I strongly believe that the last game was an outlier. Lackluster start results in being down early and often. 4-1 loss.
To me I don't think it was an outlier, I think that was largely what the Flames have been all season.
- Goaltending was outstanding.
- 1 even strength goal
- 2 PP goals
- Work ethic was there
- We gave up lots of quality chances that Toronto just didn't execute on
- We won against their 3rd string goalie
It just so happened that Rittich stood on his head, and that Toronto missed a LOT of shots. Toronto doesn't go 0 for 7 on the PP most nights.
I think the win on Monday was largely due to the randomness of hockey. Yes, we were opportunistic, but the better team also did not execute in the offensive zone to their level.
We'll see what happens tonight.
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Prior to the last game, I was thinking the best we could hope for is a split in this series v Toronto and them make up some ground against Ottawa, so I'll be thrilled if they get at least a point out of this game tonight.
An OTL (or better) would be 3 of 4 points against the division leader which is not too bad.
To me I don't think it was an outlier, I think that was largely what the Flames have been all season.
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Fully agree here. I seriously don't think there was that much different between the 7-1 Edmonton game and the 3-0 Toronto game. The big difference was how effective the opposition was at capitalizing on chances and how well our goalie played. The rest of it seemed actually remarkably similar to me.
This is the Flames this year. A .500 type team that will have some ups and downs, with a decent portion of results based on how well the other team plays.
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To me I don't think it was an outlier, I think that was largely what the Flames have been all season.
- Goaltending was outstanding.
- 1 even strength goal
- 2 PP goals
- Work ethic was there
- We gave up lots of quality chances that Toronto just didn't execute on
- We won against their 3rd string goalie
It just so happened that Rittich stood on his head, and that Toronto missed a LOT of shots. Toronto doesn't go 0 for 7 on the PP most nights.
I think the win on Monday was largely due to the randomness of hockey. Yes, we were opportunistic, but the better team also did not execute in the offensive zone to their level.
We'll see what happens tonight.
100% agreed. The Leafs were without:
- top 2 goalies
- a top 4 defenseman
- 2 top 6 forwards
- a bottom 6 forward
And still could've easily come away with the W if not for Rittich. The Flames were fantastic on the PK and opportunistic on the PP, but Rittich had to bail them out countless times on shorthanded opportunities early in the 2nd period and overall at 5v5, the Leafs completely controlled play despite being very shorthanded (Flames were only missing their starting goalie and a bottom 6 forward).
Yes, the Flames shutout the best team in the Division, but overall, that wasn't a performance that should excite fans and all of a sudden make them confident in the team.
Now, if the Flames can somehow come out today and put together an excellent performance where they control play and don't rely too much on Rittich, great.
I want to see CGY build on the win and play with swagger throughout the game. Use the entire ice for breakouts and in the offensive zone. Use their abilities and skate. When they skate they will flow and get into the zone.
Be disciplined and be better on PP. Movement. Attack the middle. Crisp passing.
Defend fast and kill plays early. Don't worry about anything, let it go have fun and get in the zone.
The Flames probably played a better game in a lot of areas in the 7-1 loss to the Oilers than they did against the Leafs, but they got the goaltending and the bounces, and a superstar didn't go off on an epic night.
The 7-1 loss featured the Flames
Highest shot attempts on the season
Highest shots on the season
2nd Highest expected goals for 5 on 5
Highest scoring chances / 60
Highest high danger / 60
Highest CF%
Highest shot split
4th highest xGF split
3rd highest HD split
Worst PDO
Worst SV%
They lost 7-1.
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I was only kinda half watching, was Brodie noticeable last game?
I noticed him when he bumped Tkachuk after the whistle in front of the Leafs net. Tkachuk quickly got up, turned around... and did nothing. Almost as if he was getting amped up to scrum it up only to see Brodie. Had the look of "Aw it's Brodes"
Regarding tonight's game. May the new curse of Davids continue to strike fear in the TML
Go Flams
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The Flames probably played a better game in a lot of areas in the 7-1 loss to the Oilers than they did against the Leafs, but they got the goaltending and the bounces, and a superstar didn't go off on an epic night.
The 7-1 loss featured the Flames
Highest shot attempts on the season
Highest shots on the season
2nd Highest expected goals for 5 on 5
Highest scoring chances / 60
Highest high danger / 60
Highest CF%
Highest shot split
4th highest xGF split
3rd highest HD split
Worst PDO
Worst SV%
They lost 7-1.
Yup, I've given up trying to understand hockey.
Felt like there were forces at play on Monday given how great Rittich was but how poor Toronto's finish was at the same time. Second shutout in two years in that rink kind of anomaly. That said, credit where it is due as the Flames also played well overall, particularly in the 1st.
I think the Oilers are vastly overachieving of late with high conversion rates against the grain of the game just like they did last season until those last few weeks before hiatus and then were exposed at the most important time when they had to execute a strong team game.
It's weird when one player's efforts affect the outcome so significantly. The rest of what happens gets lost and buried.
It's criminal that they ever let a game changer like Connor get into the clutches of the team that should've been at the back of the line for generational offensive talents.
I was only kinda half watching, was Brodie noticeable last game?
I’ve watched more than my usual amount of Leafs games this year and it’s struck me that he’s been fairly dependable but not exciting or noticeable. Kind of reverse of here where he was more flashy with skating and passing but his mistakes often were also noticeable ones.
