GDT: Flames play hockey against the Blackhawks. 8pm on HNIC

[DCDM]

Bro lmao

 

[JPeeper]

And there is it, the 8th goal in a single game when they scored 8 in the previous 5 combined.

 

[Dack]

Yelesin > Stone

 

[Tofveve]

They're wiping our bums.

 

[Ace Rimmer]

 

[JPeeper]

"Chicago has scored 8 goals in the past 5 games"

Looks like they are going to score 8 goals in this one game now. Spoiler: they will.

Can we get Laviolette already to teach this team defence?

Damn I'm a smart man.

If only I could use this intelligence for good.

 

[Boomstick]

Oh wait, I know. This will be the Pittsburgh 9-1 loss that will wake us up.
What's this, the 15th time we've said that?
f*** this team sometimes. I just don't get the inconsistency. Pathetic.

 

[Deen]

meh.

 

[Unlimited Chequing]

Ehhh! Back down to negative double digit goal differential!

 

[Calculon]

The goal differential was getting a little too close to looking respectable. Can't have that.

 

[Boomstick]

Lehner's available next year.

 

[Boomstick]

Time for some PS4. Later everyone.

 

[DFF]

Too many problems to solve

1) Coach is clueless
2)Team is lazy, not always show up ready to play
3)But even if they try too many bad players on the team. Half the defense and 1/3 of the forwards are not NHL regular.

Goalies are not a big problem but they are not savior neither and quite inconsistent.

Nice if we can tank for a top pick but likely end up in 9th place and waste another pick....sad team ...30 yrs and running

 

[BobColesNasalCavity]

Need to relocate the franchise and start fresh with an expansion club.

That was an embarrassment.

 

[Body Checker]

But wait folks, Brad Treliving is going to add so owners can get two playoff revenue gates when we get swept in 4 by a Central team

 

[FlamerForLife]

I can't wait till we eek into the playoffs and then get thoroughly spanked and tossed in 4 games

 

[Mobiandi]

Had to miss this one. What a waste of a 2 goal Bennett and Lindholm performance.

This team needs a coach. Good coaches don't lose at home.

 

[OvermanKingGainer]

Looking forward to a complete analysis of Bennett's play by @ScrewNHLOfficiating, after the game. Ya.. I know... he's not playing on the 1st line but that shouldn't be a serious problem for a centerman of Bennett's caliber. A great centerman will always elevate the play of his linemates.

Alright, since you requested it:

5v5
12:49 TOI
57.14% Corsi For On-Ice
2 Goals For On-Ice (and Individually)
2 Goals Against On-Ice
3 shots Individually
0.27 expected goals Individually (4th on team)
1 Penalty Drawn
0 Penalties Taken
1 Takeaway
0 Giveaways
2 Hits
Faceoffs 7W / 3L

Now examining his best events:
His first goal was just a classic Sam Bennett goal, reading the play and opening up for a high danger chance in front of the net. I'm surprised it wasn't dubiously taken away for no reason.

His second goal was textbook winger - defenseman - winger - center hockey.

Kylington made a good play to clear the zone to Dube, and Dube made an outstanding lateral pass to the center streaking down the middle of the ice. The center did the rest of the work by utilizing his complete package of assets and finishing the play. If any goal this entire season is a goal you show to your players in the video session of "how to play the game" this has to be it. First of all it's a goal that starts in the defensive zone. Bennett is covering his area safely, and waits until Lucic gets control of the puck. He darts to an area Lucic can hit him, but Lucic elects to reverse it back to Kylington. First of all let's give Lucic a ton of credit for his strength along the boards and his awareness that the best pass needed to be to Oliver Kylington, rather than trying to chip it out of the D zone himself like a former linemate of Center Sam Bennett was wont to do (His Name Was Troy Brower)

Now Kylington has the puck and space to make a breakout. He sees Dube is out to the races. So now let's give credit to Dube for being an incredibly fast skater. This is something a former linemate of Center Sam Bennett was unable to do (Kris Versteeg) But really, we need to give credit to Kylington for the skill to raise the puck and clear it past bodies and right to Dillon Dube. This was something a pair of defensemen who seemed to be attached to Center Sam Bennett at the hip, Matt Bartkowski and Deryk Engelland, were literally just too unskilled to do. But then it gets really interesting. Dillon Dube made a 10/10 read, seeing his center had a step in the middle of the ice. He gets a pass from Kylington in mid air - and redirects it ahead of Bennett instantaneously (and leading Bennett into an extra second or so of time). This is the kind of elite play, not only in terms of hand-eye coordination but the placement of the pass, that Bennett has never played with outside of some (mostly successful) stints with Gaudreau. But watch that breakout and ask yourself if Sean Monahan would ever be there where Bennett was? It's an easy no, because Sean Monahan is a winger. He'd be a better fit in that Lucic role along the boards.

