Except for the Zadorov incident in the third, that was a perfect game for Mr. Bennett
I actually liked him going after Zadorov. The penalty was BS, but even with the penalty it shows teams Calgary won't be pushed around. It's exactly the type of thing Bennett needs to be doing.
It's the holding and hooking he gets in the offensive zone that he needs to continue to cut down on.
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Elias Linholm is everything the Flames thought they were getting when they signed Backlund to his extension.
Strange comment. Lindholm has 1st line upside and Backlund has never had that. The Flames when they signed Backlund to his extension knew exactly what they had in Backlund. An excellent two-way centre with somewhat limited offensive upside. Not sure why people think Backlund’s contract means they expected something out of him that he’s not. He went for market value in a league where strong two way centres are worth a lot of money.
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Yeah, there were no expectations for Backlund beyond what he already is, not sure why anyone would think that. It was your classic "tough spot" contract extension.
Slightly aging, likely to start regressing soon, too good to let go and replace easily, so you sign him for past performance into non prime years because you kind of have to. It was never going to be a good contract and the GM wasn't saying "Okay, hopefully at these dollars he takes a step up".
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The two contracts that scare me the most on the Flames are Backlund's and Neal's, although it's way too early to anoint anything upon either of them. But when you're paying two guys on the wrong side of thirty a combined 11 million dollars for five years... regressions happen and I think this could go very wrong if either one takes any sort of sustained nosedive any time soon. (This isn't based on anything I've seen so far this season, but it's just a general condemnation of longer-term 30+ contracts.)
But those guys have been nothing if not reliable thus far in their careers, so I'm willing to bank on them as a fan.
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"This has been TheScorpion's shtick for years. All these hot takes, clickbait nonsense just to feed his social media algorithms." –Tuco
Flames were just on the wrong side of the momentum very early on, mostly from just some unlucky bounces. After the timeout I thought the Flames just started to build and eventually it was wave after wave which Colorado had no answer and they broke.
I think we have seen it in all the games, Flames coming in waves and even in the losses the other goalie stood on his head at times. Granted playing from behind isn't the best game plan, but knowing you are capable is good.
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Strange comment. Lindholm has 1st line upside and Backlund has never had that. The Flames when they signed Backlund to his extension knew exactly what they had in Backlund. An excellent two-way centre with somewhat limited offensive upside. Not sure why people think Backlund’s contract means they expected something out of him that he’s not. He went for market value in a league where strong two way centres are worth a lot of money.
Backlund was really good in the game as well.
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Unlucky for Brodie at the start of the game, he just didn't seem ready to go. I think he more than made up for it the rest of the game, he played well and like others mentioned stripped the puck in OT to get Monahan the puck. Great plays all around, I am loving the Brodie of 2018/19 so far.
Valimaki looks poised and strong out there for a rookie on d. We have a future top pairing guy with him, his future is so bright. He brings it all. I hope he finds a way to bring some toughness too as I am sure he will still fill out over the next few years. I liked what I saw tonight, nothing too flashy or cringe worthy.
Bennett was flying. I loved the line of Bennett - Backs - Neal. Please keep that line rolling. I think Peters kind of had Lindholm rolling on whatever line he needed him on to give them some energy.
Does anyone have video of the hits Bennett threw last night? I missed the one that people have mentioned that swung the game in our favour. I checked the highlights on nhl.com and didn't see any hits, argh.
Lines I loved from that game and want to see more of.
When Fro comes back in, we can see how it works on that 4th line again, but I then I would put Janko at centre and Ryan on the RW.
Bennett hits? Does anyone have video? I would love to see them!
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"You're worried about the team not having enough heart. I'm worried about the team not having enough brains." HFOil fan, August 12th, 2020. E=NG
Loved Bennett’s game. I hate to pin things on the previous coach but this kid seems like he’s getting back on track with Peters. I remember his rookie year when he scored something close to 20 goals. I remember how unlucky he was not to score more. During that season, the best forward on the ice was consistently one of gaudreau, backlund, or Bennett. He was aggressive and confident every game... just like last night. He’s making moves to the net and using his hits to be aggressive instead of hooks and holds.
Getting Bennett’s development back on track would be an enormous step for this team. Lots of people feel that the flames are one impact forward and a good goalie away from being a contender. If Bennett can become that impact forward, it prevents Treliving from having to spend assets to find one elsewhere.
I think Backlund has been great so far this season. He’s so good at holding the puck and making space for himself. When he’s driving down the boards and decides he’s going to drop his shoulder, and get around a defence man, it normally results in a scoring opportunity. He’s a really smart player, and the play he made last night resulting in Bennett’s goal was exactly what the doctor ordered. Two guys driving the net, so a simple shot into the pads anticipating a rebound. You just knew it was going to need to be a goal like that to beat Varlamov.
Bennett looked great with him last night, and if that’s where Bennett plays most of the year, I think he will indeed breakout in a big way
