GDT: Vancouver Canucks @ Calgary Flames 8:00PM MST (Final game of 2022)

[Bert Mckrakken]

woooo!

Also, was looking at the Flames page on sportsnet. Says Oliver is supposed to be back Jan 26. Don't know if thats true or why they have it there...

Kylington, Oliver (D) | D
IR: Personal
January 26, 2023

 

[OvermanKingGainer]

Team is quite alright. Just gotta subtract Hanifin and his braindead play

 

[BRobMint]

Hey Canucks fans!

 

[Bounces R Way]

Happy New Years Flames Fans!

Lez get it the rest of the year

 

[Iggys Dome]

Happy new year every one I love all of you even the ones I disagree with go flames go

 

[Mobiandi]

Nice win. Hope 2023 brings everyone significant happiness, health, and peace

 

[Bjornar Moxnes]

Nice win. Hope 2023 brings everyone significant happiness, health, and peace

You too!

 

[Nanuuk]

For the doom and gloomers..

 

[Nanuuk]

And more from Mr. Haynes. I didn't realize that January would be a lighter schedule for us.

 

[Anglesmith]

Also take a look at who's on the schedule for February.

 

[super6646]

Nice to get that win. Happy New Years guys!

Now please take lucic off the second line… please!

 

[Kahvi]

It's not only that Flames have an "easy" January, they've had top-10 hard scheudule and have one of the easiest remaining NHL Strength of Schedule Rankings

 

[Yepthatsme]

Nice to get that win. Happy New Years guys!

Now please take lucic off the second line… please!

That lines been on for 6 goals in 6 games, has a tie for best goals percentage of any line we’ve tried this season, and the second best goal scoring rates. Can we atleast agree to pause the “kick the player I don’t like off the line” complaints until it stops working extremely well?

 

[super6646]

That lines been on for 6 goals in 6 games, has a tie for best goals percentage of any line we’ve tried this season, and the second best goal scoring rates. Can we atleast agree to pause the “kick the player I don’t like off the line” complaints until it stops working extremely well?

Then again, even if I just happened to throw 6 full seasons of Lucic not being top 6 caliber to the side for a sample size of 6 games, its not as if that line has been all that good. They've had an incredible string of puck luck (1.09 PDO and a 16OIS%), but they are underwater in xGF% and especially underwater in HDCF%. Yes their overall possession metrics are DECENT, but again you look at the overall picture its kinda bad. And outside of the San Jose and Edmonton game (when the team dominated overall), ya they haven't been an effective line.

Then again, 6 games. Maybe we ought to give that line 20 or 30 games... not predictable whatsoever what will happen. Or maybe we ought to recognize the decline of a player and put a better player on that line for a team that is fighting for their playoff lives and in which every single point will be crucial.

 

[Nanuuk]

Or maybe we should recognize that the 2 and 4 lines has been noticeably better since the lineup change.

Flames are grooming Ruzicka as a centre and he has raised the level of play for that line.

Lucic has opened up some room for Kadri and Huberdeau and plays a solid defensive game while chipping in some points here and there.

Can another player contribute more? Offensively yes. In other areas that remains to be seen.

I am not sure if Ritchie will miss time due to injury or not, but if sutter is so inclined he could move Ruzicka up with Zohorna taking over at 4C. This would disrupt the chemistry the two lines have had in the past six games though perhaps not by much.

My gut instinct is that Sutter will stay the course for a few more games to see if that chemistry continues to develop.

With Ritchie out, the 4 line will be Zohorna/Ruzicka/Lewis

 

[Ace Rimmer]

If Noted Goal Scorer Brett Ritchie is out for an extended period of time it doesn't matter, the season's over - start the rebuild.

4th line will probably be some version of Zohorna - Ruzicka - Lewis.

