Okay...so the last Flames/Canucks match was a barrel of suck from a Calgary perspective. In fact, that's been true of nearly every Flames/Canucks match since the latter half of last season.
Vancouver is 18th in the league in scoring this year, yet seem to have little trouble putting up the goals against the Flames. Injuries, lack of depth, home or away: the circumstances have made little difference. A Vancouver victory is apprently assured when these two teams face each other these days.
Let's hope that trend is about to end. I have plenty of reasons to hate the Canucks: the 04 play-offs, the Divisional thing, the seemingly endless parade of dispicable players (Bertuzzi, Jovo-Monkey, Ruutu, Cooke, Burrows), so we might as well add this one to the pile.
Actual Analysis -
Vancouver is without Bieksa, Ohlund and Kesler. That's 3 of their shut-down players. Iginla and Huselius should technically have a field day, particularly at home. A couple of the secondary players have been chipping in recently (Conroy, Lombardi, Boyd) so I think the time is ripe for the Flames to take advantage of an injury depleted club, Luongo or no Luongo. If Kipper can resemble an NHL goalie tonight, the Flames take this one.
Prediction - Calgary 3 Vancouver 2. Iginla, Lombardi and Aucoin for the Flames. Mason Raymond (2) for the Canucks.
Go Flames.
Monday, December 31, 2007
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Ducks @ Flames Pregame
It's been tough to rouse myself from the post holiday malaise the past few days. I did manage to catch the Canucks/Flames game with a few other Flames bloggers. Beers were consumed and disgust at yet another loss to our hated Divisional rivals was expressed. Good times.
Tonight the Ducks are in town, fresh off of 4 straight wins since the return of Neidermayer the greater. The Flames have lost 3 straight and have only managed 7 wins at home all year. The defense and Kipper in particular took a couple steps back against the Canucks, which has kinda been the story for Calgary this year: whenever they seem to finally be improving in area or another, a bad game or two plunges them back into the depths of mediocrity. The record-tying 6 game roady seemed like a cure-all and definitive step forward for this club at the time, but is looking more and more like an aberrant blip on the radar. To be fair, some things have certainly improved since October: Regehr, Sarich, the PK. Boyd and Nystrom have been pleasant surprises. Overall, though, consistent excellence remains elusive and will continue to do so as long as the secondary scoring is spotty and Miikka Kiprusoff is merely average.
The latter point is probably the most worrisome. Calgary could no doubt outscore their other issues if they had the Kipper of old between the pipes. There have been brief flashes of Finnish brilliance this year, but they've proven and rare and transient. The loss to Vancouver was yet another in a long line of losses suffered due to a questionable goal or two. If Miikka can't find himself in January (for good), the best the Flames can hope for is a repeat of last year: squeak into the post-season and get waxed by the Red Wings.
As for tonight, I haven't seen the Ducks since Neidermayer returned, but it's hard to argue with the results. With the Captain, Chris "Elbows" Pronger, Frenchy Beauchemin and Old Man Schneider on the back-end, Anaheim has arguably the best blueline in the league again. They also have one of the best checking units centered by Sammy Pahlsson. In short, it's gonna be a tough one tonight, particularly if the bIggy line continues to struggle to produce at ES (which is very probable, given the competition).
Predicition - Let's give it to the visitors. Ducks 4, Flames 2. Pronger, Getzlaf (2) and Weight for Anaheim. Lombardi and Langkow for Calgary.
Earl's take from the Battle of California here.
Tonight the Ducks are in town, fresh off of 4 straight wins since the return of Neidermayer the greater. The Flames have lost 3 straight and have only managed 7 wins at home all year. The defense and Kipper in particular took a couple steps back against the Canucks, which has kinda been the story for Calgary this year: whenever they seem to finally be improving in area or another, a bad game or two plunges them back into the depths of mediocrity. The record-tying 6 game roady seemed like a cure-all and definitive step forward for this club at the time, but is looking more and more like an aberrant blip on the radar. To be fair, some things have certainly improved since October: Regehr, Sarich, the PK. Boyd and Nystrom have been pleasant surprises. Overall, though, consistent excellence remains elusive and will continue to do so as long as the secondary scoring is spotty and Miikka Kiprusoff is merely average.
The latter point is probably the most worrisome. Calgary could no doubt outscore their other issues if they had the Kipper of old between the pipes. There have been brief flashes of Finnish brilliance this year, but they've proven and rare and transient. The loss to Vancouver was yet another in a long line of losses suffered due to a questionable goal or two. If Miikka can't find himself in January (for good), the best the Flames can hope for is a repeat of last year: squeak into the post-season and get waxed by the Red Wings.
As for tonight, I haven't seen the Ducks since Neidermayer returned, but it's hard to argue with the results. With the Captain, Chris "Elbows" Pronger, Frenchy Beauchemin and Old Man Schneider on the back-end, Anaheim has arguably the best blueline in the league again. They also have one of the best checking units centered by Sammy Pahlsson. In short, it's gonna be a tough one tonight, particularly if the bIggy line continues to struggle to produce at ES (which is very probable, given the competition).
Predicition - Let's give it to the visitors. Ducks 4, Flames 2. Pronger, Getzlaf (2) and Weight for Anaheim. Lombardi and Langkow for Calgary.
Earl's take from the Battle of California here.
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Flames vs Canucks Pre-game
Here's a few of the story lines heading into tonight:
- Calgary hasn't lost in regulation so far this month. However, they also haven't won a game at the Dome since December the 4th either.
- Since being red hot on the road, the bIggy line has been shut down in two straight. Predictably, Calgary has scored just 2 goals during that span. In both contests, Jarome et al managed to significantly out-chance their counterparts but failed to capitalize.
- Vancouver has taken all three games of the season series thus far.
- The Canucks are 3 points up on the Flames in NW Divsion with a game in hand. They have a +10 GD through 36 games (97GF 87GA) while the Flames are still in the red in that regard (106GF 108GA).
- Calgary was the 2nd hottest team in the league behind he Detroit Red Wings over 10 games before the Christmas break.
It looks like Owen Nolan will make his return this evening, no doubt bumping Dustin Boyd to the press-box and taking his place on the Conroy/Tanguay line. Recent practice lines indicate that Smith-Primeau-Nilson will be the 4th line tonight, which would also give Godard the night off.
Secondary scoring remains a concern for this club, although the defensive play (and the PK in particular) seem to be back to reasonably good levels. Regehr and Sarich have slowly turned into the shut-down duo I was expecting when Cory was signed in the summer, while Hale and Aucoin have become a surprisingly effective 3rd pairing. Eriksson/Phaneuf is the chink in the armor - no defender gets scored on as much as Eriksson at ES and Phaneuf is still struggling with defensive assignments now and then. They are the Flames "chaos pairing" that will hopefully remain together only as long as Warrener is out of the line-up.
Prediction - The Flames have to beat the Canucks eventually, right? 3-2 Calgary. Huselius, Lombardi and Phaneuf for Calgary. Pyatt and Naslund for Vancouver.
Go Flames
- Calgary hasn't lost in regulation so far this month. However, they also haven't won a game at the Dome since December the 4th either.
- Since being red hot on the road, the bIggy line has been shut down in two straight. Predictably, Calgary has scored just 2 goals during that span. In both contests, Jarome et al managed to significantly out-chance their counterparts but failed to capitalize.
- Vancouver has taken all three games of the season series thus far.
- The Canucks are 3 points up on the Flames in NW Divsion with a game in hand. They have a +10 GD through 36 games (97GF 87GA) while the Flames are still in the red in that regard (106GF 108GA).
- Calgary was the 2nd hottest team in the league behind he Detroit Red Wings over 10 games before the Christmas break.
It looks like Owen Nolan will make his return this evening, no doubt bumping Dustin Boyd to the press-box and taking his place on the Conroy/Tanguay line. Recent practice lines indicate that Smith-Primeau-Nilson will be the 4th line tonight, which would also give Godard the night off.
Secondary scoring remains a concern for this club, although the defensive play (and the PK in particular) seem to be back to reasonably good levels. Regehr and Sarich have slowly turned into the shut-down duo I was expecting when Cory was signed in the summer, while Hale and Aucoin have become a surprisingly effective 3rd pairing. Eriksson/Phaneuf is the chink in the armor - no defender gets scored on as much as Eriksson at ES and Phaneuf is still struggling with defensive assignments now and then. They are the Flames "chaos pairing" that will hopefully remain together only as long as Warrener is out of the line-up.
Prediction - The Flames have to beat the Canucks eventually, right? 3-2 Calgary. Huselius, Lombardi and Phaneuf for Calgary. Pyatt and Naslund for Vancouver.
Go Flames
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Back at it
Merry Return Things Day! I hope everyone's holidays were blah blah blah...
Anyways, the Flames return to action tomorrow night when the Vancower Canucks swing into town.
As for right now, the WJC starts up today with the Canadian Juniors looking to win their 4th gold medal in as many years. Calgary doesn't have any prospects on this season's Team Canada edition, as Leland Irving was edged out of the crease by Bernier and Mason.
The Flames do have some property playing for other countries however in Michael Backlund (Sweden) and Juuso Puustinen (Finland). The former was the Flames first round pick last summer while the latter was a late round pick in 06. Backlund's been splitting time with Vasteras J20 and Vasteras in Sweden this year while Puustinen is in his 2nd season with the Kamloops Blazers of the WHL. Thanks to being a first rounder AND a total mystery to me, I'm most interested to see how Backlund fairs. A few of the Flames recent first round picks have been somewhat disappointing (Chucko, Pelech) so it would be nice to see if Backlund has promise beyond "4th line grinder".
Puustinen has also shown offensive promise during his time in the dub, though his season thus far is a step back from his encouraging rookie effort last year. Still...a 5th rounder selected for a National team is a nice little coup for Calgary's scouts. Any measure of success he manages now and beyond is kind of like a bonus**.
**(Main reason to hope Puustinen one day makes the big team: to hear his suggstive name announced in ebullient Saddledome fashion: "Flames goal scored by #55...JUUSSOOOO PUUUUUSSTINEN!!")
Anyways, the Flames return to action tomorrow night when the Vancower Canucks swing into town.
As for right now, the WJC starts up today with the Canadian Juniors looking to win their 4th gold medal in as many years. Calgary doesn't have any prospects on this season's Team Canada edition, as Leland Irving was edged out of the crease by Bernier and Mason.
The Flames do have some property playing for other countries however in Michael Backlund (Sweden) and Juuso Puustinen (Finland). The former was the Flames first round pick last summer while the latter was a late round pick in 06. Backlund's been splitting time with Vasteras J20 and Vasteras in Sweden this year while Puustinen is in his 2nd season with the Kamloops Blazers of the WHL. Thanks to being a first rounder AND a total mystery to me, I'm most interested to see how Backlund fairs. A few of the Flames recent first round picks have been somewhat disappointing (Chucko, Pelech) so it would be nice to see if Backlund has promise beyond "4th line grinder".
Puustinen has also shown offensive promise during his time in the dub, though his season thus far is a step back from his encouraging rookie effort last year. Still...a 5th rounder selected for a National team is a nice little coup for Calgary's scouts. Any measure of success he manages now and beyond is kind of like a bonus**.
**(Main reason to hope Puustinen one day makes the big team: to hear his suggstive name announced in ebullient Saddledome fashion: "Flames goal scored by #55...JUUSSOOOO PUUUUUSSTINEN!!")
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Flames vs. Devils Preview
Ultra brief game post today.
The Devils are, ironically, the last team the Flames will face before the birth-of-Jesus holiday break. New Jersey has been the best team in the Atlantic Division over the last little while but are ending a long, tiring road trip here in Calgary.
