Got to love a November moral victory.
good game for the tank
Saw the Flames complete at least six consecutive passes at even strength, a new season high.
Really good : Zary was excellent in his debut. He had a lot to work on entering the AHL and he's got a lot better. Held on to pucks, confident in his hands, went to the net and scored a goal. Actually has a lot of what the Flames are missing, hope he sticks. Weegar was also really good, didn't like how he played that Robertson goal tho. I'd be fine seeing more of that Kadri game, skating well, shooting lots, drawing penalties, threw some hits.
Good : Liked Mangiapane for the most part, getting his nose in there. Had a nice shot for the goal. Didn't get a ton of help from his linemates honestly. Nice to see Ras back, made a big difference in transition. Little rusty on that SHG, but where were his linemates? Sharongovich was getting inside which is good to see. Hanifin despite that one whiff was decent. Markstrom made some great saves, also was beaten from distance twice. 2nd best goalie again.
Meh : Backlund & Coleman were alright. Not much of a threat to score. Tanev is a step behind too often this season, I like the player a lot but unless he's willing to re-sign real cheap and real short I'd move on a the deadline.
Not good : Lindholm and Huberdeau. Too stationary, too many lost battles. Need a lot more from these two if the Flames hope to be competitive. They weren't outright bad but still.
Bad : Hunt mishandled the puck at least once every time he was on the ice. Not a top 9 player, no idea why Huska thinks he is. Must be a hell of a practicer. Oesterle turned it over basically every time he touched the puck. Do not like this player. SOFT. 4th line had a rough night, even with sheltered minutes playing C at the NHL level is quite a challenge. Coronato didn't look up to it but also just one game against a deep contending team. Greer was the worst of the bunch.
Just illustrates how much talent this team still needs. Played a great game against a contender that didn't have their best stuff and were still taken care of rather easily.