Category: Sports

Flames Drop 2nd in a Row in 5-3 Loss to Lightning

The Calgary Flames marched into Tampa Bay looking to rebound from a disappointing loss to the Nashville Predators a few nights ago. A game in which while they weren’t awful, they weren’t good enough to win. They had some good looks, but with .1 seconds left let the Predators tied up the game. Overtime they went, and the Flames dropped the game. Perhaps they deserved a better fate, but that’s no longer a relevant point. They need to find ways to win and they haven’t been particularly good at doing that this season.

1st Period

Tampa opened up the scoring in the first period on the power play. Shortly after Backlund lost the draw, Sergachev fired it from the point and it was tipped in by Tyler Johnson. Hard to blame Rittich on a tip shot, especially with no one covering Johnson in front. After the lighting goal, it looked as though the Flames tied it up with a goal from Backlund! Unfortunately for Backlund and the Flames, it was ruled a kick in. After watching the replay, I’d say that was the appropriate call. It was quite clear Backlund made a kicking motion with his skate. Heading into the 2nd the Lightning had the shot advantage of 13-6 and had the lead as a result of their dominant play.

2nd Period

Tampa continued their domination in the second. With an early power play, they pushed and pushed and Palat scored to put the lightning up 2-0. The Flames were held without a shot for almost 7 straight minutes of play as the Lightning continued to dominate. Calgary had a chance to get themselves back into the game, however they blew it and the Lightning scored a short-handed goal from Gourde. What can you say about that power play? They gave the lighting several short-handed chances and finally the lightning sealed it.

Down 3-0 it looked like the flames were out of it, BUT they pushed and scored two goals in 52 seconds. Mangiapane scored as did Lindholm. It looked like the Flames may just make a game of it, but let’s be real, they aren’t that lucky. After a poor defensive play, Killorn walked in and beat Rittich to make it 4-2 for the lightning heading into the 3rd.

3rd Period

Despite being down 4-2, there still looked to be hope for the Flames. Despite going down 3-0 they stormed back. Even with a two-goal deficit, they still seemed to have some hope. Once again, they weren’t sound defensively, but Rittich bailed them out and made some great saves. Late in the period, Monahan was able to make it 4-3, but unfortunately that would be all the Flames had. The Tampa Bay Lighting would win by a score of 4-3 over the Calgary Flames.

Game Notes

  1. Gaudreau REALLY needs to start shooting. He had a wonderful opportunity to fire the puck on net, but instead sent out a foolish pass, which resulted in the lightning clearing the puck and scoring on the empty net shortly after. He has a lethal shot, and on a play like that he should have just fired it at the net. At worst, it gets stopped by the goalie. But that seemed to be the story for him this whole game. He had several opportunities to just fire the puck, but instead opted for a pass.
  • I thought Rittch played really well for the most part. I didn’t love the Gourde goal, but other than that, he stood on his head. The Flames hardly shot the puck and the lighting took advantage of it, and were it not for Big Save Dave this game likely would have been UGLY. Calgary looked BAD against Tampa and David made them look a lot less so. Hmph, reminds me of the Kiprusoff days. Anyways…
  • Calgary’s special teams were pretty bad. Their PK was awful and they allowed a short-handed goal. Their first powerplay was a MESS and they looked like they had no idea what they were doing. Tampa had several chances to score short handed and eventually of course they did. Their special teams along with some poor overall play, cost them this game.

Calgary once again drops a must win game and continues their inconsistent play. As I and many others have said, this team posses the skill and talent to do damage. Unfortunately, they have a very bad mix of inconsistency and almost no mental fortitude. Calgary is losing track and it’s getting to the point where them missing the playoffs is a VERY real possibility.

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Flames Lose 4-3 in OT Against the Predators

Once again, the Flames find themselves unable to string together some wins, and once again they lose to a team they NEED to beat. A team that is right behind them in the standings. Once again, the Flames are unable to ring in some consistency and it’s cost them another game yet again. It’s all too predictable at this point with the Flames. They win one or two row and then they lose one or two in a row. We’re at the time of the year where they need to find a way to get some wins together. They need to get a 3-4 game win streak going or they’re going to be finding themselves outside of the playoffs. And they especially need them against teams that are creeping up on them, like the Nashville Predators.

