GDT: Friday in Minnesota: Flames at Wild. 6PM MT SNW

[Elias Pettersson]

Quite a few nuck fans creeping this GDT.

Believe it or not, Nucks fans are cheering hard for you guys to win and make the post season.
Their only other possible matchup is against LA and we all know that they would be screwed in that scenario.

 

[Johnny Hoxville]

Well . . . I'm not sure. Against top-tier talent of fast bigger players I'm not sure. Dallas is an extemely talented team and outside of the Gaudreau 1 goal, that line appeared somewhat neutralized. Tonight felt similar.

LA has one of the biggest teams in the league, Gaudreau has faired quite well against them this season.

 

[Tofveve]

I'll clarify. Tonight I saw a few shifts where the Guadreau, Monahan, Hudler looked in fast-forward. They had a few chances and offensive possession then. Last game there were about 6 minutes last game too. Outside of that fast-forward speed and play, their quick plays seem shallow and lacking hard-on-puck strength. I'm not sure you can combat that outside Monahan.

 

[Johnny Hoxville]

We seriously need some size and I hope Treliving addresses that this off-season.

I definitely wish our bottom 6 was bigger. It's coming, but yeah at times we seem kinda soft.

 

[Pirate King Luffy]

We need to stretch Johnny. We need that contraption from the medieval days.

 

[Johnny Hoxville]

I'll clarify. Tonight I saw a few shifts where the Guadreau, Monahan, Hudler looked in fast-forward. They had a few chances and offensive possession then. Last game there were about 6 minutes last game too. Outside of that fast-forward speed and play, their quick plays seem shallow and lacking hard-on-puck strength. I'm not sure you can combat that outside Monahan.

I think eventually putting a winger like Poirier on there would be a really good fit. I think you have a point, but even the best lines in the NHL cool off at times and overall our top line has been tremendous.

 

[Anglesmith]

I'll clarify. Tonight I saw a few shifts where the Guadreau, Monahan, Hudler looked in fast-forward. They had a few chances and offensive possession then. Last game there were about 6 minutes last game too. Outside of that fast-forward speed and play, their quick plays seem shallow and lacking hard-on-puck strength. I'm not sure you can combat that outside Monahan.

Let's not get carried away. Neither of Monahan or Gaudreau are anywhere near their prime yet. They're in their second and first years in the league, respectively. You will find that most first-liners around the league were unable to be dominant against the best opposition in the league for a few years. It's called development, and we have to be patient.

 

[YMCMBYOLO]

I definitely wish our bottom 6 was bigger. It's coming, but yeah at times we seem kinda soft.

A big top 4 RHD would do wonders for this club

While I loved what Byron brings, replacing him with a bigger version would be amazing.

 

[I Hate Blake Coleman]

Disappointing loss but I actually feel more confident going into Nashville than I did tonight. This road trip is just getting started.

 

[YMCMBYOLO]

Let's not get carried away. Neither of Monahan or Gaudreau are anywhere near their prime yet. They're in their second and first years in the league, respectively. You will find that most first-liners around the league were unable to be dominant against the best opposition in the league for a few years. It's called development, and we have to be patient.

Completely agree, it's like the equivalent of when you were a teen and went from A to AAA hockey, or if you played junior going from Junior C to Junior B

 

[Tofveve]

I think eventually putting a winger like Poirier on there would be a really good fit. I think you have a point, but even the best lines in the NHL cool off at times and overall our top line has been tremendous.

I agree 100% on the whole season body of work. They've been awesome. But now, when we're seeing more playoff hockey, I'm not sure if that line has that post-season jam that's needed. It sucks to cite size. But even Hudler has look neutralized and largely ineffective - often getting bodied off of the puck. We a know that Johny is a very light player and its looking more and more that his play is reliant on quick shifty play . . . If a team is turning up their intensity and physicality I'm not sure this works come this time of the year.

Hey, I love these guys and they've been a pleasure to watch.

 

[SmellOfVictory]

I definitely wish our bottom 6 was bigger. It's coming, but yeah at times we seem kinda soft.

