GDT: Flames vs Flyers (Wednesday @ 6:30PM MST)

[Corpus X]

Quick reminder that there are 10 pages of HFOil discussing tonight's game

LOL that is pretty funny to read! Starts on page 6 in "around the league" for those interested!

 

[JPeeper]

If I were to guess, Smith tweaked his groin on the 4th goal against. The way he went down there is the way it looks like when most goalies tweak/pull their groin.

 

[Mobiandi]

Who the hell do you call up from the Heat if Smith is injured? Schneider?

 

[BobColesNasalCavity]

Who the hell do you call up from the Heat if Smith is injured? Schneider?

Hopefully it's Fred Brathwaite.

 

[Calculon]

 

[Bounces R Way]

1) We replaced Gulutzan with Peters. His coaching is so obviously elite every single game. Honestly think he's one of the best in the entire league, I mean this was one of his worst coached games of the season and he was still able to secure a two goal comeback win..
2) We replaced Dougie "volume shooter" Hamilton with Brodie and Andersson, who are very intelligent and creative offensive RD, and in Brodie's case he enables Giordano rather than limiting him. They're also both much better at being useful when the net is empty.

This I think has been the single biggest difference maker for the Flames this year. Gulutzan seemed like an ok strategist, an intelligent talker, a decent people person. Peters I think knows how to command respect from his team and set expectations for them, have them on their toes, have them in places to succeed. Especially with the young players the Flames have had come in, and especially especially the young defenseman on the roster.

I'll eat some crow on the Hamilton trade too, mostly didn't like Ferland being in it and thought it was kind of risky betting on Lindholm and Hanifin. They have really delivered so far surrounded by better players.

 

[OvermanKingGainer]

I'll eat some crow on the Hamilton trade too, mostly didn't like Ferland being in it and thought it was kind of risky betting on Lindholm and Hanifin.

I still think Ferland makes this team better. Our first line with Ferland was more dangerous 5 v 5 than it's been with Lindholm, as in-denial as people are about that fact.

But trading Hamilton was worth it if we weren't going to play Hamilton at RW. Brodie is the better top pair D and Andersson is the better "whatever Wideman's role used to be back in 2014-15".

 

[Mr Snrub]

This I think has been the single biggest difference maker for the Flames this year. Gulutzan seemed like an ok strategist, an intelligent talker, a decent people person. Peters I think knows how to command respect from his team and set expectations for them, have them on their toes, have them in places to succeed. Especially with the young players the Flames have had come in, and especially especially the young defenseman on the roster.

I'll eat some crow on the Hamilton trade too, mostly didn't like Ferland being in it and thought it was kind of risky betting on Lindholm and Hanifin. They have really delivered so far surrounded by better players.

Gulutzan is a charlatan, as far as head coaches are concerned at least. I've seen them in every field I've worked in. He can keep up appearances, and fool casual observers that he can coach a hockey team competently, but the difference between him and Peters, and every other coach in the league, is so absolutely night and day.

 

[Dertell]

Something is different with the Flames this year.

Lindholm.

Like, adding a PPG forward boost a forward group. It makes a team that was really bad at scoring a whole lot better. Who knows how long that will last though, given what he was in Carolina. If the whole first line blow the second half again, we might have a repeat from last year. We were good 'til we weren't.

Hopefully the only trend that flip is Smith's 88% save pct.

 

[OvermanKingGainer]

Gulutzan is a charlatan, as far as head coaches are concerned at least. I've seen them in every field I've worked in. He can keep up appearances, and fool casual observers that he can coach a hockey team competently, but the difference between him and Peters, and every other coach in the league, is so absolutely night and day.

Gulutzan was an average NHL coach. He absolutely had his flaws but he wasn't a "charlatan". He was just a guy who needs more experience coaching the game and more open-mindedness to some of the crazier aspects of coaching (line shuffling, risk-taking, playing kids, and coaching differently depending on the score). He had a few, I wanna say philosophies, that became his downfall (feeling lines needed to be kept together for consistency, feeling "50/50" low risk hockey wins games, trusting his vets, and practicing what he preached (not changing what you do no matter the score). The problem is these philosophies were wrong for the group he had. I've seen some of those philosophies be right too though (like, Darryl Sutter won three cups preaching many of the same tenets).

I think he's a prospect coach who made it to the big leagues too early for his own good. I also think his time spent with Hitchcock will help him for the better. I'm glad he's gone, but he's not a charlatan. I'd love to talk hockey with him.

Lindholm.

Like, adding a PPG forward boost a forward group. It makes a team that was really bad at scoring a whole lot better. Who knows how long that will last though, given what he was in Carolina. If the whole first line blow the second half again, we might have a repeat from last year.

Hopefully the only trend that flip is Smith's 88% save pct.

I don't think that's it. I mean, of course that's great, but last year we had Versteeg essentially giving us what Lindholm has on the PP and Ferland giving us more than what Lindholm has at ES.

 

[DFF]

I don't think that's it. I mean, of course that's great, but last year we had Versteeg essentially giving us what Lindholm has on the PP and Ferland giving us more than what Lindholm has at ES.

No we couldn't score when we need to ...we gave up when we are down by a goal...Lindholm>>>>>>>>Versteeg and Ferland...Versteeg was useless...that's why he is out of the NHL now...Ferland showed up 20% of the time.

Also Lindholm has 34 pts, only 13 from the PP....where do you think the rest of his points come from?

 

[DCDM]

Hope you guys stayed until the end

Didn't see this before - I never leave before the final buzzer. This is why.