Coming into Nashville, the Flames had just come off an impressive victory against the high-flying Bruins. Man, they looked impressive in that game. They dominated! Played well defensively, played well offensively and came out with the “W” as a result. Against the Preds? They played some solid hockey for the most part and perhaps 3 months ago that would cut it, but right now they’re in a heated race for the final playoff spot. Nashville, Winnipeg, Arizona and Minnesota are right behind them knocking on the door. You need more than just a solid game. You need a complete game from start to finish.

It seemed as though the Flames were going to JUST come out with a win, but with .1 seconds left the Predators center Mikael Granlund scored to send it to overtime. In under 2 minutes he scored again to end it and give the Predators the win. I mean, it’s good the Flames got the loser point. At least the Flames got A point, but they needed two. They need to distance themselves from the pack, and they’re not doing it.

It really does feel as though this team is not going to be able to recover from their extremely poor play, especially from earlier this season. It feels as though it’s going to come to bite them on the ass. I just don’t see them pushing for that final playoff spot at this point. There are 4 teams right behind them, 3 of which look to want it a LOT more than the Flames do. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Preds and Jets as the final two seeds with the Flames on the outside looking in.

On a positive note, it was good to see Gio back. He looked slightly off, but he’s coming off an injury and for the first little bit, it’s more than understandable. I thought the Backlund, Tkachuk, and Mangiapane line played great as well. After a brutal start to the year, Backlund has really come alive and has really started to produce offensively. He’s looked great and as a result, his line mates are benefiting two. I thought Anderson had a good game too.

Other than that? I can’t say anyone else was all that impressive. Gaudreau looked non existent as did Monahan. This year it seems as though they are either great are awful. They’re either dialed in or not interested at all. I don’t know what’s going on with them at this point, but they need to do better. Games like this and at this point in the season, they need to be coming out every night and giving it their all. We all know what they can do and that’s why it’s been so damn frustrating. Both are very talented and have all the tools to be top players, especially Johnny Gaudreau.

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What Will the Flames do at the Deadline?

With the trade deadline just one week away, I’m genuinely curious about what the Calgary Flames will do. On one hand, the Flames desperately need a top six winger. They’ve needed one for a long while and one has to think Brad Treliving will be adding one. Tyler Toffoli seems to be the guy linked to the Flames, but who really knows? Having said all that, one also has to think if Treliving will be after a defenceman as well. Depending on how much longer Giordano and Hamonic are out, he may need to find a defenceman for the run at the playoffs. It may not be some big name, but it may just be someone for some depth.

Now, I think the big problem with any potential moves, especially for a top six winger, is what we have to give up. We don’t know where the Flames will be come the end of the season. They very well could miss the playoffs, even with the addition of a top six winger. With that incredibly poor loss to Chicago, one as to wonder if the Flames are better off not moving assets for a top six forward. As much as I would like to see a top winger added, I’m not sure that’s the best bet. They seemed like they were getting things together on that road trip, but I think it’s quite apparent that wasn’t the case. This team has the potential to do damage, but they just don’t seem to have that mental toughness teams needed.

So, what should Calgary do? Does Treliving operate under the assumption that the Flames will make it? Or does he hold off? The last thing they need is to sell off some good prospects, which we may just need, for a winger that may or may not even help. Or, may or may not even come back when the season ends. At one point I would have seen Brodie or Hamonic gone for a top winger, but with how the season has gone, I doubt it with year those two have had. Brodie’s numbers aren’t very good, and Hamonic is injured. You would need a high pick or prospect to get that done most likely, which at this point would likely be a bad idea. A year ago, I would have been on board as the Flames looked like a completely different team, but not anymore.   

Now, if he operates under the assumption that they’ll miss the playoffs, does he overhaul or re-tool the team? And if he does that, then what was the point in trading for a potential rental? I highly doubt a guy like Toffoli would go from one bad to team, to stay with another bad team. I just don’t see it. If you could get a guy who’s still on term for 2-4 years, then maybe, but that won’t be easy to find. Not only that, you’d have to hope they have a reasonable salary, which once again, won’t be easy to find.