 

[Yepthatsme]

Then again, even if I just happened to throw 6 full seasons of Lucic not being top 6 caliber to the side for a sample size of 6 games, its not as if that line has been all that good. They've had an incredible string of puck luck (1.09 PDO and a 16OIS%), but they are underwater in xGF% and especially underwater in HDCF%. Yes their overall possession metrics are DECENT, but again you look at the overall picture its kinda bad. And outside of the San Jose and Edmonton game (when the team dominated overall), ya they haven't been an effective line.

Then again, 6 games. Maybe we ought to give that line 20 or 30 games... not predictable whatsoever what will happen. Or maybe we ought to recognize the decline of a player and put a better player on that line for a team that is fighting for their playoff lives and in which every single point will be crucial.

My man, I’m a believer in xGF% being predictive for future success as well. But at no point in history has a coach or reasonable fan ever said “Sure they have 6 goals in 6 games and aren’t allowing much for goals against, but a player who has been playing good isn’t actually good and they’re expected numbers is just ok so let’s end that experiment”. If ‘every point matters’ is that important to you, you’d think you’d be a fan of keeping together the best line we’ve had at helping us win games at the moment. Once they stop being so effective Lucic and Ruzicka swap makes sense to everyone.

Also underwater is xGF% is a little disingenuous, theirs is 50.8. Weird how you consider everything else a product of small sample sizes but not that too. You could easily look at our last two wins have been one goal games, and they’ve been our most relied upon line to protect that lead playing shell hockey. That could easily sewer their xGF% numbers in a 6 game sample (after a quick look that appears to exactly be the case, they had an awful xGF% against Vancouver, they’ve had overwhelming positive numbers in most the previous games).

If Noted Goal Scorer Brett Ritchie is out for an extended period of time it doesn't matter, the season's over - start the rebuild.

4th line will probably be some version of Zohorna - Ruzicka - Lewis.

Honestly, their minutes will go down a bit but that could be a scary effective 4th line.

 

[super6646]

My man, I’m a believer in xGF% being predictive for future success as well. But at no point in history has a coach or reasonable fan ever said “Sure they have 6 goals in 6 games and aren’t allowing much for goals against, but a player who has been playing good isn’t actually good and they’re expected numbers is just ok so let’s end that experiment”. If ‘every point matters’ is that important to you, you’d think you’d be a fan of keeping together the best line we’ve had at helping us win games at the moment. Once they stop being so effective Lucic and Ruzicka swap makes sense to everyone.

Also underwater is xGF% is a little disingenuous, theirs is 50.8. Weird how you consider everything else a product of small sample sizes but not that too. You could easily look at our last two wins have been one goal games, and they’ve been our most relied upon line to protect that lead playing shell hockey. That could easily sewer their xGF% numbers in a 6 game sample (after a quick look that appears to exactly be the case, they had an awful xGF% against Vancouver, they’ve had overwhelming positive numbers in most the previous games).


Honestly, their minutes will go down a bit but that could be a scary effective 4th line.

Line Stats - Natural Stat Trick

www.naturalstattrick.com

They are 49.67% as a line. Not a huge difference, but that’s underwater.

You could also look to games against San Jose and Edmonton (which saw the whole team play well) as “boosting” that line’s metrics too.

Again, 6 games is an almost nothing sample size. Their on ice save percentage is high, and their on ice shooting percentage is more than 6% above team average. Those things WILL balance out, and all you have is a line with 2 excellent players and a 12th-13th forward who was hot for 2 or 3 games. Saying otherwise is just disingenuous.

Every point absolutely does matter, which is why I’m a believer in putting good players higher in the lineup than worse ones lol. The logic is pretty simple. I’d say the same thing if it was Ritchie or Lewis (who actually maintained decent fancies at least but wasn’t doing enough to hold a top 9 role reliably otherwise); anyone can go on a bender, but it’s maintaining some level of consistency that matters. I have no doubt that will not happen with that line. At that point it’s costing the team points for no reason.

 

[Yepthatsme]

Line Stats - Natural Stat Trick

www.naturalstattrick.com

They are 49.67% as a line. Not a huge difference, but that’s underwater.