 

[JPeeper]

The salt levels in the Oilers board is off the charts. "refs were biased tonight, Flames gifted PP after PP", "Flames with horse shoes always coming back it's not sustainable, they aren't very good".

Like, if you didn't watch the game and made these ignorant comments it's whatever, but they clearly watch the games, so their knowledge of hockey is just, well, poor. Flames get PP after PP because they have the puck for 95% of the time and are skating. Flames come back because they dominate games, but don't get rewarded until late in games.

Jealousy is a hell of an emotion.

 

[Mr Snrub]

The salt levels in the Oilers board is off the charts. "refs were biased tonight, Flames gifted PP after PP", "Flames with horse shoes always coming back it's not sustainable, they aren't very good".

Like, if you didn't watch the game and made these ignorant comments it's whatever, but they clearly watch the games, so their knowledge of hockey is just, well, poor. Flames get PP after PP because they have the puck for 95% of the time and are skating. Flames come back because they dominate games, but don't get rewarded until late in games.

Jealousy is a hell of an emotion.

We outshot the Flyers 41-11 after the first few minutes. Yeah, there was no way we were drawing penalties by pressuring them, clearly the refs are just biased.

 

[OvermanKingGainer]

lol.

Flames got jobbed on at least two PPs, probably four. One of which should have been a two minute 5 on 3.

 

[Khrox]

Versteeg was useless...that's why he is out of the NHL now

Well, I think for Versteeg it was more his injury history combined with his age. He was quite useful (especially as a PP specialist). I mean, he played 93 games in the last 2 seasons combined. He would still be a useful depth forward, if he wasn't injured so heavily by the more physical nature of the NHL (over the European leagues).

But I agree, Lindholm has been a difference maker for us, as has Hanifin (who has real good chemistry with Hamonic, and allowing Brodie to play his more comfortable side, and rekindle the Brodano pairing).

 

[crazyfisherman]

Boy am i glad this was the game i went to, dome was shaking after the tying goal, felt bad about the people around me who left, shoulda stuck it out

 

[Fig]

Johnny Gatorade ™

 

[Shawnofthedeadz]

No word on it yet. Burkie is speculating injury.

Edit: see the comment about the emergency backup, maybe it is an injury but I am skeptical still.
Further Edit: Bill said he wasn't feeling right so he was swapped out. Guess I was wrong here, whoops, sorry Burke.

 

[Tofveve]

That game was like a wet dream. Might as well enjoy it lol.

Ridiculous with us seeming unable to generate quality shots on the PP. Only to keep ratcheting up the intensity until we finally, miraculously, scored again and again in under 2 minutes.

Ridonculous. Remember it. Shades of Mony/Johnny/Huds under Hartley - but better. These guys have matured and are playing out of their minds.

Maybe collective forknite banishment the night before games too lol.

 

[flames23]

Was out tonight and unable to watch. Saw a bit at dinner and followed the box score. 4 goals against in 6 2p shots wasn't enjoyable to see. I saw 5-3 down w 2 min left, assumed it was done and then see twitter going nuts 5 min later. I just finished the 9min extended game highlights on YouTube that i often watch. What a fantastic comeback. Seems we earned it.

 

[Anglesmith]

Was out tonight and unable to watch. Saw a bit at dinner and followed the box score. 4 goals against in 6 2p shots wasn't enjoyable to see. I saw 5-3 down w 2 min left, assumed it was done and then see twitter going nuts 5 min later. I just finished the 9min extended game highlights on YouTube that i often watch. What a fantastic comeback. Seems we earned it.

Depends who you ask.

Based on the highlights and what I heard on the radio, it sounded like we didn't necessarily deserve the comeback, but we didn't really deserve to be behind in the first place.

 

[Khrox]

Depends who you ask.

Based on the highlights and what I heard on the radio, it sounded like we didn't necessarily deserve the comeback, but we didn't really deserve to be behind in the first place.

While we weren't great, we still outplayed them. The whole game was a gongshow with turnovers (both teams seemed to be losing possession of the puck at least once per shift). Smith let in some really bad goals (like that shot from the blue line that was closer to a dump-in), but at least one of the goals (the Sanheim goal) was actually a pretty nice one. The goal Rittich let in, it's hard to fault him. A breakdown on our PP giving a high-scoring center (Couturier) a shorthanded breakaway for what would have been the second shot he faced. Our PP was god awful, and Stolarz made a lot of incredible saves as well. Overall, it was one of those games where it should have been a 2-1 game for us from the play, but somehow we blew it defensively (combined with Smith struggling, possibly playing injured? He never even got back to the bench in the third or OT).

We deserved to win, or maybe play a 1-1 going to OT, but we got another 10+ goal game instead.

 

[DFF]

Well, I think for Versteeg it was more his injury history combined with his age. He was quite useful (especially as a PP specialist). I mean, he played 93 games in the last 2 seasons combined. He would still be a useful depth forward, if he wasn't injured so heavily by the more physical nature of the NHL (over the European leagues).

But I agree, Lindholm has been a difference maker for us, as has Hanifin (who has real good chemistry with Hamonic, and allowing Brodie to play his more comfortable side, and rekindle the Brodano pairing).

Versteeg was a below average NHLer...he was never as effective as Lindholm now. The only reason he looked "good" because he was cheap so there was no real expectation.

I never said he was not useful...he was certainly better than guys like Czarnik and Ryan

 

[Johnny Hoxville]

I was never a Versteeg fan while he was here. He did some things, flashes a little skill at times but I feel like his time was really overrated. The fact his absence was made an excuse for our PP trouble was a joke. He’s not that big of an impact player. It’s not as if he was a Gaudreau on the pp for us. Our coach was the problem.