 Calgary has three games before the deadline against Anaheim, Boston and Detroit. If the Flames can get it together and go on a three-game win streak, we may just see Treliving pull the trigger at the deadline. If the Flames on the other hand do poorly, we may just see them sell some pieces. Either way, I’m interested to see what happens in the next week.

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Flames Embarrassed by Blackhawks 8-4.

Blackhawks beat the Flames (who were channeling their inner Detroit Red Wing), into the Ice with EASE, by a score of 8-4. The entire game the Flames just couldn’t gain any ground. Every time the Flames looked as though they were starting to get back into, a defensive lapse would occur, they would leave someone all alone in front of the net, and would trail AGAIN. This whole Game the Flames were chasing, and eventually the flood gates opened and that would be it for Calgary.

How can this team go from pummeling teams, to falling apart so quickly? How can a team that came off a road trip, where they looked legitimately good, to completely screwing the pooch? What an absolutely abysmal “effort” from this team. To make matters even worse, it was at home! They chose to completely let their foot off the gas (once again) in front of their home crowd. They played with no heart, no anger, no toughness, no anything quite frankly. The team was flat and out of sync, and Chicago took full advantage of it. The Flames, had a chance to build off a good road trip, but decided instead that coming home, and GIVING the game to Chicago was the way to go. They decided that instead of actually giving a damn about the thousands of people who payed a ton of money to watch them, they’d once again roll over and take it in the rear.

It’s hard to find any good from this horrendous showing from the Flames, but there were a few good things. Sam Bennett scored twice! Since his rookie season, he’s struggled to find the back of the net, so at least he was able to get a few tonight. Elias Lindholm had a solid night, scoring two goals himself. Had the Flames actually played some defense they could have very well made the comeback in this game. I liked Kylington as well, but outside of those three, I can’t say anyone really played all that well, or even bothered to show up for thew full game for that matter.

I know the goaltending wasn’t great from Rittich or Talbot, but would someone please tell me where our defense was?! Genuinely, where were they? This whole game I didn’t notice them once. They hung out the goalies to dry CONSTANTLY. Sure, neither goalie did great, but 8(!!) goals don’t get scored against you from strictly bad goaltending. This isn’t EA NHL 20, where your goalie is about as useful as a broken doorbell. This is an actual game, and losses that bad don’t happen because of poor goaltending. Losses like that happen when the team in front of the goalies, phone it in and give up.

I’m at the point where I don’t see how the Flames can keep this roster the way it is. Yes, Gio and Hamonic are out, and that hurts. BUT I don’t think this has anything to do with that. They STUNK long before those two went down with injuries. I think there is something potentially going on in that locker room that’s not good. A team with this roster has no business losing that badly, especially at home. To come home and not even show up for the game isn’t acceptable, and a message needs to be sent to the team.

Now, this won’t happen, especially with the Flames being in the playoff hunt. And let’s face it, no one in this organization has the stones to do it either, but Gaudreau and Monahan should be benched for the next 3 games. Perhaps someone like Matthew Phillips or Glenn Gawdin could come in and make and impact. The Flames need a wake-up call, and benching two players of that magnitude may just do it. I get this isn’t a popular move to even suggest, but something has to be done. Either that, or a trade needs to happen, and someone needs to go.

At this point even if they make the playoffs, this roster needs either another re-tooling or overhaul. Let’s be real, this team isn’t going to get anywhere even if they make it. They got spanked by the Avalanche a year ago, and I can see the same thing happening again. They’re not mentally tough enough to be able to compete at a high level most nights. They just aren’t. This team is past the point of “playoffs are enough”. They need to be good consistently, and be a legitimate challenger for the cup EVERY.DAMN. YEAR. Too long the city of Calgary has been denied a solid team, that can get it done. The Flames are in desperate need of change.

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Can the Flames Build off their Successful Road trip?

The Calgary Flames ended their four-game road trip on a high note, beating the Anaheim Ducks 6-0. Despite the score, the Flames didn’t play great by any means, but the fact that the Ducks were terrible helped them out. Still, Anaheim peppered Cam Talbot with 44 shots, all of which he was able to turn aside. Calgary made the most of their chances, despite Anaheim dominating the shot counter from the second period to the end of the game. Luckily things went in Calgary’s favor, as any other team likely would have capitalized on a game like that. Losing the two defensemen best at defending will do that to you. It’s pretty apparent they may need to look for help on the back end, especially for help down the stretch.  