I thought the Flames deserved better against Dallas and was pleased with their overall effort. The Iginla line dominated a majority of the contest (again), but were stymied by great goaltending, bad bounces and some terrible Saddledome ice. Long story short, if the Flames can replicate that performance I'm confident they'll come out on the winning end tonight.
Extra bit - Boyd looked right at home skating with Tanguay and Conroy versus the Stars. he assisted on Tanguay's goal and was 2 inches away from putting the Flames ahead on a rebound shot in the third. Chances are he'll end up there again this evening, assuming Nolan is still hurt.
Anyways, Happy Holidays and Go Flames.
The Devils are, ironically, the last team the Flames will face before the birth-of-Jesus holiday break. New Jersey has been the best team in the Atlantic Division over the last little while but are ending a long, tiring road trip here in Calgary.
I thought the Flames deserved better against Dallas and was pleased with their overall effort. The Iginla line dominated a majority of the contest (again), but were stymied by great goaltending, bad bounces and some terrible Saddledome ice. Long story short, if the Flames can replicate that performance I'm confident they'll come out on the winning end tonight.
Extra bit - Boyd looked right at home skating with Tanguay and Conroy versus the Stars. he assisted on Tanguay's goal and was 2 inches away from putting the Flames ahead on a rebound shot in the third. Chances are he'll end up there again this evening, assuming Nolan is still hurt.
Anyways, Happy Holidays and Go Flames.
Friday, December 21, 2007
Buy Low (Ryder)
As much as everything is rosy in Flames land right now, it's hard to shake the notion that the team is still in dire need of secondary scoring. Calgary was woefully top heavy even before the creation of the new, unstoppable #1 unit Iginla, Langkow and Huselius. And since the pucks are bound to start bouncing the wrong way for the big boys at some point, the Flames will need some production out of one of these other combinations:
Tanguay - Conroy - Nolan
Nystrom - Lombardi - Yelle
Smith - Primeau - Godard
(Moss, Nilson, Boyd)
Not the most promising of propositions. Only 3 of those players have scored more than 40 points in a season recently and one of them is Owen "severe downslope" Nolan. Keep in mind, 40 points doesn't exactly scream "offensive dynamo". It's little wonder that the Flames 2nd PP unit, usually featuring the offensive wizardry of Conroy, Nolan, Regehr and Eriksson, has managed just 1 goal all year.
I don't think there's an internal solution to this dilemma. The Flames have no prospects tearing up the AHL and the current guys have proven they can't get the job done in that 2nd RWer position.
External solution? Hellllooo Micheal Ryder. Ryder has struggled a ton this year and has been a healthy scratch more than once. After scoring 30+ goals in back-to-back seasons, he has just 3 goals in 31 games so far. He's also a pending UFA and I doubt he'll be eager to re-sign in Montreal now that he's a permanant resident of the coaching staff's dog-house. I'd be surprised if the Montreal isn't shopping him already.
While Ryder's strengths seem to fit with the Flames needs (excellent shooter and goal scorer, good PP production), his game contains some definite weaknesses as well - he tends to get beat up at ES, even against softer opponents, and isn't the best skater in the world. That said, if used appropriately (sheltered with decent PP time ), Ryder would probably be an improvement over the crop of RWers were have now.
Other reasons to pursue Ryder: his stock is at all time low**, meaning he won't cost as much, his cap-hit for the remainder of the season would be a relatively small 1.62M and, since he's UFA in the summer, the Flames can walk away if he doesn't work out. Fairly low risk acquisition, depending on what the Habs demand in return.
**Ryder's shooting percentage this season is a bottom-barrel 3.8%, while his career average before this year was around 13%. And it's not like he was playing with Joe Thornton previously. Either he's hurt or this is some kind of freak run that will correct itself eventually. Of course, Ryder is close to useless when he isn't scoring goals, which renders Carbonneau's decision to sit him sensible. Would a change of scenery help Ryder to turn things around a la Brad Boyes or Kristian Huselius? It sure wouldn't hurt him to play with someone like Tanguay at ES and on the PP...
I guess the question remains...what would the Flames be able to offer in return? Prospects? Picks? MARCUS NILSON? Anyone who says "Alex Tanguay" should immediately move to the back of the bus (though the Montreal fans and media would no doubt love to get him).
Anyways, just some Holiday musings. Sutter never does anything that's expected, so I'd only give this one an "E1" rating. Let me know if you think I'm completely bonkers.
Tanguay - Conroy - Nolan
Nystrom - Lombardi - Yelle
Smith - Primeau - Godard
(Moss, Nilson, Boyd)
Not the most promising of propositions. Only 3 of those players have scored more than 40 points in a season recently and one of them is Owen "severe downslope" Nolan. Keep in mind, 40 points doesn't exactly scream "offensive dynamo". It's little wonder that the Flames 2nd PP unit, usually featuring the offensive wizardry of Conroy, Nolan, Regehr and Eriksson, has managed just 1 goal all year.
I don't think there's an internal solution to this dilemma. The Flames have no prospects tearing up the AHL and the current guys have proven they can't get the job done in that 2nd RWer position.
External solution? Hellllooo Micheal Ryder. Ryder has struggled a ton this year and has been a healthy scratch more than once. After scoring 30+ goals in back-to-back seasons, he has just 3 goals in 31 games so far. He's also a pending UFA and I doubt he'll be eager to re-sign in Montreal now that he's a permanant resident of the coaching staff's dog-house. I'd be surprised if the Montreal isn't shopping him already.
While Ryder's strengths seem to fit with the Flames needs (excellent shooter and goal scorer, good PP production), his game contains some definite weaknesses as well - he tends to get beat up at ES, even against softer opponents, and isn't the best skater in the world. That said, if used appropriately (sheltered with decent PP time ), Ryder would probably be an improvement over the crop of RWers were have now.
Other reasons to pursue Ryder: his stock is at all time low**, meaning he won't cost as much, his cap-hit for the remainder of the season would be a relatively small 1.62M and, since he's UFA in the summer, the Flames can walk away if he doesn't work out. Fairly low risk acquisition, depending on what the Habs demand in return.
**Ryder's shooting percentage this season is a bottom-barrel 3.8%, while his career average before this year was around 13%. And it's not like he was playing with Joe Thornton previously. Either he's hurt or this is some kind of freak run that will correct itself eventually. Of course, Ryder is close to useless when he isn't scoring goals, which renders Carbonneau's decision to sit him sensible. Would a change of scenery help Ryder to turn things around a la Brad Boyes or Kristian Huselius? It sure wouldn't hurt him to play with someone like Tanguay at ES and on the PP...
I guess the question remains...what would the Flames be able to offer in return? Prospects? Picks? MARCUS NILSON? Anyone who says "Alex Tanguay" should immediately move to the back of the bus (though the Montreal fans and media would no doubt love to get him).
Anyways, just some Holiday musings. Sutter never does anything that's expected, so I'd only give this one an "E1" rating. Let me know if you think I'm completely bonkers.
It's pretty good...I guess...
Hats off to Marian Gaborik for becoming the first player in 11 years to score 5 goals in a single game. The last guy to do it was Sergei Federov as a Red Wing. Considering the quality of goaltenders and coaching in today's NHL, scoring five in one night is quite the feat. I believe the only Flame to echo that achievement is Joe Neiuwendyk, back in the relatively freer scoring late-80's.
Mirtle's take here.
Mirtle's take here.
Thursday, December 20, 2007
I got Nothing
Basking in the post-coital glow of a perfect road trip, I find myself struggling to come up with content for the blog. A blank page intimidates me when there's nothing to complain about.
For certain the Flames aren't out of the woods yet. The unlikely surge of offense from Iginla and Huselius could be masking some areas of concern such as...
See? I can't help but start ferreting out the potential source of the next losing streak.
I'll resist the urge. For now, let's stick with the Super Fun Happyness!...
Speaking of which, have you nominated Kristian Huselius for the all-star game? If not, get to work. If so...do so again. Let's see if we can squeeze the Juice into this year's all-star festivities.
PS - I'm perfectly aware that I should be publicly flogged for even thinking of that pun. I am, and will remain, unrepentant however as it was created and employed for a worthy cause.
For certain the Flames aren't out of the woods yet. The unlikely surge of offense from Iginla and Huselius could be masking some areas of concern such as...
See? I can't help but start ferreting out the potential source of the next losing streak.
I'll resist the urge. For now, let's stick with the Super Fun Happyness!...
Speaking of which, have you nominated Kristian Huselius for the all-star game? If not, get to work. If so...do so again. Let's see if we can squeeze the Juice into this year's all-star festivities.
PS - I'm perfectly aware that I should be publicly flogged for even thinking of that pun. I am, and will remain, unrepentant however as it was created and employed for a worthy cause.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
The Iggy Love round-up
In November, fans and media alike were bemoaning the state of the Calgary Flames (myself included). "Lack of leadership" was frequently sited as a potential root cause of the Flames struggles.
Amazing what a record tying 6 game winning streak will do.
Iginla’s leadership and intensity on the ice may have, by itself, grabbed this troubled team from the brink of a disastrous season and brought them back into the race for the conference lead. An eight-day period from Dec. 9-16 may be remembered as the stretch the Flames roared back on track, and it was their captain who led the way.
That's former Oiler coach Craig Simpson writing for the CBC. His praise is even more effusive later in the article:
Jarome Iginla is a great leader, and his play this season has reminded us all just how much he has grown into that role...
Calgary has never had a Hart Trophy winner in their 28-year history, but Jarome Iginla should be their first.
After watching Jarome beat up another one his players and take over another game, Ken Hitchcock had this to say about Iggy in the Columbus dispatch:
"You have two or three (players), those are the ones who always drag people into the fight," Hitchcock said. "You always have 20 to 30 percent of your team when it's game time, they're kind of wondering what's going to happen. And teams that have success are the ones who have the players who push them into hard areas -- push, pull, drag, whatever you want, they get them into those areas...
The thing Iginla figured out pretty early in his NHL career is that his personality, his play and his determination had an impact on everybody. I mean, his fight turned the game around in Calgary. When he gets after people and he gets nasty and determined, I think it influences everybody on the bench...
Rick has shown that. Where Rick is still on the learning curve is when somebody goes after him like a (Chris) Pronger, he's got to learn to play through a guy like him or a guy like (Zdeno) Chara, which is very difficult to do, and that's what Iggy's figured out. Iggy plows right through those guys."
Hell, Jarome is even getting kudos in articles directed at other players. In his recent piece about Kristian Huselius, Larry Wigge notes:
It didn’t take Huselius long to figure out that if he watched the ultra-competitive Iginla, he might pick up something that would help his game.
"I would watch Jarome prepare for a game, get himself focused. Every day he was like that," Huselius said. "And I would watch how hard he worked on the ice. I knew I had to be more consistent like that."
I hated hearing the "lack of leadership" trope from aggravated fans before this incredible 6 game run for it's lack of clarity and testability as a theory. Now I hope to never hear it again while Jarome wears Flames silks - because it's so very obviously not true.
Amazing what a record tying 6 game winning streak will do.
Iginla’s leadership and intensity on the ice may have, by itself, grabbed this troubled team from the brink of a disastrous season and brought them back into the race for the conference lead. An eight-day period from Dec. 9-16 may be remembered as the stretch the Flames roared back on track, and it was their captain who led the way.
That's former Oiler coach Craig Simpson writing for the CBC. His praise is even more effusive later in the article:
Jarome Iginla is a great leader, and his play this season has reminded us all just how much he has grown into that role...
Calgary has never had a Hart Trophy winner in their 28-year history, but Jarome Iginla should be their first.