Finally, Sam Bennett, who for once isn't stuck going one on three due to awful usage but instead one on one with a goalie, uses his elite instinct and skill to open the goalie up and raises the puck into the net. This was not a play that a 4th line left wing would make. Guess what we've been using Sam Bennett as?

His penalty draw was textbook power forward hockey. The kind of play you'd see a Peter Forsberg make his prime. It's unfortunate he didn't get the hat trick on this play. But far more unfortunate is that the coach didn't recognize the opportunity to take a player brimming with confidence and putting him on the powerplay unit he has deserved to be on ALL season.

And examining the goals he was on the ice against:

Blackhawks Goal #4

Look at the positioning here. Bennett is an absolutely perfect position to get the breakout pass from Dube. Unfortunately what happened was Dube mistimed / misread the play and then forced the puck to Davidson across the ice, and that pass got picked off. Anyone who pins this on Bennett is just a clown. You could put Crosby there and it's still a goal against.

Blackhawks Goal #8

Bennett has Dube with a redirect chance. Dube misses the puck by an inch at most. Rush the other way. Lucic backchecks well and Talbot makes the first save, but then softly lets in anyways. It's a crappy break in terms of the rush against, but it's terrible goaltending overall. I honestly think with more time together Dube and Bennett would have a chance to build chemistry and that same sequence could have been a Dube goal. But let's be real, Bennett will be back to #4LW the minute Ryan is healthy so it's a moot point.

But no, Bennett still wasn't used properly 5v5 either. There were a lot of subtle details missing in his line's deployment that tell you the coach doesn't understand the player. He's a player who's at his best helping his defensemen below the hashmarks in the defensive zone and instead he was used like you would use a Sean Monahan. It resulted in a pair of goals but also resulted in some shifts where his line had to finish their shift defending, which wasn't a fault of the individual player, just his line's skillset not being well-suited to the deployment they were given. What this means is that because he was needlessly sheltered, other lines who were struggling had rough nights. Of course, the coach is going to rationalize this as "Derek Ryan was out so I had to shelter Bennett's line". Which is wholely idiotic thinking because Bennett is exactly the player you want in the defensive zone down the middle, even moreso than Ryan despite Ryan's inflated goal-for metrics this season. Heck, go back to that second goal that line scored. It's not a goal you would score too late into a shift after starting in the O zone.

Sam Bennett is one of only three textbook centers on this team, the other two being Derek Ryan and Mikael Backlund. And he's the most talented of the trio, he's been part of probably ten of the fifteen sexiest plays this team has had since he entered the league. Comments about his lack of finish are overblown - he's an average finisher but an elite chance creator. A comparable might be Henrik Zetterberg who never led the league in shooting percentage either. But unfortunately the high level of Sean Monahan's finish causes this team to misuse both players.

I hope that satisfies your request.

EDIT - I actually do think Dillon Dube has a chance to be another textbook center if we invest in his development (lol, as if this team has ever done that since Monahan started scoring tap-ins off Gaudreau feeds). A Bennett - Dube - Backlund - Ryan 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 punch down the middle could be exactly the panacea someday.

imagine:

Tkachuk - Bennett - Phillips
Gaudreau - Dube - Lindholm
Mangiapane - Backlund - Pellettier
Jankowski - Ryan - Zavogorodniy

 

[Kranix]

So bad goaltending?

 

[Johnny Hoxville]

Bennett did have a good game for the most part at C.

 

[Ace Rimmer]

So bad goaltending?

Sadly only for about 25% of the goals against.

 

[Kranix]

I missed the game. Was Bennett at centre the whole game? Why did Ward decide this all of a sudden?

 

[Rubi]

OMG. Stopped watching at 6-3. What a.....
Words fail me. Clown show keeps popping into my head.

Like I said before, watching this team is like riding a roller coaster. Up and down, up and down, along with lots of screaming and throwing your hands into the air. And perhaps a little shakiness and vomit when the ride is over.

 

[Anglesmith]

I missed the game. Was Bennett at centre the whole game? Why did Ward decide this all of a sudden?

I also missed the game, but Derek Ryan was out sick.

 

[DFF]

OMG. Stopped watching at 6-3. What a.....
Words fail me. Clown show keeps popping into my head.

Like I said before, watching this team is like riding a roller coaster. Up and down, up and down, along with lots of screaming and throwing your hands into the air. And perhaps a little shakiness and vomit when the ride is over.

I have an idea. Try to think this is a lottery team trying hard to make the playoffs. You would be a lot more happy than thinking this is actually a good team.

BT has put together a sad group that can't win any real game. Accept that fact and you may be happier.