Calgary had some lapses on the road trip, but looked solid despite the game in LA. Their offense has come alive all the way from their stars to the bottom six, everyone’s been scoring. They arguably played their best games of the season against both Vancouver and San Jose. It was great to see the Flames back to looking (or mostly) looking like the team from a year ago, that topped the Western Conference. The goals are coming in bunches, everyone’s contributing and the goaltending has been damn good to. If the Flames can keep playing like this while down Hamonic and Giordano, I can only imagine what they could potentially do, once both are back. That won’t be for a while from the sounds of things (especially for Gio) but if the Flames come out like they have, they could n find themselves taking their division. It won’t be easy, but with Edmonton Losing McDavid and Vegas and Arizona struggling, they could very well do it.

Like everything with the Flames, one has to wonder if this was just a flash of what they can do, or if they actually built the foundation for something special. I ripped this team’s heart, and their willingness to win and try not to long ago after their loss to the Predators, a must win game they pissed away. I have to wonder which one of those teams the Flames are now. Are they the team we saw from the road trip? Running wild with offense? Or are they the team from before that would give up the moment something went wrong? We’re getting close to the end of the year and I wouldn’t doubt we’ll see just who this team is shortly.

They have a three game homestand where they take on the Chicago Blackhawks, Anaheim Ducks and the  mighty Boston Bruins. The Blackhawks are still in the playoff mix, the Ducks are likely angry after being embarrassed in their own building, and the Bruins are just damn good. This will not be an easy homestand, and if the Flames even hold back a little bit, they’re going to feel the heat. Now is the time to go for another winning streak, and separate themselves from the pack. With the way the standings are, anything could happen. Calgary could find themselves at the top of their division, or a team starting their golfing season early.

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Flames Down Sharks 6-2

The Calgary Flames have had hardly any help from their bottom six most of the season. Outside a couple contributors (Ryan/Dube) they haven’t had much, and to say it has been very concerning is an understatement.  However, in the past two games that seems to be coming to an end. San Jose was pummeled 6-2 in their own building by the Calgary Flames Monday night, as the Flames win their second in a row. Not only that, their second win in a row where they largely dominated their opponent. I did think they played a bit better in Vancouver, as they had some trouble and got hemmed in several times by the Sharks, but they still largely played well.

Calgary started their scoring in short fashion with a power play goal from Milan Lucic. A goal that was basically the exact goal he scored against the Vancouver Canucks just the other night, with him getting in front of the net and just guiding the puck in off a pass from Backlund. It was a damn good play and that marks the second game in a row we’ve seen Lucic find the back of the net. Considering even with extremely low expectations for him, I’ve been disappointed with his play at large, it nice to see him contribute. 35 seconds after Lucic made it 1-0, Tobias Rieder scored his second goal in two games and put the Flames up 2-0. However, the Flames sure as hell weren’t done there as they continued to swarm Aaron Dell and eventually after some solid stops by the goaltender Zac Rinaldo made it 3-0 with his third goal of the season.

Under ten minutes into the game, the Flames were dominating and up 3-0, taking it to the Sharks every chance they got. Considering we haven’t seen that killer instinct all that much this season, this was a treat to watch. Too often the Flames looked stale, and it usually felt like they didn’t show up. That’s luckily starting to end, as there seems to be a fire that has finally lit up behind them, and is sending them on the upswing. I don’t know if they’re banding together due to the injuries or what, but whatever they’re doing is working.

Having said all that, the Sharks wouldn’t fall apart just yet and gave the Flames a nice scare, and it’s one that we’re all too use to at this point. Karlsson scored shortly after the Flames made it 3-0 and then early in the 2nd, Brent Burns scored, bringing the Sharks just one back of Calgary. Early this year, this would have been the time the Flames would have panicked and then crumpled, giving the game away to the opposing team. Not tonight. Jankowski, who’s been much better as of late, got his third goal of the season in the 2nd Period, just five minutes after Burns got the Sharks back into the game.