After watching Jarome beat up another one his players and take over another game, Ken Hitchcock had this to say about Iggy in the Columbus dispatch:
"You have two or three (players), those are the ones who always drag people into the fight," Hitchcock said. "You always have 20 to 30 percent of your team when it's game time, they're kind of wondering what's going to happen. And teams that have success are the ones who have the players who push them into hard areas -- push, pull, drag, whatever you want, they get them into those areas...
The thing Iginla figured out pretty early in his NHL career is that his personality, his play and his determination had an impact on everybody. I mean, his fight turned the game around in Calgary. When he gets after people and he gets nasty and determined, I think it influences everybody on the bench...
Rick has shown that. Where Rick is still on the learning curve is when somebody goes after him like a (Chris) Pronger, he's got to learn to play through a guy like him or a guy like (Zdeno) Chara, which is very difficult to do, and that's what Iggy's figured out. Iggy plows right through those guys."
Hell, Jarome is even getting kudos in articles directed at other players. In his recent piece about Kristian Huselius, Larry Wigge notes:
It didn’t take Huselius long to figure out that if he watched the ultra-competitive Iginla, he might pick up something that would help his game.
"I would watch Jarome prepare for a game, get himself focused. Every day he was like that," Huselius said. "And I would watch how hard he worked on the ice. I knew I had to be more consistent like that."
I hated hearing the "lack of leadership" trope from aggravated fans before this incredible 6 game run for it's lack of clarity and testability as a theory. Now I hope to never hear it again while Jarome wears Flames silks - because it's so very obviously not true.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
...And One Makes an Even Half Dozen
This evening we get to see if Baby Jesus REALLY favors the Flames. The boys can tie a NHL record of 6 consecutive road victories (in one trip) by beating the BJs in Columbus.
The outcome will likely depend on whether the Juice-Langkow-Iggy line can continue to play like Gods amongst lobotomized chimps. Kipper is still "meh" and the defensive coverage, outside of Cory Sarich and the apparently not-so-lame Robyn Regehr, leaves much to be desired. Also, as mentioned before (and likely to be mentioned again)...no one else is scoring.
On the latter front, there may be some temporary hope: Owen Nolan is out with some mysterious ailment tonight, and Dustin Boyd is to take his place on the 2nd line with Tanguay and Conroy. Which is encouraging. Now if we could only discern and neutralize the source of Conroy's abominable power over Keenan and the coaching staff...perhaps Lombardi could be nudged up into the top 6 in his stead. Oh well. Small steps.
Columbus has been average recently, winning roughly as much as they lose. They began the season on a roll, thanks in no small part to Pascal Leclaire's heroics, but have returned back to Earth since. Not that this will be an easy match by any means: Hitchcock has the BJ's playing tight, Boa Constrictor defense. Not to mention, this is the Flames 6th game on a long and brutal road trip.
It's impossible to complain about 10 out of 12 points away from home. So I won't. A win (or even tie) tonight would be the cherry on top of a gold encrusted, stripper filled, "Congratulations on Winning the Lottery You Virile Bachelor of the Year!" cake.
Go Flames.
The outcome will likely depend on whether the Juice-Langkow-Iggy line can continue to play like Gods amongst lobotomized chimps. Kipper is still "meh" and the defensive coverage, outside of Cory Sarich and the apparently not-so-lame Robyn Regehr, leaves much to be desired. Also, as mentioned before (and likely to be mentioned again)...no one else is scoring.
On the latter front, there may be some temporary hope: Owen Nolan is out with some mysterious ailment tonight, and Dustin Boyd is to take his place on the 2nd line with Tanguay and Conroy. Which is encouraging. Now if we could only discern and neutralize the source of Conroy's abominable power over Keenan and the coaching staff...perhaps Lombardi could be nudged up into the top 6 in his stead. Oh well. Small steps.
Columbus has been average recently, winning roughly as much as they lose. They began the season on a roll, thanks in no small part to Pascal Leclaire's heroics, but have returned back to Earth since. Not that this will be an easy match by any means: Hitchcock has the BJ's playing tight, Boa Constrictor defense. Not to mention, this is the Flames 6th game on a long and brutal road trip.
It's impossible to complain about 10 out of 12 points away from home. So I won't. A win (or even tie) tonight would be the cherry on top of a gold encrusted, stripper filled, "Congratulations on Winning the Lottery You Virile Bachelor of the Year!" cake.
Go Flames.
Monday, December 17, 2007
Improbabilities and Observations
Point form because Im lazy today:
- The Flames won 5 games in a row on the road for the first time since 1988.
- Immediately after my bemoaning their lack of production on here, the Flames scored 18 goals in just 3 contests.
- Kristian Huselius collected 11 points, including two 5 point performances, last week. Meaning, Juice garnered more points in 3 games than Owen Nolan has managed in the 33 games he's played. Nolan makes 600k more than Huselius this year.
- Calgary has already scored over 100 goals and still have a negative GD.
- Jarome Iginla is probably the best player in the NHL right now. He's scored the most ES points in the league and has the 3rd highest PPG pace. He's behind only Vincent Lecavalier in terms of total points, and Vinny L has the luxury of playing in the SE Division. He's done all of this despite frequently seeing the opposition's best players and defensemen. He leads Flames skaters in goals, assists, PP goals, GWG, shooting %, +/- (by a healthy +7 differential) and even face-off percentage (54.5%). And he's a winger. He may have singlehandedly turned around Langkow and Jucie's seasons. And, if radio reports are to be believed, he's the one who came up with the idea of playing those two with him in the first place. Hart Trophy anyone?
- Adrian Aucoin is going through a "Preissification" under Mike Keenan: he's sheltered at ES, plays very little on the PK and gets primo PP time with the first unit. One the one hand, that's hardly value for a 4M+ cap-hit. On the other hand, it's better than him being bombed at ES and becoming a liability. His 17 points are a pleasant surprise so far and he seems at least to be excelling in his limited role, which was more than he did for Chicago.
- Mike Keenan continues to (mostly) roll Craig Conroy and Owen Nolan with Alex Tanguay, despite glaring evidence that it's not an effective trio. Nolan and Conroy continue to...well, not score...while Tanguay has predictably gone stone cold in the process. At the same time, Matthew Lombardi is stuck playing with the likes of Yelle, Primeau and Nyzerman! (and also, predictably, not scoring). Im all for keeping the Iggy trio together, but sheesh...do we have to resign ourselves to being a top-heavy club so completely? Could we at least TRY to squeeze some scoring out of the rest of the skaters? Hmmm?
- Calgary is back into a play-off spot for the first time since...awhile. They are 1 point back of NW Div. leading Minnesota Wild but only 3 points up on the basement dwelling, shoe-horse bearing Oilers.
- The Flames won 5 games in a row on the road for the first time since 1988.
- Immediately after my bemoaning their lack of production on here, the Flames scored 18 goals in just 3 contests.
- Kristian Huselius collected 11 points, including two 5 point performances, last week. Meaning, Juice garnered more points in 3 games than Owen Nolan has managed in the 33 games he's played. Nolan makes 600k more than Huselius this year.
- Calgary has already scored over 100 goals and still have a negative GD.
- Jarome Iginla is probably the best player in the NHL right now. He's scored the most ES points in the league and has the 3rd highest PPG pace. He's behind only Vincent Lecavalier in terms of total points, and Vinny L has the luxury of playing in the SE Division. He's done all of this despite frequently seeing the opposition's best players and defensemen. He leads Flames skaters in goals, assists, PP goals, GWG, shooting %, +/- (by a healthy +7 differential) and even face-off percentage (54.5%). And he's a winger. He may have singlehandedly turned around Langkow and Jucie's seasons. And, if radio reports are to be believed, he's the one who came up with the idea of playing those two with him in the first place. Hart Trophy anyone?
- Adrian Aucoin is going through a "Preissification" under Mike Keenan: he's sheltered at ES, plays very little on the PK and gets primo PP time with the first unit. One the one hand, that's hardly value for a 4M+ cap-hit. On the other hand, it's better than him being bombed at ES and becoming a liability. His 17 points are a pleasant surprise so far and he seems at least to be excelling in his limited role, which was more than he did for Chicago.
- Mike Keenan continues to (mostly) roll Craig Conroy and Owen Nolan with Alex Tanguay, despite glaring evidence that it's not an effective trio. Nolan and Conroy continue to...well, not score...while Tanguay has predictably gone stone cold in the process. At the same time, Matthew Lombardi is stuck playing with the likes of Yelle, Primeau and Nyzerman! (and also, predictably, not scoring). Im all for keeping the Iggy trio together, but sheesh...do we have to resign ourselves to being a top-heavy club so completely? Could we at least TRY to squeeze some scoring out of the rest of the skaters? Hmmm?
- Calgary is back into a play-off spot for the first time since...awhile. They are 1 point back of NW Div. leading Minnesota Wild but only 3 points up on the basement dwelling, shoe-horse bearing Oilers.
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Take This Object...But Beware
Flames have a chance to make it 5 for 5 this afternoon. Whodathunkit? Kipper stole the first couple while a suddenly potent offense stole the last couple. I'd love it if the boys could, you know, put it all together to form a decisive victory or two...but, at this point I won't be choosy. Win 'em however possible.
The Blues have been in the news a lot recently. They were victims of a vicious Colorado beat-down a few days ago, surrendering 9 goals to the Avs in Tampa Bay Lightning-like fashion. They were also the fortunate recipients of Brian Burke's McDonald salary dump, sending Doug Weight over to Anaheim in the exchange (great trade from a Blue's perspective, even if Andy is struggling a bit). They've also lost their last 3 games, including the Avs thumping, with the other two being to "lesser" opponents in Edmonton (5-4 S/O loss) and Florida (1-0 SOL).
The recent spate of wins for the Flames has a lot of "good news/bad news" about it. Kipper (and the team-wide defensive play) initially looked like he (it) was back to pre-07/08 form, only to come crashing down to current 07/08 form against Tampa and Carolina. Iginla, Huselius and Langkow have been absolutely stellar since being united, scoring 15 points in the last 3 games alone. In contrast, the rest of the forwards have managed just 4 points during that same span (One of those points being Nolan's empty-net goal). Dion Phaneuf looks lost in his own zone still, but has vaulted into the top 5 in defensive scoring by posting a goal and 6 assists in the last 2 games...
So there's some "yay" and some "nay" about the team still. The "woo-hoo's" are mixed liberally with the "doh's". The Frogurt is free (that's good!) but it's also cursed (that's bad).
From one perspective, it could be claimed that the Flames are finally finding ways to win games at a very important time of the year. The bounces, which have tended to be unkind, are starting to go the other way. On the other hand, there's the possibility that the streak is somewhat illusory: that the club has won a few in a row thanks to some big, improbable and ultimately unsustainable performances by a couple key players and in reality still hasn't sorted out many of it's fundamental faults. I'd like to think (and hope) it's the former, but have an anxious fear that it's primarily the latter. Only time and results will dictate which is truer I guess.
On today's game: Apparently Wayne Primeau will be re-inserted into the line-up at the expense of - wait for it - Dustin Boyd (one of the few forwards not on the a line with Iggy to score a legitimate goal recently). I've been nothing but pleased with Boyd's play since he arrived and think he's more than capable of replacing Primeau's nominal contributions, and then some. What's worse, this portends a return to the minors for Boyd once all the veterans are healthy - bad news for a team that's so in need of secondary scoring. The linked article DOES claim Boyd is hurting from a Wallin hit against the Canes and is sitting out for precautionary reasons. I really hope that's the truth of the matter. But, again, I have my doubts.
Anyways, here's what the bottom-six will look like with Wayne instead of Dustin today:
Primeau - Lombardi - Yelle
Nystrom - Smith - Godard
With Tanguay left to fruitlessly pass pucks to a pair of STONEHANDS in the slot. Sigh. I guess Jarome and co. will have to dominate again.
