GDT: Penguins at Flames. Mar 13 at 7pm MT on SNW

[Will Hunting]

Hey Pens fan here! Gonna wish you a good luck down the road, my favourite team out of West. Entertaining as hell, I am impressed. We are missing 8 important players now, but still we are playing very well so this game was fairly relevant in terms of test for both teams. And what a game that was. Just fantastic hockey. Could have gone both ways, so the 3-point game is deserved here. Happy with a point, but we were close. Anyway, it was Crosbys line that murdered you guys and it is no coincidence because Guentzel and Sheary are legit and dynamic 1st liners too, but you dominated every other line. Great goaltending at both ends, I mean what else can the hockey fan wish.. Now, please, lets go to beat Washington down the road. Good luck and congrats.

 

[Tofveve]

Hey Pens fan here! Gonna wish you a good luck down the road, my favourite team out of West. Entertaining as hell, I am impressed. We are missing 8 important players now, but still we are playing very well so this game was fairly relevant in terms of test for both teams. And what a game that was. Just fantastic hockey. Could have gone both ways, so the 3-point game is deserved here. Happy with a point, but we were close. Anyway, it was Crosbys line that murdered you guys and it is no coincidence because Guentzel and Sheary are legit and dynamic 1st liners too, but you dominated every other line. Great goaltending at both ends, I mean what else can the hockey fan wish.. Now, please, lets go to beat Washington down the road. Good luck and congrats.

Thanks buddy, good luck to you guys out East down the stretch.

 

[Tofveve]

I liked that hockey game and I like this hockey team.

 

[King In The North]

Good luck to the Pens the rest of the way!

 

[Ace Rimmer]

Even Elliott didn't argue much, so it was obvious even he didn't think it should come back.

Okay Kelly...

The rulebook is pretty clear, and there was contact on Elliott hindering his movement in the crease.

Would be nice to have the officials come out and explain their calls, because game to game that will be called differently.

Now mind you, it could also be the same rulebook that makes a poke check a penalty shot, but that's none of my business.

 

[InfinityIggy]

Okay Kelly...

The rulebook is pretty clear, and there was contact on Elliott hindering his movement in the crease.

Would be nice to have the officials come out and explain their calls, because game to game that will be called differently.

Now mind you, it could also be the same rulebook that makes a poke check a penalty shot, but that's none of my business.

My biggest issue with it is like you say, game to game that call gets made differently and another ref may have blown it as no goal on the ice.

 

[Johnny Hoxville]

Post game Elliott said that 87 is always going to get that call. He didn't say much else about it but to me it seemed like he felt it was interference.

What is important though is how our team responded. The call may have been wrong but our team is showing some serious push back and took it to the best team in the league when it counted. There isn't many games that Backlund will lose the battle it seems, he did to Sid. But I loved that Monahan outplayed Malkin last night. That got me really excited.

 

[DCDM]

Post game Elliott said that 87 is always going to get that call. He didn't say much else about it but to me it seemed like he felt it was interference.

What is important though is how our team responded. The call may have been wrong but our team is showing some serious push back and took it to the best team in the league when it counted. There isn't many games that Backlund will lose the battle it seems, he did to Sid. But I loved that Monahan outplayed Malkin last night. That got me really excited.

Worth mentioning that it wasn't a landslide in favor of Sid or the Pens. People can say what they want about the Pens being without a number of players, or tired from being on the road, but they're still an A+ team in the league and the Flames were right there with them for most of the game, and at times, even asserting themselves for parts of the second and third periods.

Not sure what it is now, whether it's just newfound confidence or resolve or something, but this isn't the same Flames team from earlier in the season at all. They seem to have found that next gear and it's fun as hell to watch.

 

[Unlimited Chequing]

Not sure what it is now, whether it's just newfound confidence or resolve or something, but this isn't the same Flames team from earlier in the season at all. They seem to have found that next gear and it's fun as hell to watch.

Yeah, I've noticed this recently too, especially yesterday.

At the start of the season they'd make plays that you know were destined to fail cause they were trying to be too fancy and we weren't a finesse team but now the way they set up plays and attack the net, I've had to rewind more than a few times lately cause I wasn't sure if I saw what I thought I saw. This is a team playing with a lot of confidence right now.

 

[Kahvi]

As I've said for a long time, there this thing called team spirit. Flames have a lot of that now, those Hamilton gifs a one example.

 

[BVicious]

Worth mentioning that it wasn't a landslide in favor of Sid or the Pens. People can say what they want about the Pens being without a number of players, or tired from being on the road, but they're still an A+ team in the league and the Flames were right there with them for most of the game, and at times, even asserting themselves for parts of the second and third periods.

Not sure what it is now, whether it's just newfound confidence or resolve or something, but this isn't the same Flames team from earlier in the season at all. They seem to have found that next gear and it's fun as hell to watch.

Sidney's line made Backlunds line look average at best. If anything the 3M struggled the most, and who wouldn't against Sid. The other lines played really well, but you could see the 3M line struggled and the Pens had them in their heels. A great test to them and to remind them there will be nights that they will get outplayed, a little resistance doesn't hurt anyone.

