnt capitalize he could have easily been on board

[FireGilbert]

Damn that was fun. I’m really glad I went for the crazy experience and because it was a really good game.

The Flames looked much improved with greater skill and more balance. They also had far better breakouts and discipline. There are still some issues with turnovers and dealing with pressure which were concerning but I loved how the team kept going and hopefully over time these bad habits can be stopped.

Finally how about Mark freakin Giordano. What a player. Brodie looked good on the right side of the parking too.

[---Hatrick---]

Originally Posted by squirtle

i dont agree with a few posters saying Bennett struggled. I thought Bennett was actually good. He made a few highlight plays and even though he didnt capitalize he could have easily been on board

I’m with you man. I thought he had a couple pretty dangerous shifts. The only thing I can agree on with said posters is his lack of finish. Doesn’t seem to bury to many of his scoring chances. Maybe he’s gripping his stick to tight

[Strange Brew]

Originally Posted by ---Hatrick---

All I’m saying is he looks like a player that Boston should have tried hard to sign. And maybe they did, who knows ?

They do have some pretty good forward depth and he couldn’t seem to find success with them at the NHL level. No doubt he will get a whole lot more chances here so you can see why he bolted. I am very interested to find out if he can be an everyday NHLer. It would be just like a late round pick unexpectedly develop into something.

[---Hatrick---]

If Bennett could capitalize on even a third of his grade A chances that he’s missed on over his career, we’re probably not having these Bennett discussions

[AC]

Originally Posted by squirtle

i dont agree with a few posters saying Bennett struggled. I thought Bennett was actually good. He made a few highlight plays and even though he didnt capitalize he could have easily been on board

Yup, 2 Grade A chances generated out of nothing plays. It'll come together. Its similar to those who hated Byron for not scoring, despite getting 1 or 2 breakaways a game. Patience is going to pay off big time with Bennett.

[Ryan Coke]

Amazing to see in the first power play the setup with multiple one timer options. Completely opposite to the Gulatzan/Cameron philosophy.

Also looked like more aggressive activation of the D throughout the game.

Gillies doesn’t look ready to me. He needs to keep working on being technically sound, and Riittich last year looked much more solid most of the season. If what we saw from Gillies is the best we can expect from the backup position, then we need to look to bring someone else in. But I am hopeful we see Rittich separate himself.

Like everyone else, really liked that Czarnik-Ryan pairing. Chemistry gets over used, but it sure looked like they had it.

[GranteedEV]

Originally Posted by AC

Yup, 2 Grade A chances generated out of nothing plays. It'll come together. Its similar to those who hated Byron for not scoring, despite getting 1 or 2 breakaways a game. Patience is going to pay off big time with Bennett.

Also bizarre to be complaining about a lack of finish from one individual when the only Flame forward to score last night was Monahan, on the power play at that. Halak was dominant and stoned Lindholm, Ryan, Gaudreau, Neal, Tkachuk, Monahan at ES, etc

[Cali Panthers Fan]

Alright, I just finished watching the game. I think people assessed the individual players pretty well, but here are some specific thoughts of mine:

1) Speed and aggression. Where the Flames played slow and timid under Gulutzan, they are bold, aggressive, and quick under Peters. That did lead to a couple of odd-man rushes in the first, but that will get worked out with some practice. I LOVE this style of play. Very entertained by the game.

2) Austin Czarnik looks like he's another Marchesseault. Speedy, shifty, quick, good hands, excellent release. He's going to get quite of bit of PP time this year too and had great chemistry with Ryan one game in. Here's a bold prediction for you: Czarnik scores at least 20 goals and 40 points this year.

3) One goal leads to many in quick succession. This was the achilles heel for the Flames last year, ruining otherwise solid games. Peters needs to work on the mental approach ASAP before the season starts, because everyone fell apart (goalie included) in those few minutes in the first. Other than that, the team looked composed and able to compete with one of the better teams in the NHL.

4) Hanifin's defensive issues are vastly overstated. I saw one play where he was caught on a pinch, but other than that he's very solid in his own zone, and skates the puck out of trouble easily. Another Brodie, but a little better with size and a better shot. Hard to ask for more. I'm looking forward to watching him play this year.

5) Special teams looked good already. A far cry from last year obviously. I think the puck movement is crisp, there's creativity, and there's also clear strategy.

6) The team was ready to play on the first night of preseason. That's not the way it has been in years past, and then the team would stumble out of the gate. There was some rust on the execution of shots and fancy plays in tight, but the overall game was strong, including the compete level and work ethic. That should get the Flames off to a strong start on the season.

Combine the strong 5 on 5 game with good discipline and good special teams, and you only need a mediocre performance from the goalie to win a lot of games. I like the way this team is shaping up this year.

[kyuss275]

Originally Posted by AC

Yup, 2 Grade A chances generated out of nothing plays. It'll come together. Its similar to those who hated Byron for not scoring, despite getting 1 or 2 breakaways a game. Patience is going to pay off big time with Bennett.

I get the patience thing but I believe this is sink or swim year for Bennett on the flames. If he is regulated to bottom 6 , with limited PP time then I have no doubt that he asks for a trade . He is in tough considering the depth that the flames added in summer.