Go Flames.
The Blues have been in the news a lot recently. They were victims of a vicious Colorado beat-down a few days ago, surrendering 9 goals to the Avs in Tampa Bay Lightning-like fashion. They were also the fortunate recipients of Brian Burke's McDonald salary dump, sending Doug Weight over to Anaheim in the exchange (great trade from a Blue's perspective, even if Andy is struggling a bit). They've also lost their last 3 games, including the Avs thumping, with the other two being to "lesser" opponents in Edmonton (5-4 S/O loss) and Florida (1-0 SOL).
The recent spate of wins for the Flames has a lot of "good news/bad news" about it. Kipper (and the team-wide defensive play) initially looked like he (it) was back to pre-07/08 form, only to come crashing down to current 07/08 form against Tampa and Carolina. Iginla, Huselius and Langkow have been absolutely stellar since being united, scoring 15 points in the last 3 games alone. In contrast, the rest of the forwards have managed just 4 points during that same span (One of those points being Nolan's empty-net goal). Dion Phaneuf looks lost in his own zone still, but has vaulted into the top 5 in defensive scoring by posting a goal and 6 assists in the last 2 games...
So there's some "yay" and some "nay" about the team still. The "woo-hoo's" are mixed liberally with the "doh's". The Frogurt is free (that's good!) but it's also cursed (that's bad).
From one perspective, it could be claimed that the Flames are finally finding ways to win games at a very important time of the year. The bounces, which have tended to be unkind, are starting to go the other way. On the other hand, there's the possibility that the streak is somewhat illusory: that the club has won a few in a row thanks to some big, improbable and ultimately unsustainable performances by a couple key players and in reality still hasn't sorted out many of it's fundamental faults. I'd like to think (and hope) it's the former, but have an anxious fear that it's primarily the latter. Only time and results will dictate which is truer I guess.
On today's game: Apparently Wayne Primeau will be re-inserted into the line-up at the expense of - wait for it - Dustin Boyd (one of the few forwards not on the a line with Iggy to score a legitimate goal recently). I've been nothing but pleased with Boyd's play since he arrived and think he's more than capable of replacing Primeau's nominal contributions, and then some. What's worse, this portends a return to the minors for Boyd once all the veterans are healthy - bad news for a team that's so in need of secondary scoring. The linked article DOES claim Boyd is hurting from a Wallin hit against the Canes and is sitting out for precautionary reasons. I really hope that's the truth of the matter. But, again, I have my doubts.
Anyways, here's what the bottom-six will look like with Wayne instead of Dustin today:
Primeau - Lombardi - Yelle
Nystrom - Smith - Godard
With Tanguay left to fruitlessly pass pucks to a pair of STONEHANDS in the slot. Sigh. I guess Jarome and co. will have to dominate again.
Go Flames.
Friday, December 14, 2007
Well...that was...something...
Okay, so the Flames made me look stupid for bemoaning their lack of secondary offense yesterday. The funny thing is, they still kinda proved my point anyways: of the 9 goals scored, Iginla, Huselius and Langkow accounted for 7 of them. Nolan was the only forward not on the first line to get a point yesterday - and that was thanks to an empty net.
But, enough of that. I'll enjoy the rare and improbable victory while I can.
Quick turn-around as Calgary is in Carolina tonight. The Hurricanes came out like gangbusters to start the season but have fallen back recently. Like the Bolts, Carolina struggles with defensive issues now and then, but have an impressive array of offensive weapons that can blow away the bad guys on any given night.
That said, let's hope this doesn't turn into another shoot-out. Stillman, Rod the Bod, Williams, Staal, Cole...the Canes can do some damage and it's unlikely that Iginla and Huselius will be shooting lights out two nights in a row. Here's hoping for a return to low-scoring sanity, with Kipper out-dueling Ward.
3-1 Flames. Tanguay, Langkow and Lombardi for Calgary. Willams for Carolina.
But, enough of that. I'll enjoy the rare and improbable victory while I can.
Quick turn-around as Calgary is in Carolina tonight. The Hurricanes came out like gangbusters to start the season but have fallen back recently. Like the Bolts, Carolina struggles with defensive issues now and then, but have an impressive array of offensive weapons that can blow away the bad guys on any given night.
That said, let's hope this doesn't turn into another shoot-out. Stillman, Rod the Bod, Williams, Staal, Cole...the Canes can do some damage and it's unlikely that Iginla and Huselius will be shooting lights out two nights in a row. Here's hoping for a return to low-scoring sanity, with Kipper out-dueling Ward.
3-1 Flames. Tanguay, Langkow and Lombardi for Calgary. Willams for Carolina.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Remove the Stone of Shame (attach the stone of triumph)
Calgary's won two in a row, both kind of improbably, on the back of some stellar performances from Kipper. On the road, no less. The PK is improving, the goals against are finally going down and Regehr looks like a #1 defenseman again, despite playing on an injured ankle. Also, Jarome is unstoppable.
Save your sighs of relief. All is not rainbows and puppies just yet...
In the last 19 games, the Flames have scored more than 3 goals just twice, the most recent being the 5-2 victory over the Avs on November 27 (more than 2 weeks ago). In that same 19 game span, Calgary was held to 2 or less goals 11 times.
Iginla and Tanguay are still getting the job done, more or less. Huselius and Langkow are coming around, though they still aren't producing anywhere near their earlier pace. Lombardi has fallen into a bit of a funk. And pretty much every other forward on the team (with the possible exception of Boyd) can't put a puck in the ocean most nights. As an illustration of the latter issue, consider this nugget from Matt's "Flames through 30" post:
The 2nd PP unit remains worse than garbage. We are 30 games into the season, and the Flames have scored a grand total of one PP goal without Jarome Iginla on the ice. ONE! In 78+ minutes! How is that even possible! Has Toby Petersen been skating for the Flames in Owen Nolan's uniform?!?!?
Unfortunately, that problem has begun to seep into the Flames ES play as well. Without Langkow and Huselius forming an effective secondary unit behind the Iginla/Tanguay duo, the Flames are basically down to one offensive threat (Juice-Langkow-Iginla) and three water-treading units. Which is okay when Kipper is stopping everything and the occasional Cory Sarich floater happens to find the back of net - but it's hardly a winning formula over the long-term.
Basically, the Flames need more secondary firepower if the Iggy/Langkow line is to remain intact. That responsibility lies with:
Tanguay-Conroy-Nolan
Nystrom-Lombardi-Boyd
Those have been the other consistent Keenan combinations recently. See the problem?
Tanguay -STONEHANDS - STONEHANDS
STONEHANDS - Lombardi - Boyd
Tanguay has 5 assists in his last 4 games...but only one has come off a goal by his current line-mates (Nolan in Chicago). Meaning Tanguay has been putting up points when he's on the ice with someone besides Conroy and Nolan.
At some point, Keenan's going to have to realize those last two aren't top 6 forwards any more: they have 21 points between them in 61 games played so far, even though they've spent a majority of the season with players like Langkow, Tanguay, Iginla and Huselius (who all single-handedly eclipse their combined point total). They each have one measly PP point (Tanguay and Iginla have 19). Both are on the wrong side of 35 and are on the downslopes of their careers. There's no more blood to be wrung from these stone(hands).
My suggestion is to consolidate the STONEHANDS on a single line. Send that trio out against tough competition with the explicit goal of "not getting scored on" and use the new found secondary scoring unit against softer opposition. For example -
Huselius-Langkow-Iginla...toughest competition
Tanguay-Lombardi-Boyd...soft competition
Nystrom-Conroy-Nolan...tougher competition
scrubs...softest competition
Beyond generating some secondary offense, this arrangement breaks up the "kid line" of Lombo, Boyd and Nystrom. Sure, they're fast - but they're also 2 rookies and a 25 year-old centerman. Not to mention, Boyd isn't a natural RWer. Meaning, it's an adventure when they get caught in their own zone.
As you can probably predict, the kid line got eaten alive against the Panthers: they were the only unit to put up negative Corsi figures for the evening. That's despite the fact that Martin ran the Jokinen/Horton line against Conroy's trio most of the game. Being outplayed while seeing softer opposition is a bad sign and should be reserved for 5 minute/night guys like Godard.
I don't think that would happen with Tanguay on the wing. He's the second best ES producer on the team and would go a long way to encouraging some results from guys like Lombardi and Boyd. Nystrom - god love him - works his ass off, finishes his checks and is a decent PKer, but is a total void in the offensive zone. Combine him with Conroy and Nolan and you've sequestered all the missed empty-nets and de-fused offensive zone cycles onto one line. While that means those players won't score a lot (hell, they don't score now anyways), it also removes all the "offensive dampeners" from the top 6 - meaning 2 full lines of actual firepower. Hallelujah.
Not that any of this is bound to happen. I'll probably just have to play out my fantasy combinations in the magical land of video games...
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Flames in Tampa-Bay tonight. The Lightning have 3 fantastic hockey players in Lacavalier, St. Louis and Richards, some decent ones in Ranger and Prospal...and not a hell of a lot else. Their goaltending is sub-par and their blueline, minus Sarich and the injured Dan Boyle, is middling at best. As such, Tampa is a very beatable team if you can contain the top 3 guys. If not, prepare to be railroaded.
This is the game Flames fans should be thanking god that a) Kipper is back on track and b) Regehr is in the line-up. Otherwise, another disappointing defeat in the St. Pete Times Forum was inevitable.
But, since a) and b) are true, Calgary has a good chance of winning and finally extending a win streak beyond 2 games for the first time this year. Let's go with a 3-2 Flames victory. Langkow, Boyd and Huselius for Calgary. Lecavalier and Gratton for the Bolts.
Save your sighs of relief. All is not rainbows and puppies just yet...
In the last 19 games, the Flames have scored more than 3 goals just twice, the most recent being the 5-2 victory over the Avs on November 27 (more than 2 weeks ago). In that same 19 game span, Calgary was held to 2 or less goals 11 times.
Iginla and Tanguay are still getting the job done, more or less. Huselius and Langkow are coming around, though they still aren't producing anywhere near their earlier pace. Lombardi has fallen into a bit of a funk. And pretty much every other forward on the team (with the possible exception of Boyd) can't put a puck in the ocean most nights. As an illustration of the latter issue, consider this nugget from Matt's "Flames through 30" post:
The 2nd PP unit remains worse than garbage. We are 30 games into the season, and the Flames have scored a grand total of one PP goal without Jarome Iginla on the ice. ONE! In 78+ minutes! How is that even possible! Has Toby Petersen been skating for the Flames in Owen Nolan's uniform?!?!?
Unfortunately, that problem has begun to seep into the Flames ES play as well. Without Langkow and Huselius forming an effective secondary unit behind the Iginla/Tanguay duo, the Flames are basically down to one offensive threat (Juice-Langkow-Iginla) and three water-treading units. Which is okay when Kipper is stopping everything and the occasional Cory Sarich floater happens to find the back of net - but it's hardly a winning formula over the long-term.
Basically, the Flames need more secondary firepower if the Iggy/Langkow line is to remain intact. That responsibility lies with:
Tanguay-Conroy-Nolan
Nystrom-Lombardi-Boyd
Those have been the other consistent Keenan combinations recently. See the problem?
Tanguay -STONEHANDS - STONEHANDS
STONEHANDS - Lombardi - Boyd
Tanguay has 5 assists in his last 4 games...but only one has come off a goal by his current line-mates (Nolan in Chicago). Meaning Tanguay has been putting up points when he's on the ice with someone besides Conroy and Nolan.