The 3rd was a hell of a period, and there were times when I thought the Sharks we’re going to start making another comeback, but David Rittich came up BIG, with several wonderful saves, including one of the left pad and the Flames took it to San Jose with two more goals. One from Backlund, who snapped a 13-game goalless drought and one from Tkachuk, which was just a beauty. If you haven’t seen Tkachuk’s goal yet, please go look at the video. It’s one hell of a goal, displaying the hands that chucky has.

Depth scoring came up BIG for the Flames. Lucic (3 points) looked good and not only was he bringing the rough stuff, he contributed offensively. I don’t know if it’s going to last for Lucic, and I would bet it won’t, BUT it’s nice to see him contributing more than hits. Jankowski (2 points) is finally starting to look like his old self. He’s never been the most consistent, but I’ve had high hopes for him. He won’t likely be a top six center, but if he can become a quality bottom six scorer, I’ll be happy.  And it’s hard to forget Dube. While he didn’t get a point, I thought he was one of the best Flames players on the ice. He’s looking like he’s starting to get very comfortable with the big club, and I could easily see him at one point, finding his way into the top six. He’s shaping up to be an excellent player.

The top six looked damn good too. Once again, Monahan, Gaudreau and Lindholm, dominated the ice. Neither got a goal, but I’m betting the flood gates are about to open for that line. They looked GREAT out there, and for the second game in a row, reminded me of just how good they can be. And the Backlund, Mangiapane and Tkahuck looked solid too, despite have a bit of a mental lapse in the 3rd, that nearly gave San Jose a goal. If not for Rittich standing tall, they very well could have. Speaking of Rittich, it seems as though he’s returned to form. For the past two games he’s come up big and has played excellent, which is only going to benefit them down the road.

Calgary is in a very good position to start building off these two big wins, and rise up the standings. Their next two games are against two weak teams in Anaheim and LA, and there is no good reason why they shouldn’t come out of those games with a big W. They’re going to have some tougher games coming up shortly after, against teams like Chicago and Nashville. Two teams right behind the Flames, looking for a playoff birth themselves, and against the Boston Bruins and Tampa Bay Lightning. Arguably, two of the toughest teams in the league. Hopefully these two wins are the start of something big and not just a quick flash, that will be over before we know it.

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Hamonic’s Injury Could Set Back Flames

Just a few days past the Flames lost Captain and defensive rock Mark Giordano to a hamstring injury. Currently, he’s week to week so it’s hard to know when exactly he’ll be back and ready to go, but one thing for sure, is the Flames REALLY don’t need anyone else going down with an injury. Especially so close to the seasons end, with so many teams in the race for a playoff spot. So naturally, the Flames lost another rock on the back end, and outside of Giordano, he’s their next best defender. Travis Hamonic left the game in Vancouver with an undisclosed injury and currently there’s not timetable on his return. It likely won’t be for too long, as there would have likely been some chatter, but even losing him for one game is too much at this time of the season. Calgary needs all the help they can get, but a battered blue line, even against a San Jose team also facing injuries (but upfront) could still end poorly for the Flames.

Brandon Davidson will get the call and play for the Flames. In his 4 games played season he hasn’t seen a whole lot of ice-time when in the lineup, but he’s still a decent option on the backend. He’s not flashy and he tends to get the job done, but even then, he’s no Giordano or Hamonic. Hopefully, the Flames backend is ready to step up there game again, and put together a solid effort against the Sharks. But hey, we’re likely all still worried to some extent, given how the Flames have performed this season.

Just a few games ago the Flames lost a 3-1 game to the Sharks, a game that in all reality they should have been able to win. Unfortunately for the Flames, it was game in which they just couldn’t solve Aaron Dell, and hopefully tonight, the Flames can build of their win in Vancouver. Calgary has all the tools to make teams pay, and since they put away the Canucks in such spectacular fashion, I sure expect them to due away with the Sharks. Time will tell if the Flames defensive injuries will turn out to bite them, or if this was just what they needed to band together and play to the potential, we all know they posses.

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Flames Win Big Over Canucks

Saturday night went quite well for the Calgary Flames, bulldozing the Vancouver Canucks 6-2 in enemy territory. It’s no secret this season has been tough for the Flames, especially after such a wonderful year last season, that saw them hit first in the Western Conference. They were a team with a killer instinct, and that finally cam alive against their divisional rival. This game is a perfect example of what this team is actually capable of. It’s even more impressive when you understand that the Canucks aren’t exactly slouches anymore. This isn’t the team from two years ago, that finished poorly. No, they’ve started to rise back up to the top and the Flames put them away in good fashion.