All around, we got the 2 points, continued the streak, and beat the defending cup champs. Can't complain at all.

 

[Flames Fanatic]

I think it's a combination of the 3M line AND Dougie-Gio. All 5 of them struggled.

I felt like Brodie had more good defensive plays on Crosby when he was on the ice against him than the top pair did.

Lets not forget shutting down Crosby is a super difficult task, and there is a reason Zetterberg is famous for doing it in two cup finals in a row.

 

[BigRangy]

Yeah I don't know if the 5 man unit of 3M and Gio-Dougie had an off game or if Crosby just had a great one. A bit of both I bet. Hopefully they can use this as a learning experience because they're definitely not used to spending the whole night in their zone.

Fortunately, the other three lines won their matchups and didn't make too many egregious errors.

 

[Will Hunting]

Yeah I don't know if the 5 man unit of 3M and Gio-Dougie had an off game or if Crosby just had a great one. A bit of both I bet. Hopefully they can use this as a learning experience because they're definitely not used to spending the whole night in their zone.

Fortunately, the other three lines won their matchups and didn't make too many egregious errors.

Just FYI They were not the only ones struggling against that line. That line is together just shortly, but this is happening constantly. Conor Sheary and Jake Guentzel are playing fantastic hockey for that line as well, it´s not just Sid. It´s really hard to defend. That said, when that line wasn´t on the ice, I was nervous as hell. The Flames were jumping on the rest of the Penguins team. Yeah, we are tired and injured but we gave it all this game. It just happened to be not enough, because the Flames played great. It was a fairly even matchup and maybe the best hockey game I´ve seen this season.

 

[BVicious]

Just FYI They were not the only ones struggling against that line. That line is together just shortly, but this is happening constantly. Conor Sheary and Jake Guentzel are playing fantastic hockey for that line as well, it´s not just Sid. It´s really hard to defend. That said, when that line wasn´t on the ice, I was nervous as hell. The Flames were jumping on the rest of the Penguins team. Yeah, we are tired and injured but we gave it all this game. It just happened to be not enough, because the Flames played great. It was a fairly even matchup and maybe the best hockey game I´ve seen this season.

Yea when I say the Backlund line struggled, it definitely wasn't just because of Sid. Sheary and Guentzel played fantastic, fast, and are hard to contain.

But that is where the Flames as a team stepped up, and why the team is so confident right now because every line is playing well. Even Sullivan had to give praise, as he should, to how the Flames played that game.

Potential Stanley Cup Finals preview? Maybe. Right now I'm not seeing anything that suggests the Flames don't have as good of chance.

We need to see how we stack up in California first before I get too far ahead of myself.

 

[Calgareee]

Just FYI They were not the only ones struggling against that line. That line is together just shortly, but this is happening constantly. Conor Sheary and Jake Guentzel are playing fantastic hockey for that line as well, it´s not just Sid. It´s really hard to defend. That said, when that line wasn´t on the ice, I was nervous as hell. The Flames were jumping on the rest of the Penguins team. Yeah, we are tired and injured but we gave it all this game. It just happened to be not enough, because the Flames played great. It was a fairly even matchup and maybe the best hockey game I´ve seen this season.

Yah the biggest issue with that line is the combination of speed and skill. Really exposed Tkachuck tonight and that doesn't happen. Pretty sure the first time I've seen it. Hopefully this off season is all about increasing his speed.

Once things were slowed down I thought he was still effective but on the rushes from that line you could tell he couldn't keep up.

Hopefully we get to play you guys again this year!!

 

[western redmen]

We lose all the challenges anyway, no matter who it is lol, not saying conspiracy its just bad luck

 

[OvermanKingGainer]

Yah the biggest issue with that line is the combination of speed and skill. Really exposed Tkachuck tonight and that doesn't happen. Pretty sure the first time I've seen it. Hopefully this off season is all about increasing his speed.

Once things were slowed down I thought he was still effective but on the rushes from that line you could tell he couldn't keep up.

Hopefully we get to play you guys again this year!!

I am completely against Sam Bennett at wing, but this matchup would be a rare case would I would consider a return of the Bennett-Backlund-Frolik line, and then have Tkachuk/Jankowski on the third line matched to Bonino.

 

[Slush]

We lose all the challenges anyway, no matter who it is lol, not saying conspiracy its just bad luck

That we do. That we do.

 

[Tofveve]

Is it wrong that I'm still pretty happy about that win boys?

 

[InfinityIggy]

Is it wrong that I'm still pretty happy about that win boys?

Sounds dangerously close to optimism in my opinion.

 

[DCDM]

Sounds dangerously close to optimism in my opinion.

Triggered

 

[Tofveve]

Sounds dangerously close to optimism in my opinion.

 

[Ace Rimmer]

It's okay guys, Boston will end the streak and any threat of optimism.

 

[Johnny Hoxville]

I've been pretty clear on how much I love Tkachuk, I don't think he played bad last night either. But man, what a good experience for him to see what the NHL is all about and where he needs to be. Man he is going to be special.