At some point, Keenan's going to have to realize those last two aren't top 6 forwards any more: they have 21 points between them in 61 games played so far, even though they've spent a majority of the season with players like Langkow, Tanguay, Iginla and Huselius (who all single-handedly eclipse their combined point total). They each have one measly PP point (Tanguay and Iginla have 19). Both are on the wrong side of 35 and are on the downslopes of their careers. There's no more blood to be wrung from these stone(hands).
My suggestion is to consolidate the STONEHANDS on a single line. Send that trio out against tough competition with the explicit goal of "not getting scored on" and use the new found secondary scoring unit against softer opposition. For example -
Huselius-Langkow-Iginla...toughest competition
Tanguay-Lombardi-Boyd...soft competition
Nystrom-Conroy-Nolan...tougher competition
scrubs...softest competition
Beyond generating some secondary offense, this arrangement breaks up the "kid line" of Lombo, Boyd and Nystrom. Sure, they're fast - but they're also 2 rookies and a 25 year-old centerman. Not to mention, Boyd isn't a natural RWer. Meaning, it's an adventure when they get caught in their own zone.
As you can probably predict, the kid line got eaten alive against the Panthers: they were the only unit to put up negative Corsi figures for the evening. That's despite the fact that Martin ran the Jokinen/Horton line against Conroy's trio most of the game. Being outplayed while seeing softer opposition is a bad sign and should be reserved for 5 minute/night guys like Godard.
I don't think that would happen with Tanguay on the wing. He's the second best ES producer on the team and would go a long way to encouraging some results from guys like Lombardi and Boyd. Nystrom - god love him - works his ass off, finishes his checks and is a decent PKer, but is a total void in the offensive zone. Combine him with Conroy and Nolan and you've sequestered all the missed empty-nets and de-fused offensive zone cycles onto one line. While that means those players won't score a lot (hell, they don't score now anyways), it also removes all the "offensive dampeners" from the top 6 - meaning 2 full lines of actual firepower. Hallelujah.
Not that any of this is bound to happen. I'll probably just have to play out my fantasy combinations in the magical land of video games...
-------------------------------------------------------------
Flames in Tampa-Bay tonight. The Lightning have 3 fantastic hockey players in Lacavalier, St. Louis and Richards, some decent ones in Ranger and Prospal...and not a hell of a lot else. Their goaltending is sub-par and their blueline, minus Sarich and the injured Dan Boyle, is middling at best. As such, Tampa is a very beatable team if you can contain the top 3 guys. If not, prepare to be railroaded.
This is the game Flames fans should be thanking god that a) Kipper is back on track and b) Regehr is in the line-up. Otherwise, another disappointing defeat in the St. Pete Times Forum was inevitable.
But, since a) and b) are true, Calgary has a good chance of winning and finally extending a win streak beyond 2 games for the first time this year. Let's go with a 3-2 Flames victory. Langkow, Boyd and Huselius for Calgary. Lecavalier and Gratton for the Bolts.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
The Keenan of Casterbridge
There's a "Keenan Returns!" subtext to today's match between the Flames and Panthers. Iron Mike didn't leave that Franchise on the best of terms and is now routinely vilified by the few Floridians that actually still care about hockey down there. Not that I blame them; if Sutter traded Kipper and Giordano for Alex Auld, Bryan Allen and 7 games of Todd Bertuzzi, there'd be plenty of burning effigies around these parts as well. Expect boos, cat calls and more than one rubber rat to rain down on Keenan this evening.
Course, the Flames coach has much bigger problems to worry about. His team needs every single point it can squeeze out of this trip, so Im sure the collective hatred of the hundred or so folks at the arena tonight will fade to a distant hum should the Flames manage to pull out a win.
Aside from the desire to beat the crap out of Keenan, the Panthers have their own reasons to press for victory this evening - they're currently 14th in Eastern Conference are only 3 points up on last place Washington. It was assumed by many (myself included) that the Cats would challenge for a play-off spot this season with the addition of Vokoun and maturation of guys like Horton, Bouwmeester and Weiss. But...they look as mediocre as ever so far.
Probably the only thing the Flames have to worry about tonight is the Panther's PP: they've scored 27 goals on 113 opportunities, good for a 2nd best rate of 23.9%. Aside from that...meh. Calgary is clearly the superior 5on5 team, having scored 13 more goals at ES.
Also under the "Yay!" column:
The long awaited re-awakening of Kiprusoff may finally be occurring. He stole his first game of the season from the Hawks on Sunday and his SV% is starting to creep closer to a respectable .900 (.892). Not counting shoot-outs, Kipper has allowed more than 3 goals against only once in the last 9 games (and more than 2 goals against only 3 times in that span). More importantly, his SV% over the most recent 3 game span has been a stellar 0.947. Now THAT'S the Kiprusoff I've come to know and love. If can keep it up, perhaps all is not lost.
Anyways, I haven't made a prediction in awhile. Let's stick with ol' faithful -
4-1 Flames. Iginla (2), Boyd and Phaneuf for Calgary. Booth for Florida.
Course, the Flames coach has much bigger problems to worry about. His team needs every single point it can squeeze out of this trip, so Im sure the collective hatred of the hundred or so folks at the arena tonight will fade to a distant hum should the Flames manage to pull out a win.
Aside from the desire to beat the crap out of Keenan, the Panthers have their own reasons to press for victory this evening - they're currently 14th in Eastern Conference are only 3 points up on last place Washington. It was assumed by many (myself included) that the Cats would challenge for a play-off spot this season with the addition of Vokoun and maturation of guys like Horton, Bouwmeester and Weiss. But...they look as mediocre as ever so far.
Probably the only thing the Flames have to worry about tonight is the Panther's PP: they've scored 27 goals on 113 opportunities, good for a 2nd best rate of 23.9%. Aside from that...meh. Calgary is clearly the superior 5on5 team, having scored 13 more goals at ES.
Also under the "Yay!" column:
The long awaited re-awakening of Kiprusoff may finally be occurring. He stole his first game of the season from the Hawks on Sunday and his SV% is starting to creep closer to a respectable .900 (.892). Not counting shoot-outs, Kipper has allowed more than 3 goals against only once in the last 9 games (and more than 2 goals against only 3 times in that span). More importantly, his SV% over the most recent 3 game span has been a stellar 0.947. Now THAT'S the Kiprusoff I've come to know and love. If can keep it up, perhaps all is not lost.
Anyways, I haven't made a prediction in awhile. Let's stick with ol' faithful -
4-1 Flames. Iginla (2), Boyd and Phaneuf for Calgary. Booth for Florida.
Monday, December 10, 2007
...BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE!
The Flames currently sit 12th in Western Conference. They have 29 points in 30 games and a -9 GD. Only the Kings have given up more goals against in the WC. With a theoretical cut-off point of 93 points to make the post season, Calgary will have to go something like 29 - 17 - 6 to even have a prayer of making the play-offs. And the team is currently staring down the maw of an ugly 6 game road-trip that could go a long to making or breaking their season.
So...should Sutter do something drastic right now? If the Flames go 2-3-1 on this trip, will it be too late to recover? What can he do?
Fire Keenan and become coach again
This is as drastic as it gets. I don't think one can rightly blame Keenan for the club's plight right now, but Iron Mike clearly hasn't been "the answer" either. Sutter has proven that the club responds to his presence, as evidenced by the winning streak incited by his dressing room visit back in March. The Flames were one of stingiest and hardest working teams under his rule and those are both qualities the boys have lacked since he kicked himself upstairs.
The pressure of an expensive roster and high expectations - as well as a dearth of suitable replacements - makes this move possible if not plausible. Sutter will have a lot to answer for if this club takes another step backwards after last year's debacle. My guess is he'd rather resort to axing Iron Mike later rather than sooner however.
Make a trade
The Flames have an aching need for defensive depth and another top 6 forward. With Rhett Warrener unexpectedly sidelined (*derisive snort*) and Aucoin, Eriksson and Hale all proving they are who we thought they were, Calgary is once again a team with 3 top minutes guys (Phaneuf, Regehr and Sarich) and 3 bottom-minutes guys (Aucoin, Eriksson and Hale). Add in Phaneuf's struggles, Regehr's swollen ankle and the expectation that Aucoin will be hurt any day now and the Flames are a bad blocked shot or step-backwards away from full-on, Chinese fire-drill territory.
What's available? Not a lot. The Ducks are facing a cap squeeze with the return of Scott Niedermayer. Shane Hnidy (700K) or Sean O'Donnell (1.25M) might be up for grabs there. O'Donnell plays about 20 minutes a night against decent competition and is behind only Beauchemin and Pronger in terms of SH ice/game. He also has a decent GA/60 rate (1.89). He's not the best puck mover and is rather lead of foot, so he's rotten at promoting goal scoring. His teams GF/60 rate with him on the ice is a pedestrian 1.45 and the opposition tends to generate more shots at the net whenever he's on the ice (-3.5 CORSI). Hnidy plays only about 13 minutes/game total and is therefore more of what the Flames have already.
The Blues are also a defensemen rich franchise. Jay McKee could be available there, although his bloated salary would be tough to swallow. A salary dump would be required in order to add him. Not to mention adding another 4M contract to an already unwieldy back-end should be the last thing on Sutter's mind.
Boston and Philly are both pressed up against the cap, but both have the same needs as the Flames. Neither have a top d-man to spare. Unless Sutter is willing to accept the remainder of Darien Hatcher's 3.5M/year contract (expires after next season)? No? Didn't think so.
Im guessing Wade Redden will be available to rent at some point this year since it's unlikely the Sens will be able to re-sign him in the off-season. Redden isn't worth his 6M price-tag, but can still bring decent value as a 2nd pairing/1st unit PP guy. A rental may be the way to go for Calgary given the ensuing budget crunch in the summer. In Redden's case, it would be a matter of having the kind of assets the Sens would demand in return, as well as somehow shoe-horning his salary under the cap. Other pending UFA's (and potential rentals) include: Dan Boyle, Paul Mara and Dmitri Kalinin.
As for the top-6 forward, as a primer, consider the Flames RW depth:
Iginla - 16-22-38 +7
Nolan - 5-4-9 0
Moss - 1-5-6 -3
Godard - 1-0-1 -1
Let's all declare the Nolan experiment a failure, shall we? He's not a 2nd line RWer anymore. Nor is Moss and Godard probably shouldn't be taking a regular shift at the NHL level anyways.
As mentioned, the NY Rangers are pressed closely to the cap ceiling. Martin Straka can play wing and has been made redundant on that roster with the addition of Gomez and Drury. He's also set to become unrestricted next year. As such, the Rags would probably like to divest themselves of his 3.3M cap hit.
Also, Petr Prucha is underperforming this year, relative to his rookie campaign. While it's possible his 30 goals that season were an aberration (especially considering his 23.1 shooting %), he only costs 1.6M this year and next and is a mere 24 years old (meaning room and potential for him to outperform his contract in the future). He's more of a gamble but also comes with a cheaper price-tag.
Some other potential rentals that might be available include: Satan (4.255M), Ryder (2.950), JP Dumont (2.25M) and Hunter (1.55M).
Of course, all this trade talk comes down to what the trading partner would demand in return. The Flames have a lot of "flotsam" on their roster that won't command much interest. Yelle, Nilson, Nolan, Conroy, Primeau, Warrener, Eriksson and Aucoin are essentially untradable. Huselius, with his cheap contract and pending FA status is probably a movable asset. Ditto with Langkow. The problem being the team needs to clutch top 6 guys like Huselius and Langkow close to their chest in order to remain competitive. Not only are both invaluable in terms of "secondary" (or primary) scoring, both are probable to outperform their contracts: an increasingly rare commodity on the Flames roster these days.
