GDT: FLAMES v. WILD - THURSDAY - SCOTIABANK SADDLEDOME - 7

[FlamesFan18]

Got last minutes to this game too lol. Thought after breaking the curse against Buffalo I could keep it broken. Amazing game, just really really wish we could have scored a goal. Crowd was crazy loud, a lot more hyped than I have seen in a long time. As soon as Byron got a breakaway the entire crowd stood up then I noticed who it was and sat back down, sure enough he didnt score.

 

[Lunatik]

Both goaltenders were fantastic tonight, it's unfortunate we couldn't beat Duby but it's tough to beat any NHL goalie when they play like that.

 

[JagrBomber]

Wild played well and kept us outside, but we still did have something like 28 shot and at least 5 good chances. Whole team was snakebit and Doobie played well too.

Not like the Flames played bad, the Wild just played better. Just ****** that it was the Wild we had to drop one to in a race like this.

You win some, you lose some, but you always have fun.

Also, Eric Francis calling the Oiler game on Saturday a "freebie" rattled me. Like yeah it's the Oilers but even they can win a game they shouldn't every once in a while.

Hopefully we see the new guys on Saturday.

Cheers Boys.

 

[Anglesmith]

Wild played well and kept us outside, but we still did have something like 28 shot and at least 5 good chances. Whole team was snakebit and Doobie played well too.

Not like the Flames played bad, the Wild just played better. Just ****** that it was the Wild we had to drop one to in a race like this.

You win some, you lose some, but you always have fun.

Also, Eric Francis calling the Oiler game on Saturday a "freebie" rattled me. Like yeah it's the Oilers but even they can win a game they shouldn't every once in a while.

Hopefully we see the new guys on Saturday.

Cheers Boys.

I agree. Can't stand that. Eric Francis should not be employed. He's right at Glenn Healy's level of journalism. Must have some pretty strong connections at Sportsnet, because he brings nothing but shame to the broadcast team.

 

[Sean Monahan]

I agree. Can't stand that. Eric Francis should not be employed. He's right at Glenn Healy's level of journalism. Must have some pretty strong connections at Sportsnet, because he brings nothing but shame to the broadcast team.

isn't his mom some significant figure in journalism?

LOL that sounded so funny just writing that out

 

[Lunatik]

isn't his mom some significant figure in journalism?

LOL that sounded so funny just writing that out

I believe she is at the top of the food chain at the Calgary Sun

 

[InfinityIggy]

I believe she is at the top of the food chain at the Calgary Sun

That is somehow completely unsurprising.

 

[Volica]

Kind of getting tired of watching Byron playing; also getting more than tired of watching Bouma in a top 6 role.

We don't have the luxury of having a Sid/Tavares/Malkin/etc where we can put 4th liners up on the first/second and watch them score 20 goals... We need team offence and neither of these two guys really have it. I love Boums in a 4th line role, he's one of the best in the league... but he shouldn't be up on the second line.

I want to see Sven in with Backlund, Bouma put on the 4th line and Byron in the pressbox for a game.

 

[CraigsList]

Rekindle the Baertschi - Jooris - Byron line. Wolf and Wotherspoon should get a shot too. Wouldn't hurt to let them play a game, especially against the Oilers.

Gaudreau - Monahan - Hudler
Colborne - Backlund - Jones
Baertschi - Jooris - Byron
Wolf - Stajan - Bouma
Raymond, Bollig

Giordano - Brodie
Russell - Wideman
Wotherspoon - Diaz
Engelland

 

[Johnny Hoxville]

Kind of getting tired of watching Byron playing; also getting more than tired of watching Bouma in a top 6 role.

We don't have the luxury of having a Sid/Tavares/Malkin/etc where we can put 4th liners up on the first/second and watch them score 20 goals... We need team offence and neither of these two guys really have it. I love Boums in a 4th line role, he's one of the best in the league... but he shouldn't be up on the second line.

I want to see Sven in with Backlund, Bouma put on the 4th line and Byron in the pressbox for a game.

I agree, sit Byron for Wolf. We won't get as many breakaway chances, but he can't bury anything anyways. And I'll admit, I thought Raymond was pretty good last night but I'd put Sven for Raymond, at least for a game and see if he can get some scoring going. And for sure I'd put in Wotherspoon.

 

[Unlimited Chequing]

I believe she is at the top of the food chain at the Calgary Sun

Are you serious? That explains a lot.

 

[Unlimited Chequing]

Just looked it up. Looks like this is his mom.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diane_Francis

 

[YMCMBYOLO]

#freeBaertschi

 

[Master Bill]

Rekindle the Baertschi - Jooris - Byron line. Wolf and Wotherspoon should get a shot too. Wouldn't hurt to let them play a game, especially against the Oilers.

Gaudreau - Monahan - Hudler
Colborne - Backlund - Jones
Baertschi - Jooris - Byron
Wolf - Stajan - Bouma
Raymond, Bollig

Giordano - Brodie
Russell - Wideman
Wotherspoon - Diaz
Engelland

I really like the sound of that lineup. Let Sven make plays using the two speedsters and move Colborne up playing with a better puck-carrier in Backlund.

