[PGT] Slumping Flames owned by Lightning, 6-3 (L)

[dino7c]

I'm sure the Caps got blown out a few times last season...they are probably happy they didn't throw in the towel and say "that team is too good, let's quit"

Tampa is a great team, a lot can happen between now and June though. How often does the top team in the regular season win the cup?

Flames weren't at their best last night...they can be
a lot better. Obviously don't sell the farm for a rental but if you can improve the team for now and the future you do it.

[Psytic]

Good hopefully this reality check tempered some peoples expectations that wanted to go all in on a rental. We aren't there yet, lets keep building. We can be consistently good for the next 3 to 4 years, this isn't the year.

[Fan in Exile]

I think the Flames are contenders and don't draw any conclusions from one game. The thing is that "all in" almost never works. When did the Capitals finally win? When they went all in on Marty Erat? Kevin Shattenkirk? No. It was the year they stood pat and flew underneath the radar.

Even the biggest moves usually fall flat. Sure, some times they make sense and you get a piece that helps your team down the road but usually not because you are overpaying and risk upsetting team chemistry.

Treliving should be looking at opportunities to make the team stronger but making more and bigger moves at the trade deadline is usually not the right move even for the current season, let alone the future.

[Hot_Flatus]

There's no reason to panic right now. Every team is going to hit a couple of rough patches throughout 82 games. If the team can turn this blip into a modest week or two of .500 hockey, they should be in a good spot to make the final month of the season count by finishing strong.

I would like to see Valimaki back up here as I still feel he has the most to offer out of the three young guys. That in itself could be the shot in the arm the team needs to get back to the elite play we've seen most of the year.

[Erick Estrada]

If you don't think the Flames are good enough to win the cup as-is and want to trade more 1st round picks for rentals then how do you expect them to be good enough next year with the same roster minus the rental with no blue chip prospects in the pipeline for years because you keep trading all your 1st and 2nd rounders? Makes no sense really unless you are a veteran team in win-now mode to which the Flames are not.

IMO the GM made his own bed with this goaltending duo and they have to ride it out as-is this season. I don't want to see a 1st and prospects moved out to rent a guy like Stone when goaltending is probably going to do this team in anyway.

[Wolfman]

Originally Posted by Hot_Flatus

There's no reason to panic right now. Every team is going to hit a couple of rough patches throughout 82 games. If the team can turn this blip into a modest week or two of .500 hockey, they should be in a good spot to make the final month of the season count by finishing strong.

I would like to see Valimaki back up here as I still feel he has the most to offer out of the three young guys. That in itself could be the shot in the arm the team needs to get back to the elite play we've seen most of the year.

Who do you suppose comes out of the lineup for Valimaki?

[GranteedEV]

Originally Posted by Huntingwhale

As much as the Flames didn't play well, it was much more a case of TB putting on a clinic, all cylinders firing.

This actually reminds me of a game Calgary played against Tampa a few years ago, the year after Tampa had just made the SCF:



That was actually a clinic in Flames Hockey

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by Flash Walken

What a bunch of cowards in this thread.

What?!

[Hot_Flatus]

Originally Posted by Wolfman

Who do you suppose comes out of the lineup for Valimaki?

Probably the same guy that came in to replace him when he got hurt? Peters has done this ad nausea with forwards like Dube and Mangiapane all year so I can't see him being opposed to it from a player perspective. There's also little to be lost and much to be gained in making a move, when by all accounts Valimaki is excelling in Stockton and offers a blue chip skill set.

A team gearing up for the playoffs cannot have enough NHL experienced defenders either. Finding more playing time for a young stud like Valimaki is a no-brainer.

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

Boy it doesn't take much of a losing streak to tumble in the standings. Jets also passed the Flames tonight.

Originally Posted by dino7c

A bit dramatic, they are one point back with a game in hand

Umm, the tumbling part is not that we're one point back it's that we started this slide SIX points up on San Jose.

[Doctorfever]

Originally Posted by Huntingwhale

Best part was Donald McDonald winning the score and win contest.

Please be on CP. What a man.

I heard Connor's parents contemplated naming him David.

[Robbob]

Originally Posted by jayswin

Umm, the tumbling part is not that we're one point back it's that we started this slide SIX points up on San Jose.

And SJ is on a 7 game winning streak. Just like our streak, theirs will more than likely end.

I find fandom so amusing how different sample sets are used. For Rittich his entire season is used to prop up he will turn things around. The team, a small 3 or 4 game sample is taken, instead of the entire season to date, to show how dire things are.

The NHL season is a marathon with many peaks and valleys along the way. Right now SJ is zigging while we are zagging. If in 10 games they are still winning all their games than they deserve the first seed.

[IliketoPuck]

People also need to put into context the difficulty of the current schedule, with the amount of travel, and the nature of the opponents.

Looking forwards, the Flames have a pretty nice schedule to end the year. This is a great time for them to have a gut check, get the ship righted, and hit the playoffs firing on all cylinders.

[Winsor_Pilates]

Originally Posted by dino7c

I'm sure the Caps got blown out a few times last season...they are probably happy they didn't throw in the towel and say "that team is too good, let's quit"

Tampa is a great team, a lot can happen between now and June though. How often does the top team in the regular season win the cup?

Flames weren't at their best last night...they can be
a lot better. Obviously don't sell the farm for a rental but if you can improve the team for now and the future you do it.

Only once in the last 10 seasons to be exact. And 8/32 seasons since the President's Trophy started.

Strange how people are acting like Tampa already has the cup locked up. Also strange how people are looking to the finals like Calgary has the West locked up.

[Stanley]

post-break Gaudreau is a turnover machine!!
I mean, he turned it over before but now it's like almost every shift!

Clean it up!

[PeteMoss]

As per the Athletic - the Flames have the easiest schedule in the league from here on out.

26 games left and 13 are against: NYR, LAK x2, OTT x2, ARI x2, ANA x3, NJD x2, EDM

Breathe.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by PeteMoss

As per the Athletic - the Flames have the easiest schedule in the league from here on out.

26 games left and 13 are against: NYR, LAK x2, OTT x2, ARI x2, ANA x3, NJD x2, EDM

Breathe.

Nice. I looked at the sched a couple weeks ago and I knew this last patch was going to be tough. They still have Pittburgh on this trip and a couple games against the Isles coming up soon. But, yeah, it's easier.

In March they have a few circled games - two against LV, one against the Jets and the Sharks. They also have the Leafs (but at home) and Dallas, who seems to give them trouble).

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

Nice. I looked at the sched a couple weeks ago and I knew this last patch was going to be tough. They still have Pittburgh on this trip and a couple games against the Isles coming up soon. But, yeah, it's easier.

In March they have a few circled games - two against LV, one against the Jets and the Sharks. They also have the Leafs (but at home) and Dallas, who seems to give them trouble).

What is it with Dallas? I recall that being a very frustrating game that the Flames just seemed destined to lose.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Textcritic

What is it with Dallas? I recall that being a very frustrating game that the Flames just seemed destined to lose.

It has a lot to do with Benn. He's a Flame killer.

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by jayswin

Umm, the tumbling part is not that we're one point back it's that we started this slide SIX points up on San Jose.

Don't make me post the definition of tumbling again... tumbling down the standings would suggest many teams passed them.