Matthew Lombardi is also potentially attractive to other squads. He's young, lightning fast, can put up some points and is signed for a relatively cheap 1.83M for the next couple years. Of course, he's also a key cog in the organization's plans going forward: with the pending departures of Langkow and Conroy and the obsolence of Stephane Yelle, Lombo looks like the best NHL ready center in Calgary's system. Argh.
The best (only?) strategy would be to court clubs with cap problems I guess. A salary dump means a prospect or draft pick going the other way. Right now, that's all the Flames could spare anyways.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Will the addition of a Martin Straka makes the Flames more competitive? Maybe a little. While Straka (or someone Straka-like) certainly wouldn't hurt, another capable defender is probably higher on the priority list. Particularly one that can produce on the PP occasionally (and manage to keep the puck in at the blue line).
Anyhoo, that's my take. Comments? Complaints? Criticisms?
So...should Sutter do something drastic right now? If the Flames go 2-3-1 on this trip, will it be too late to recover? What can he do?
Fire Keenan and become coach again
This is as drastic as it gets. I don't think one can rightly blame Keenan for the club's plight right now, but Iron Mike clearly hasn't been "the answer" either. Sutter has proven that the club responds to his presence, as evidenced by the winning streak incited by his dressing room visit back in March. The Flames were one of stingiest and hardest working teams under his rule and those are both qualities the boys have lacked since he kicked himself upstairs.
The pressure of an expensive roster and high expectations - as well as a dearth of suitable replacements - makes this move possible if not plausible. Sutter will have a lot to answer for if this club takes another step backwards after last year's debacle. My guess is he'd rather resort to axing Iron Mike later rather than sooner however.
Make a trade
The Flames have an aching need for defensive depth and another top 6 forward. With Rhett Warrener unexpectedly sidelined (*derisive snort*) and Aucoin, Eriksson and Hale all proving they are who we thought they were, Calgary is once again a team with 3 top minutes guys (Phaneuf, Regehr and Sarich) and 3 bottom-minutes guys (Aucoin, Eriksson and Hale). Add in Phaneuf's struggles, Regehr's swollen ankle and the expectation that Aucoin will be hurt any day now and the Flames are a bad blocked shot or step-backwards away from full-on, Chinese fire-drill territory.
What's available? Not a lot. The Ducks are facing a cap squeeze with the return of Scott Niedermayer. Shane Hnidy (700K) or Sean O'Donnell (1.25M) might be up for grabs there. O'Donnell plays about 20 minutes a night against decent competition and is behind only Beauchemin and Pronger in terms of SH ice/game. He also has a decent GA/60 rate (1.89). He's not the best puck mover and is rather lead of foot, so he's rotten at promoting goal scoring. His teams GF/60 rate with him on the ice is a pedestrian 1.45 and the opposition tends to generate more shots at the net whenever he's on the ice (-3.5 CORSI). Hnidy plays only about 13 minutes/game total and is therefore more of what the Flames have already.
The Blues are also a defensemen rich franchise. Jay McKee could be available there, although his bloated salary would be tough to swallow. A salary dump would be required in order to add him. Not to mention adding another 4M contract to an already unwieldy back-end should be the last thing on Sutter's mind.
Boston and Philly are both pressed up against the cap, but both have the same needs as the Flames. Neither have a top d-man to spare. Unless Sutter is willing to accept the remainder of Darien Hatcher's 3.5M/year contract (expires after next season)? No? Didn't think so.
Im guessing Wade Redden will be available to rent at some point this year since it's unlikely the Sens will be able to re-sign him in the off-season. Redden isn't worth his 6M price-tag, but can still bring decent value as a 2nd pairing/1st unit PP guy. A rental may be the way to go for Calgary given the ensuing budget crunch in the summer. In Redden's case, it would be a matter of having the kind of assets the Sens would demand in return, as well as somehow shoe-horning his salary under the cap. Other pending UFA's (and potential rentals) include: Dan Boyle, Paul Mara and Dmitri Kalinin.
As for the top-6 forward, as a primer, consider the Flames RW depth:
Iginla - 16-22-38 +7
Nolan - 5-4-9 0
Moss - 1-5-6 -3
Godard - 1-0-1 -1
Let's all declare the Nolan experiment a failure, shall we? He's not a 2nd line RWer anymore. Nor is Moss and Godard probably shouldn't be taking a regular shift at the NHL level anyways.
As mentioned, the NY Rangers are pressed closely to the cap ceiling. Martin Straka can play wing and has been made redundant on that roster with the addition of Gomez and Drury. He's also set to become unrestricted next year. As such, the Rags would probably like to divest themselves of his 3.3M cap hit.
Also, Petr Prucha is underperforming this year, relative to his rookie campaign. While it's possible his 30 goals that season were an aberration (especially considering his 23.1 shooting %), he only costs 1.6M this year and next and is a mere 24 years old (meaning room and potential for him to outperform his contract in the future). He's more of a gamble but also comes with a cheaper price-tag.
Some other potential rentals that might be available include: Satan (4.255M), Ryder (2.950), JP Dumont (2.25M) and Hunter (1.55M).
Of course, all this trade talk comes down to what the trading partner would demand in return. The Flames have a lot of "flotsam" on their roster that won't command much interest. Yelle, Nilson, Nolan, Conroy, Primeau, Warrener, Eriksson and Aucoin are essentially untradable. Huselius, with his cheap contract and pending FA status is probably a movable asset. Ditto with Langkow. The problem being the team needs to clutch top 6 guys like Huselius and Langkow close to their chest in order to remain competitive. Not only are both invaluable in terms of "secondary" (or primary) scoring, both are probable to outperform their contracts: an increasingly rare commodity on the Flames roster these days.
Matthew Lombardi is also potentially attractive to other squads. He's young, lightning fast, can put up some points and is signed for a relatively cheap 1.83M for the next couple years. Of course, he's also a key cog in the organization's plans going forward: with the pending departures of Langkow and Conroy and the obsolence of Stephane Yelle, Lombo looks like the best NHL ready center in Calgary's system. Argh.
The best (only?) strategy would be to court clubs with cap problems I guess. A salary dump means a prospect or draft pick going the other way. Right now, that's all the Flames could spare anyways.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Will the addition of a Martin Straka makes the Flames more competitive? Maybe a little. While Straka (or someone Straka-like) certainly wouldn't hurt, another capable defender is probably higher on the priority list. Particularly one that can produce on the PP occasionally (and manage to keep the puck in at the blue line).
Anyhoo, that's my take. Comments? Complaints? Criticisms?
Saturday, December 08, 2007
Calgary @ Chicago Pregame
Calgary starts out a potentially season-killing 6 game roadie against the Hawks tomorrow. A .500 or less trip will likely mean a deep, dank hole from which escape will be all but impossible. If the Flames drop the ball the next couple weeks, expect some desperate measures to take effect. Big trades, a selling off of assets or the firing of a coach aren't improbable.
Anyways, as you've no doubt heard by now, Regehr suffered a deep bruise to his ankle rather than a break the other night. That probably reduces his down time to a matter of days rather than weeks. So that's good.
He won't be in the line-up against Chicago though. And that's bad for a number of reasons:
1.) The Blackhawks have been a tough team for Calgary at the best of times the last few seasons.
2.) This isn't the best of times. The Flames have a hurt/struggling Phaneuf, Sarich, a somewhat effective Aucoin and a bunch of fringe players playing defense in the absence of Regehr.
3.) Martin Havlat is back in the line-up for the Hawks. He's a scary, game-breaking talent. And they were winning before he returned.
4.) Calgary's on the road and half their d-corps is highly exploitable. Pardy/Hale vs. Havlat = goals against.
5.) The Hawks are the best team in the league at scoring SH goals. The Flames are the best team in the league at giving them up.
For what it's worth, Iginla is playing lights out and he's re-enlivened Huselius and Langkow. And Kipper's played pretty decently the last few games (shoot-outs and break-aways aside).
On another note, what the hell was Keenan doing last game? his matching and line combinations seemed almost arbitrary to my eye. For example - guess which forward played the most against Sidney Crosby? Give-up? The answer is...Craig Conroy (followed closely by Tanguay). Jarome Iginla played mostly against Talbot, Malkin and Sykora. Hale and Phaneuf started the game against Crosby's line, but Eriksson and Phaneuf ended up being the guys who saw the most of him by the end of the night (Regehr only played 9 minutes ES because of his injury). That's right - Eriksson saw more time against Crosby than Adrian Aucoin or Cory Sarich (in the case of Aucoin MUCH MORE. In fact, Aucoin played less and was more sheltered than Hale last game). So...is Aucoin still sick? injured? Or does Keenan trust him that little? And how does Eriksson see more of Crosby than our $3.6M shut-down, free-agent signing? Ugh...
To top it all off, Keenan put Nystrom and Boyd on the ice against Crosby in the final minute of tie game. There's giving the kids a vote of confidence after a good game and then there's gambling needlessly.
I don't know what Keenan was trying to accomplish with his mad alchemy, but a lot of it flew in the face of some of his established strategies. Therefore I have no idea what to expect tomorrow, except for some heavy sheltering of the 3rd defensive pairing. Im guessing Iginla will skate with Langkow and Huselius since they've been clicking, but that's all I got. Whatever he does, lets hope it works.
Go Flames.
Anyways, as you've no doubt heard by now, Regehr suffered a deep bruise to his ankle rather than a break the other night. That probably reduces his down time to a matter of days rather than weeks. So that's good.
He won't be in the line-up against Chicago though. And that's bad for a number of reasons:
1.) The Blackhawks have been a tough team for Calgary at the best of times the last few seasons.
2.) This isn't the best of times. The Flames have a hurt/struggling Phaneuf, Sarich, a somewhat effective Aucoin and a bunch of fringe players playing defense in the absence of Regehr.
3.) Martin Havlat is back in the line-up for the Hawks. He's a scary, game-breaking talent. And they were winning before he returned.
4.) Calgary's on the road and half their d-corps is highly exploitable. Pardy/Hale vs. Havlat = goals against.
5.) The Hawks are the best team in the league at scoring SH goals. The Flames are the best team in the league at giving them up.
For what it's worth, Iginla is playing lights out and he's re-enlivened Huselius and Langkow. And Kipper's played pretty decently the last few games (shoot-outs and break-aways aside).
On another note, what the hell was Keenan doing last game? his matching and line combinations seemed almost arbitrary to my eye. For example - guess which forward played the most against Sidney Crosby? Give-up? The answer is...Craig Conroy (followed closely by Tanguay). Jarome Iginla played mostly against Talbot, Malkin and Sykora. Hale and Phaneuf started the game against Crosby's line, but Eriksson and Phaneuf ended up being the guys who saw the most of him by the end of the night (Regehr only played 9 minutes ES because of his injury). That's right - Eriksson saw more time against Crosby than Adrian Aucoin or Cory Sarich (in the case of Aucoin MUCH MORE. In fact, Aucoin played less and was more sheltered than Hale last game). So...is Aucoin still sick? injured? Or does Keenan trust him that little? And how does Eriksson see more of Crosby than our $3.6M shut-down, free-agent signing? Ugh...
To top it all off, Keenan put Nystrom and Boyd on the ice against Crosby in the final minute of tie game. There's giving the kids a vote of confidence after a good game and then there's gambling needlessly.
I don't know what Keenan was trying to accomplish with his mad alchemy, but a lot of it flew in the face of some of his established strategies. Therefore I have no idea what to expect tomorrow, except for some heavy sheltering of the 3rd defensive pairing. Im guessing Iginla will skate with Langkow and Huselius since they've been clicking, but that's all I got. Whatever he does, lets hope it works.
Go Flames.
Thursday, December 06, 2007
For Whom the Balls Ache
Tonight's loss to the Pens is a "bad news, worse news" kinda thing.