It's not exactly small; Colborne is huge (albeit crap at using his size), and Stajan/Bouma/Jooris are all 6'1. Byron is small but he's probably the most physical forward on the team outside of Bouma.

 

[Anglesmith]

Disappointing loss but I actually feel more confident going into Nashville than I did tonight. This road trip is just getting started.

Yup.

Frankly, I'm a little surprised at the saltiness on this board at the end of this game. We should be more familiar than anyone with what this group is and the holes they have in the lineup. People are dumping all over the players because they got beat by a better team.

It's not the players' fault when they try hard but the other team is better and also tries hard. It's not management's fault when their rebuilding team has flaws. That's why we're going through a rebuild in the first place. This kind of game is frustrating, but it's 100% part of the process that is going to make us into a contender. And we're doing it the right way. We're never out of any game. We are not getting run out of buildings and leaving opposition fans laughing at us.

 

[Tofveve]

Not writing this team off yet. I think Minny was the juggernaut on the schedule tbh. Other teams can falter still.

 

[Anglesmith]

Not writing this team off yet. I think Minny was the juggernaut on the schedule tbh. Other teams can falter still.

Yup.

It's not the end. It hurts, but it's far from the end yet. I still feel that Winnipeg is our nearest target, but if they keep winning they deserve their place in the post-season.

 

[Tofveve]

We seriously need some size and I hope Treliving addresses that this off-season.

Btw, I feel this too. I'm sure Brian Burke is all over this. Truculence.

 

[Mobiandi]

We've still got to play the Blues tho :/

 

[Tofveve]

Yup.

It's not the end. It hurts, but it's far from the end yet. I still feel that Winnipeg is our nearest target, but if they keep winning they deserve their place in the post-season.

I think both Winnipeg and Vancouver are the weak links. Either team could fall back. Flames just have to pick up and forget what's happened up until now. The Wild could well win the SC.

 

[Anglesmith]

I think both Winnipeg and Vancouver are the weak links. Either team could fall back. Flames just have to pick up and forget what's happened up until now. The Wild could well win the SC.

I feel like they've been squeezing their sticks the last few. I think our best chance would be if we could adopt the mentality that other teams are the ones with the pressure, and feed off that. Go in confident and feel like if you play your game they'll get nervous.

 

[Calculon]

Fully expect Treliving to go after Stafford and/or Stewart in the off season while continuing to try and trade Raymond/Stajan and maybe Jones. Colborne might be a decent trading chip as well.

 

[Minnewildsota]

Wild fan. Good game. Cheering for you guys the rest of the way!

 

[Anglesmith]

Wild fan. Good game. Cheering for you guys the rest of the way!

Thanks man. It was a good game, for sure. Your team is on a real roll. Please keep it going tomorrow night!

 

[Master Bill]

I've cooled down a little, and I now realize the need to acknowledge Minnesota's performance tonight. We tried hard, but they simply gave us nothing in the middle of the ice. When we tried to penetrate hard on the flanks, their defense did an excellent job taking space away. On the offense, they were better moving to open spaces, and moving the puck to open spaces. Minnesota played a frustrating, but fantastic game.

I tried so hard to restore calmness, but if the Kings beat them tomorrow....

 

[Unlimited Chequing]

Wild fan. Good game. Cheering for you guys the rest of the way!

Yeah, it was a REALLY exciting game up until we were down two. If we didn't need the points so bad, I wouldn't have been upset with the loss at all.

 

[Tofveve]

I've cooled down a little, and I now realize the need to acknowledge Minnesota's performance tonight. We tried hard, but they simply gave us nothing in the middle of the ice. When we tried to penetrate hard on the flanks, their defense did an excellent job taking space away. On the offense, they were better moving to open spaces, and moving the puck to open spaces. Minnesota played a frustrating, but fantastic game.

I tried so hard to restore calmness, but if the Kings beat them tomorrow....

Yeah I agree . . .

A caveat for me is this, is that from one game to the next, Calgary has looked to be playing on different tiers. Hopefully we see a stretch of the Flames in their A game. Also, we're all enjoying this in house money. When you realize that it makes it more palatable and enjoyable.