 

[CraigsList]

I really like the sound of that lineup. Let Sven make plays using the two speedsters and move Colborne up playing with a better puck-carrier in Backlund.

I still think a physical player needs to be in the lineup, so Engelland and Bollig were able to be scratched since Wolf is in.

 

[Trae]

I played Halak and Hutchinson, and benched Dubnyk. Both my starters flopped and then I had to personally watch Dubnyk shut out my team live. Awful.

 

[CraigsList]

I played Halak and Hutchinson, and benched Dubnyk. Both my starters flopped and then I had to personally watch Dubnyk shut out my team live. Awful.

That's brutal

 

[Calculon]

Win or lose, nothing changes.


Oh, and it looks like Glencross may be out a little longer.

 

[Pirate King Luffy]

A big deal is being made of nothing because Hartley won't play Sven,Wotherspoon or Wolf. Even if they don't play, the practice is top notch. It's not like they aren't skating at all.

 

[Anglesmith]

Man, Byron is really breaking my heart right now. I mean, yeah, you guys are right... his scoring inability is really hurting the team right now and it's frustrating to watch with how consistently he is unable to bury. But at the same time, the fact that he is getting chances every game, even on the fourth line, speaks to how the difference between Byron being a whipping boy who people want scratched and Byron being a key contributor who is the engine of our offence is really just a couple of inches every time he shoots.

I want to keep saying he's just getting unlucky, but how long can I, realistically. I hold out hope (as does Hartley, apparently) that the dam is going to burst any second, but until that point it's agony.

 

[CraigsList]

Man, Byron is really breaking my heart right now. I mean, yeah, you guys are right... his scoring inability is really hurting the team right now and it's frustrating to watch with how consistently he is unable to bury. But at the same time, the fact that he is getting chances every game, even on the fourth line, speaks to how the difference between Byron being a whipping boy who people want scratched and Byron being a key contributor who is the engine of our offence is really just a couple of inches every time he shoots.

I want to keep saying he's just getting unlucky, but how long can I, realistically. I hold out hope (as does Hartley, apparently) that the dam is going to burst any second, but until that point it's agony.

Maybe he just needs to be sat for a game. No harm, not really a foul.

 

[Master Bill]

Man, Byron is really breaking my heart right now. I mean, yeah, you guys are right... his scoring inability is really hurting the team right now and it's frustrating to watch with how consistently he is unable to bury. But at the same time, the fact that he is getting chances every game, even on the fourth line, speaks to how the difference between Byron being a whipping boy who people want scratched and Byron being a key contributor who is the engine of our offence is really just a couple of inches every time he shoots.

I want to keep saying he's just getting unlucky, but how long can I, realistically. I hold out hope (as does Hartley, apparently) that the dam is going to burst any second, but until that point it's agony.

It is frustrating to see him unable to finish and last night, many have downright bashed him every time it happened. But I still want to think of it as, who else has the sense and speed to give himself excellent scoring chances? If we didn't have Byron on the team, those breakaways wouldn't happen.

People just get furious just because those are missed grade A scoring chances. It's more like bonus marks because although we have some other players who could create similar scoring chances, having a bottom liner like Byron create chances is a bonus which really should not be subject to harsh criticism if not capitalized on.

I think people underestimate the difficulty of converting breakaways, which are extremely tough as players to convert because it's not like a penalty shot where you have plenty of time to think your move over. I'd assume Byron is someone who uses his thoughts/senses/whatever to get himself on a breakaway in the first place without thinking over what he'll do on the goalie. And again, players who are able to do both are what separates them as top-liners from players like Byron.

So I'm just hoping not as many posters will be too harsh on him, he's not expected to score on every chance. I'll get heat for saying this but he's going to bury one eventually if he continues to do similar things.

 

[CraigsList]

Is it me, or does Byron just need to roof the puck? I feel like every time he doesn't bury a chance, the puck was flat on the ice.

 

[Johnny Hoxville]

When Byron is on a breakaway, I feel like he usually just shoots the puck on net, he doesn't really try to shoot the puck at a specific location to score (now Anglesmith will prove me wrong lol). But even though he does play "big", he is smaller than Gaudreau and he just can't provide the physicality you would want on your 4th line. He obviously lacks the skill and finish needed to be a top 6'er, the amount of chances I've seen him be unsuccessful have confirmed this for me. So where does that leave him? As a 3rd liner? Well we have guys like Granlund, Sven, Klimchuk, Poirier and Ferland all in our system, and I wouldn't take Bryon over anyone of them.

Byron is a NHL player IMO, I do like him. But I would way rather have a guy like Wolf or Ferland mashing it up on our 4th and causing havoc by throwing their weight around. I feel for Byron because well who doesn't want to see him succeed, but at this point I'm totally open to seeing what some other guys could do.

 

[Anglesmith]

Is it me, or does Byron just need to roof the puck? I feel like every time he doesn't bury a chance, the puck was flat on the ice.

He's really got two moves that he tries. Either he tries to snipe the top right corner, or he tries his forehand-backhand-forehand-fivehole move. Lately he's been shooting more than normal, but missing the net or hitting the post a lot. His misses on the deke look worse because when the move doesn't work, it looks quite a bit like he's just lost the handle. When it works, though:

[nhl]580815[/nhl]