Bad news: The Flames once again lost thanks to a SH goal against and an inability to bear down on their chances.
Worse news: It was reported after the game that Robyn Regehr suffered a broken ankle while blocking a shot and will likely be out for 4 weeks.
As the horrifying realization of what that means for this team's play-off aspirations steals over you, I'll end with the Flames resultant defensive depth chart and some appropriate verses from the master of the melancholy and macabre, Edgar Allan Poe...
Phaneuf - Aucoin
Sarich - Eriksson
Hale - Pardy
Ramholt
Hear the tolling of the bells-
Iron Bells!
What a world of solemn thought their monody compels!
In the silence of the night,
How we shiver with affright
At the melancholy menace of their tone!
For every sound that floats
From the rust within their throats
Is a groan.
And the people–ah, the people-
They that dwell up in the steeple,
All Alone
And who, tolling, tolling, tolling,
In that muffled monotone,
Feel a glory in so rolling
On the human heart a stone-
They are neither man nor woman-
They are neither brute nor human-
They are Ghouls:
And their king it is who tolls;
And he rolls, rolls, rolls,
Rolls
A paean from the bells!
And his merry bosom swells
With the paean of the bells!
And he dances, and he yells;
Keeping time, time, time,
In a sort of Runic rhyme,
To the paean of the bells-
Of the bells:
Keeping time, time, time,
In a sort of Runic rhyme,
To the throbbing of the bells-
Of the bells, bells, bells-
To the sobbing of the bells;
Keeping time, time, time,
As he knells, knells, knells,
In a happy Runic rhyme,
To the rolling of the bells-
Of the bells, bells, bells:
To the tolling of the bells,
Of the bells, bells, bells, bells-
Bells, bells, bells-
To the moaning and the groaning of the bells.
(I'm compelled to append a post-script in the sentiment of the above...
Cheering for this team this year has been like being kicked in the balls. In the balls. In the balls, balls, balls-
in the balls, balls, balls, balls, balls, Balls, BALLS! Oh! The kicking and the stomping of my balls.)
Pens at Flames Pregame - Updated
Did you know Sidney Crosby is just 20 years old? And that there's a media frenzy everywhere he goes? And that he handles said frenzy with maturity and aplomb?? Oh, and he's really good at hockey too?
Well, I did. In fact, I knew that before the Crosby circus arrived in Calgary. But, just in case I didn't (or in case I have the memory of a goldfish) the local media has ensured my awareness by ceaselessly reiterating the above points these past few days.
Ugh.
Anyways, yes, Sid the Kid's in town for the first time tonight. More importantly, the Flames have an opportunity to take advantage of a road weary opponent and they desperately need to string a couple wins together. The Pens are a mediocre squad with average goaltending at best and a so-so blueline corps. Like the Flames, they've also had to deal with a couple players who are struggling to justify their sunset contracts (Roberts, Recchi, Sydor) while some of their youngsters have taken a step backwards as well (Staal, Armstrong, Christensen). The Pens are a +1 squad at ES while the Flames, despite their struggles, are +7 5 on 5. Predictability, Pittsburgh tends to make hay on the PP, where they've scored 27 goals to the Flames 19.
Meaning Calgary should avoid a special teams battle like the plague. The PK has improved slightly over the last few weeks, but not enough to regularly confront a Gonchar-Crosby-Malkin PP unit and expect any real measure of success. Unfortunately, Crosby is one of the best in the league at drawing penalties (while the Flames are one of the most undisciplined clubs in the league), so staying out of the sin bin may be a tall order...
I assume Regehr+partner (Aucoin?) and the Iginla forward unit will get the Crosby assignment tonight. Im pretty comfortable with that, particularly considering that Crosby isn't the ES player that Iggy is (yet) and Regehr is slowly becoming the snarly stalwart we all expected. Evgeni Malkin scores almost as much as Crosby at ES, but also tends to bleed GA, so he's not as worrisome. Im guessing he'll see a lot of Phaneuf this evening.
It's difficult to predict the Flames forward trios for this game. I assume Langkow and Huselius will stick with Iggy, but beyond that it's a total guessing game. Tanguay played just 11 minutes last game and he played with everybody. Ditto Dustin Boyd, who tends to draw two shifts with Godard/Smith for every one shift he gets with...whoever else. Lombardi was primarily deployed with Nystrom and Nolan against the Blues, while Conroy seemed to bounce between lines 2 and 4 pretty regularly. Tanguay, Conroy and Nolan began the St. Louis game as the de facto "2nd line", but, as Keenan no doubt realized, playing a set-up man of Tanguay's caliber with a couple of stone-hands like Nolan and Connie is like casting pearls before swine. An open net is basically a Medusa's gaze to those two.
So...who knows. I think I'd like to see Boyd move up with Tanguay a bit more: run them against soft opposition whenever possible and see what results. Boyd's played well against the lesser lights thus far, even when he's skated with lesser lights himself. It can't hurt to play him with some talent, particularly at home where match-ups can be controlled. I think it'd be a worthy experiment, but I doubt it'll happen. Wishful thinking I guess.
Anyways, short form - if Calgary can minimize their PIM, I like their chances.
Go Flames.
UPDATE - It's being reported at the Flames Insider that Yelle is still on the shelf and Aucoin is sick with a cold but will play anyways. Also, the practice lines today were:
Huselius-Langkow-Iginla
Tanguay-Conroy-Nilson
Nystrom-Lombardi-Nolan
Smith-Boyd-Godard
Phaneuf-Hale
Regehr-Eriksson
Sarich-Aucoin
Pardy
I can only hope the bolded duo were a "practice only" pairing. The thought of Crosby skating in on Anders Eriksson all night is a frightening one (actually, Im arguing against myself here...I suggested a few days ago that Regehr should be babysitting Eriksson. But that was before I thought Reggie would be seeing Crosby duty).
Well, I did. In fact, I knew that before the Crosby circus arrived in Calgary. But, just in case I didn't (or in case I have the memory of a goldfish) the local media has ensured my awareness by ceaselessly reiterating the above points these past few days.
Ugh.
Anyways, yes, Sid the Kid's in town for the first time tonight. More importantly, the Flames have an opportunity to take advantage of a road weary opponent and they desperately need to string a couple wins together. The Pens are a mediocre squad with average goaltending at best and a so-so blueline corps. Like the Flames, they've also had to deal with a couple players who are struggling to justify their sunset contracts (Roberts, Recchi, Sydor) while some of their youngsters have taken a step backwards as well (Staal, Armstrong, Christensen). The Pens are a +1 squad at ES while the Flames, despite their struggles, are +7 5 on 5. Predictability, Pittsburgh tends to make hay on the PP, where they've scored 27 goals to the Flames 19.
Meaning Calgary should avoid a special teams battle like the plague. The PK has improved slightly over the last few weeks, but not enough to regularly confront a Gonchar-Crosby-Malkin PP unit and expect any real measure of success. Unfortunately, Crosby is one of the best in the league at drawing penalties (while the Flames are one of the most undisciplined clubs in the league), so staying out of the sin bin may be a tall order...
I assume Regehr+partner (Aucoin?) and the Iginla forward unit will get the Crosby assignment tonight. Im pretty comfortable with that, particularly considering that Crosby isn't the ES player that Iggy is (yet) and Regehr is slowly becoming the snarly stalwart we all expected. Evgeni Malkin scores almost as much as Crosby at ES, but also tends to bleed GA, so he's not as worrisome. Im guessing he'll see a lot of Phaneuf this evening.
It's difficult to predict the Flames forward trios for this game. I assume Langkow and Huselius will stick with Iggy, but beyond that it's a total guessing game. Tanguay played just 11 minutes last game and he played with everybody. Ditto Dustin Boyd, who tends to draw two shifts with Godard/Smith for every one shift he gets with...whoever else. Lombardi was primarily deployed with Nystrom and Nolan against the Blues, while Conroy seemed to bounce between lines 2 and 4 pretty regularly. Tanguay, Conroy and Nolan began the St. Louis game as the de facto "2nd line", but, as Keenan no doubt realized, playing a set-up man of Tanguay's caliber with a couple of stone-hands like Nolan and Connie is like casting pearls before swine. An open net is basically a Medusa's gaze to those two.
So...who knows. I think I'd like to see Boyd move up with Tanguay a bit more: run them against soft opposition whenever possible and see what results. Boyd's played well against the lesser lights thus far, even when he's skated with lesser lights himself. It can't hurt to play him with some talent, particularly at home where match-ups can be controlled. I think it'd be a worthy experiment, but I doubt it'll happen. Wishful thinking I guess.
Anyways, short form - if Calgary can minimize their PIM, I like their chances.
Go Flames.
UPDATE - It's being reported at the Flames Insider that Yelle is still on the shelf and Aucoin is sick with a cold but will play anyways. Also, the practice lines today were:
Huselius-Langkow-Iginla
Tanguay-Conroy-Nilson
Nystrom-Lombardi-Nolan
Smith-Boyd-Godard
Phaneuf-Hale
Regehr-Eriksson
Sarich-Aucoin
Pardy
I can only hope the bolded duo were a "practice only" pairing. The thought of Crosby skating in on Anders Eriksson all night is a frightening one (actually, Im arguing against myself here...I suggested a few days ago that Regehr should be babysitting Eriksson. But that was before I thought Reggie would be seeing Crosby duty).
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
Reasonably Mollified. For Now.
Aside from the initial 10 minutes, the Flames put in a complete and dominating performance this evening. For the first time in awhile, Calgary depressed both shots AND quality scoring chances against. The opening period wasn't overly impressive, but a 2 goal, +18 shot margin 2nd period turned the tide for good. In fact, the final 3-1 score flattered St. Louis.
More interesting than the victory itself was the manner in which Keenan managed the bench this evening. In the comments to Matt's pre-game post, I noted (in reference to Phaneuf's struggles) -
I can't understand why Keenan continues to play Eriksson so much - Sure, he hasn't been the horrible F-U machine he was in the first 10 games, but that's a pretty low standard to judge by. Playing him with Phaneuf, who has slid back from his step forward in October (thanks in no small part to playing with Eriksson in front of a .880 save percentage for 30 minutes a game) borders on the ludicrous.
I know, I know...injuries, Hale sucks...but, Jesus, play Dion with Sarich and give Eriksson to Regehr to babysit.
Keenan Apparently heeded my advice (sort of), because he did in fact mix up the pairings and flatten out the ice-time across the 6 players. And it worked like a charm. Phaneuf was paired primarily with Hale (oddly), and played only about 20 minutes, mostly against middling opposition (Stempniak, McClement, Mayers, Salvador, Jackman. He was kept away from Kariya et al). Eriksson only played about 12 minutes, split between Dion and Sarich, while the Aucoin/Regehr duo were matched against the toughest opponents (Kariya, Tkachuk, Boyes).
Which also means another departure from previous Iron Mike orthodoxy: Regehr/Aucoin played behind Iginla's line this evening, whereas it was Iginla/Conroy/Tanguay and Phaneuf+Partner in the power v power strategy previously. With Reghr's improvement, Phaneuf's struggles and tonight's rousing success, expect that trend to continue.
Also, anyone noticed how the bottom six isn't a total waste of time with the insertion of Boyd and Nystrom in the line-up? The former has been particularly effective recently, especially since he manages to create so much with so little (ice-time, teammates) so frequently. He scored the winning goal with a heady bank-shot from behind the goal line this evening, and was denied another goal by a Toivonen glove save later on. I'm not saying he's ready to step up and make big-time, difference-making contributions any time soon, but it's nice to have a guy who can play against scrubs and exploit that match-up every so often. It's going to suck when Primeau gets healthy and Boyd has to be sent back down to the farm...