You could also look to games against San Jose and Edmonton (which saw the whole team play well) as “boosting” that line’s metrics too.

Again, 6 games is an almost nothing sample size. Their on ice save percentage is high, and their on ice shooting percentage is more than 6% above team average. Those things WILL balance out, and all you have is a line with 2 excellent players and a 12th-13th forward who was hot for 2 or 3 games. Saying otherwise is just disingenuous.

Every point absolutely does matter, which is why I’m a believer in putting good players higher in the lineup than worse ones lol. The logic is pretty simple. I’d say the same thing if it was Ritchie or Lewis (who actually maintained decent fancies at least but wasn’t doing enough to hold a top 9 role reliably otherwise); anyone can go on a bender, but it’s maintaining some level of consistency that matters. I have no doubt that will not happen with that line. At that point it’s costing the team points for no reason.

I’m sorry, so in your mind good games don’t count if the entire team played well? Do their bad performances get discounted to then when the team didn’t play as well? Should we just pro rate everyone’s to 50% to make things fair unless you like/dislike them? I pointed out usage lowering results, their worst numbers came from Vancouver and I think everyone would agree they played extremely well that game. You can’t just point to shooting percentage and save percentage as completely random stats. Have you ever thought that Huberdeau and Kadri playing amazing hockey probably results in a higher shooting percentage? Or all 3 putting in the work defensively lately inflates save percentages? Once you start applying numbers without actually caring if it backs what we are seeing you’ve gone too far. Do you think it’s a fluke when Backlund has one of the best on ice save percentages on the team, or when Draisatl has the best on ice shooting percentages league wide?

You hate Lucic. Everyone has heard you by now. That line has also single handedly won us 2 games of the 6 and have been a big factor in the others. Wait until they stop winning us hockey games to beat your drum man. You said it best in your last sentence, “at that point they will cost us points”. Right now they’re winning us them. Let’s talk again when you’re theoretical happens, it probably will but it’s not right now.

 

[super6646]

I’m sorry, so in your mind good games don’t count if the entire team played well? Do their bad performances get discounted to then when the team didn’t play as well? Should we just pro rate everyone’s to 50% to make things fair unless you like/dislike them? I pointed out usage lowering results, their worst numbers came from Vancouver and I think everyone would agree they played extremely well that game. You can’t just point to shooting percentage and save percentage as completely random stats. Have you ever thought that Huberdeau and Kadri playing amazing hockey probably results in a higher shooting percentage? Or all 3 putting in the work defensively lately inflates save percentages? Once you start applying numbers without actually caring if it backs what we are seeing you’ve gone too far. Do you think it’s a fluke when Backlund has one of the best on ice save percentages on the team, or when Draisatl has the best on ice shooting percentages league wide?

You hate Lucic. Everyone has heard you by now. That line has also single handedly won us 2 games of the 6 and have been a big factor in the others. Wait until they stop winning us hockey games to beat your drum man. You said it best in your last sentence, “at that point they will cost us points”. Right now they’re winning us them. Let’s talk again when you’re theoretical happens, it probably will but it’s not right now.

There ya go with your assumptions. This conversation is a waste of time if you boil it down to hate/like dichotomies. I could go on about the fact that the best player in the NHL has an on ice shooting % at ES that is over 5% LOWER than 16%, but really what's the point when maybe they just shoot better than Mcdavid and Draisatl lol. Or that our selke caliber centre has an OISV% of 87.6 at ES this year, maybe he just truly sucks defensively... or better yet maybe he's telling the goalies to stop less pucks when he's on the ice so that its more fair for the rest of the team lmao.

I believe players should be utilized based off their skillset, simple as that. Its great that line has had a couple good games, but I like to look at what will benefit the team overall, and I feel this line combo over the long term is a bad choice. But if you really can't see it as any other way, ya I hate Lucic as a top 6 forward and like him as a 12th to 13th forward. Lmfao. I don't feel there is anything unfair in that assessment.