Anyways, goodgamegoodgamegoodgame. I think Kipper needed a win like this: a low-shot, low scoring affair where he made all the routine saves (and none of his own players scored on him). It's something to build on, at least. If they can cobble a couple more games like this together, it should give him the time and confidence to get back on the horse.
More interesting than the victory itself was the manner in which Keenan managed the bench this evening. In the comments to Matt's pre-game post, I noted (in reference to Phaneuf's struggles) -
I can't understand why Keenan continues to play Eriksson so much - Sure, he hasn't been the horrible F-U machine he was in the first 10 games, but that's a pretty low standard to judge by. Playing him with Phaneuf, who has slid back from his step forward in October (thanks in no small part to playing with Eriksson in front of a .880 save percentage for 30 minutes a game) borders on the ludicrous.
I know, I know...injuries, Hale sucks...but, Jesus, play Dion with Sarich and give Eriksson to Regehr to babysit.
Keenan Apparently heeded my advice (sort of), because he did in fact mix up the pairings and flatten out the ice-time across the 6 players. And it worked like a charm. Phaneuf was paired primarily with Hale (oddly), and played only about 20 minutes, mostly against middling opposition (Stempniak, McClement, Mayers, Salvador, Jackman. He was kept away from Kariya et al). Eriksson only played about 12 minutes, split between Dion and Sarich, while the Aucoin/Regehr duo were matched against the toughest opponents (Kariya, Tkachuk, Boyes).
Which also means another departure from previous Iron Mike orthodoxy: Regehr/Aucoin played behind Iginla's line this evening, whereas it was Iginla/Conroy/Tanguay and Phaneuf+Partner in the power v power strategy previously. With Reghr's improvement, Phaneuf's struggles and tonight's rousing success, expect that trend to continue.
Also, anyone noticed how the bottom six isn't a total waste of time with the insertion of Boyd and Nystrom in the line-up? The former has been particularly effective recently, especially since he manages to create so much with so little (ice-time, teammates) so frequently. He scored the winning goal with a heady bank-shot from behind the goal line this evening, and was denied another goal by a Toivonen glove save later on. I'm not saying he's ready to step up and make big-time, difference-making contributions any time soon, but it's nice to have a guy who can play against scrubs and exploit that match-up every so often. It's going to suck when Primeau gets healthy and Boyd has to be sent back down to the farm...
Anyways, goodgamegoodgamegoodgame. I think Kipper needed a win like this: a low-shot, low scoring affair where he made all the routine saves (and none of his own players scored on him). It's something to build on, at least. If they can cobble a couple more games like this together, it should give him the time and confidence to get back on the horse.
Flames got the Blues
Quite Busy today. Let's get to the point:
- Blues are hot, don't score much. Stempniak is really screwing me in my pools.
- Kipper's awful, but is bound to get better. Who the Hell knows when though.
- Huselius and Langkow's struggles are exaggerated by defensive woes and the contrast to the torrid pace they set in the first month. Their current numbers are in line with the expected regression back to career norms.
- Phaneuf had one of the worst months of his professional career, shortly on the heels of one of his best. Hopefully he settles somewhere in between.
- Moss is out for two months with a high ankle sprain. Yelle might be back in the line-up tonight, however.
- Adam Pardy has been recalled and may play in place of Aucoin, who is battling the Flu. Matt would prefer him over Hale as well.
- "The Oilers are a couple points ahead of you in the standings and have allowed less goals against." That phrase should be printed in big, bold letters in Calgary's dressing room.
- Anything less than an excellent December essentially spells doom for the Flames play-off aspirations.
- Blues are hot, don't score much. Stempniak is really screwing me in my pools.
- Kipper's awful, but is bound to get better. Who the Hell knows when though.
- Huselius and Langkow's struggles are exaggerated by defensive woes and the contrast to the torrid pace they set in the first month. Their current numbers are in line with the expected regression back to career norms.
- Phaneuf had one of the worst months of his professional career, shortly on the heels of one of his best. Hopefully he settles somewhere in between.
- Moss is out for two months with a high ankle sprain. Yelle might be back in the line-up tonight, however.
- Adam Pardy has been recalled and may play in place of Aucoin, who is battling the Flu. Matt would prefer him over Hale as well.
- "The Oilers are a couple points ahead of you in the standings and have allowed less goals against." That phrase should be printed in big, bold letters in Calgary's dressing room.
- Anything less than an excellent December essentially spells doom for the Flames play-off aspirations.
Monday, December 03, 2007
All is Not Lost! (just most)
December has arrived and with it the frigid arctic air, the soul-crushing mall crowds and, for Flames fans, the slowly advancing realization that hockey may not be fun to watch anymore.
But let's focus on the positives. Becauase it's a much shorter and easier list to compile.
Jarome Iginla = Awesome.
No Jarmoe this year. The lone shining bright spot from the OT loss against the BJ's was the play of the Captain. He was, in short, a merciless animal on the ice. He assisted one goal and scored another by fighting off multiple opponents and knocking in his own rebound while flying through the air. He also set-up at least a half dozen other quality scoring chances and beat-up that poor schmuck Ole-Kristy-Whatshisface.
Iginla is now tied for the most ES points (27) in the league with Vincent Lecavalier. He's in the top 10 in terms of PPG (1.33) and is on pace to score 42 goals and 110 points. If the Flames had any kind of PP going, Iggy would likely be sharing the overall league lead in points with Vincent, if not leading outright.
With all the other crap going wrong right now, let there be one soothing thought rattling around in the back of your head: Jarome Iginla's a Flame for life (probably).
Help on the Farm...Grant Stevenson
I thought Stevenson was one of the better prospect/fringe players during the pre-season. He's older and has experience in the bigs, so that wasn't unexpected. Right now, he's leading the QC Flames in points by a fair margin and has really developed chemistry with farm signee Khrys Kolanos. By all accounts, Stevenson has been instrumental in the QC Flames turn-around and is now approaching a PPG scoring pace (8-11-19 in 24 GP). With David Moss and his hands of stone being sidelined, Stevenson may get another chance to prove himself at the NHL level pretty soon.
Third Round Steal?
John Negrin spent a lot of last season sidelined by injuries, which probably explains his dropping into the 3rd round of the draft. This season, he's proving he was a worthwhile gamble as he's scored 1 goal and 29 points in 30 games for the Kootney Ice, and is a healthy +8. That's an encouraging jump over the 16 points he accumulated in 44 games last year. I haven't seen Negrin play yet, so this is all number gazing, but it's nice to see a Flames draft pick putting up decent results. It'll be interesting to see if he can keep up this pace, since it would no doubt make him one of the highest scoring defenders in the WHL by year's end.
Yeah. That's all the positive I got for now. Expect the Dark Mutterings to resume shortly.
But let's focus on the positives. Becauase it's a much shorter and easier list to compile.
Jarome Iginla = Awesome.
No Jarmoe this year. The lone shining bright spot from the OT loss against the BJ's was the play of the Captain. He was, in short, a merciless animal on the ice. He assisted one goal and scored another by fighting off multiple opponents and knocking in his own rebound while flying through the air. He also set-up at least a half dozen other quality scoring chances and beat-up that poor schmuck Ole-Kristy-Whatshisface.
Iginla is now tied for the most ES points (27) in the league with Vincent Lecavalier. He's in the top 10 in terms of PPG (1.33) and is on pace to score 42 goals and 110 points. If the Flames had any kind of PP going, Iggy would likely be sharing the overall league lead in points with Vincent, if not leading outright.
With all the other crap going wrong right now, let there be one soothing thought rattling around in the back of your head: Jarome Iginla's a Flame for life (probably).
Help on the Farm...Grant Stevenson
I thought Stevenson was one of the better prospect/fringe players during the pre-season. He's older and has experience in the bigs, so that wasn't unexpected. Right now, he's leading the QC Flames in points by a fair margin and has really developed chemistry with farm signee Khrys Kolanos. By all accounts, Stevenson has been instrumental in the QC Flames turn-around and is now approaching a PPG scoring pace (8-11-19 in 24 GP). With David Moss and his hands of stone being sidelined, Stevenson may get another chance to prove himself at the NHL level pretty soon.
Third Round Steal?
John Negrin spent a lot of last season sidelined by injuries, which probably explains his dropping into the 3rd round of the draft. This season, he's proving he was a worthwhile gamble as he's scored 1 goal and 29 points in 30 games for the Kootney Ice, and is a healthy +8. That's an encouraging jump over the 16 points he accumulated in 44 games last year. I haven't seen Negrin play yet, so this is all number gazing, but it's nice to see a Flames draft pick putting up decent results. It'll be interesting to see if he can keep up this pace, since it would no doubt make him one of the highest scoring defenders in the WHL by year's end.
Yeah. That's all the positive I got for now. Expect the Dark Mutterings to resume shortly.
Saturday, December 01, 2007
Nowhere To Go
- highly appropriate image provided by Soundwave
The Edmonton Oilers vaulted above the Flames with their convincing win over the Ducks recently. Calgary is currently the 3rd worst team in the Western Conference and are only ahead of Phoenix and Los Angeles by one and two points respectively (and each has several games in hand).
This is truly the lowest the Flames have stooped since Sutter took the helm 4+ years ago. Given the 03/04 Play-off run was the high-water mark, the organization certainly looks to be on a slow and steady descent downwards. It's a bitter, bitter pill.
Probably the only positive is the fact that there's time to turn things around. This team's looked like various kinds of crap since late February, so a sudden turn-around seems pretty improbable right now. But at least it's not impossible. Yet.
Flames take on the BJs tonight. Aucoin and Warrener are still injured, meaning Anders Eriksson, David Hale and (I guess) Tim Ramholt will again be the 4th, 5th and 6th defensemen tonight. That means, way too much ice-time for Phaneuf through Sarich again (both of whom have looked pretty terrible in their own end recently). Boyd and Nystrom should also be in the line-up tonight, which is less of a bad thing. Boyd has been pretty impressive during his call-up and even managed 16+ minutes of ice-time last game. The kids have thus far proven that the Flames did indeed have replacement level rookies in their system...and that the multi-year signings of Nilson and Primeau were as useless as I posited in the off-season. Oh well. At least they're getting a chance now...
Anyways, if the turn-arounds ever going to happen, it has to start sooner rather than later. As in, yesterday. Another couple weeks of total suckage and the organization would be better served by kissing the post-season good-bye, selling off the sellables and pulling an Oiler-style "Dive for Five".
This is truly the lowest the Flames have stooped since Sutter took the helm 4+ years ago. Given the 03/04 Play-off run was the high-water mark, the organization certainly looks to be on a slow and steady descent downwards. It's a bitter, bitter pill.
Probably the only positive is the fact that there's time to turn things around. This team's looked like various kinds of crap since late February, so a sudden turn-around seems pretty improbable right now. But at least it's not impossible. Yet.
Flames take on the BJs tonight. Aucoin and Warrener are still injured, meaning Anders Eriksson, David Hale and (I guess) Tim Ramholt will again be the 4th, 5th and 6th defensemen tonight. That means, way too much ice-time for Phaneuf through Sarich again (both of whom have looked pretty terrible in their own end recently). Boyd and Nystrom should also be in the line-up tonight, which is less of a bad thing. Boyd has been pretty impressive during his call-up and even managed 16+ minutes of ice-time last game. The kids have thus far proven that the Flames did indeed have replacement level rookies in their system...and that the multi-year signings of Nilson and Primeau were as useless as I posited in the off-season. Oh well. At least they're getting a chance now...
Anyways, if the turn-arounds ever going to happen, it has to start sooner rather than later. As in, yesterday. Another couple weeks of total suckage and the organization would be better served by kissing the post-season good-bye, selling off the sellables and pulling an Oiler-style "Dive for Five".
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