However, Calgary started out poor, as the Canucks scored just 34 seconds into the game, but that lead wouldn’t last thanks to goals from both Ryan and Tkachuk. The flames were looking solid, and Rittich was looking quite good, but an unfortunate and incredibly odd bounce off the boards, would leave Gaudette all alone in front of a un suspecting Rittich, giving the Canucks the tie after one.

After the first period, this was starting to look all too familiar for the Flames. Letting up an early goal, getting the lead and then losing it a short time later. I’ve criticized this team’s mental fortitude and heart before, and for good reason. In situations like this that typically aren’t going their way, they tend to pack it in. They fall apart and crumble to the ground, and end up on the losing end of a game. It’s happened so often, that my default setting, is to assume they’re done after situations like this. Yet, this team surprised the hell out of me, and played how I would have expected them to play at the start of season, with the talent level they posses.

Dillon Dube, a kid who I think will eventually find his way into the top six for the Flames, scored his fifth goal of the season, to put the Flames up 3-2 early in the second period. After which, the Flames came alive. If it wasn’t for Jacob Markstrom, who knows what the score would have been in the second period. He stood on his head for the Canucks and made some outstanding stops against the Flames. After two periods the Flames look GOOD. Arguably, the best I’ve seen them in a while. They were controlling the play and the big guns, while not having scored much, were all over the Canucks. Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan were all around the net, and even Backlund had a hell of a chance. Sure, they hadn’t capitalized just yet, BUT they were playing with the skill and tenacity we all know those players possess. However, the big question was how they were going to be in the third. We know this team doesn’t put together a full sixty minutes very often, but luckily for myself and the skeptics, the third didn’t go how a lot of us were likely imagining it would.

Calgary was strong out of the gate, and were once again buzzing around the Vancouver net. Milan Lucic would eventually tip home a shot from Backlund to make it 4-2 in favor of the Flames. It wouldn’t stop there either, as the Gaudreau would intercept the puck, give it to Lindholm, back to Gaudreau and then to Monahan who would send it five hole on Markstrom. Oh, how I love when those three are together! Often there is magic and often there is a brilliant play of some sort. It’s a deadly combination to have those three together, so it was nice to see them getting some ice time together.  Anyways, Tobias Rider would hit the empty net late in the period, and make it a 6-2 win for the Flames in Vancouver.

Calgary put together a damn good game and it was arguably their best outing of the season. They dominated the Canucks, and quite frankly, if not for Marksrom, this game would have been a hell of a lot worse for the Canucks.

My biggest pet peeve this season with Calgary has been a lack of production from the players that they need it from. Lindholm and Tkachuk have been solid this season, but Monahan, Gaudreau and Backlund have had some trouble. The offense hasn’t been there and often they look un-interested in the game. Luckily, that wasn’t the case tonight. Gaudreau and Monahan looked like their old selves and so did Backlund. They looked like the players who have been some of our top guys for the last 5 years now, and that was GREAT to see. Backlund (assists) and Gaudreau (assists) had 2 Points each, to go with Monahan (goal), Lindholm (assist) and Tkachuk (goal) getting a point a piece.

And you know what? Hats off to the secondary scoring. Dube put together a hell of a Game and acquired 3 points as a result. Lucic, who’s been mostly useless offensively, had 2 points himself including a goal. And as per usual Derek Ryan put together a solid game himself, getting 2 points in the process. It was nice to see not only the top six getting it done, but also the bottom six as well. And to top it off, Rittich looked liked himself again. He was calm, cool and collected and made some solid stops throughout the game. I can’t say either of the goals he allowed were even his fault. On the Pearson goal he was screened, and the Gaudette goal, he was all alone due a bad bounce off the boards.

This game shows just how good this team as the potential to be. It shows just how dangerous and how good they can be, when they don’t give up when things don’t go their way. They had a first period with ups and downs, but managed to come out and play their damn hearts out. Now, it remains to be seen if this team will continue that play, or if this was just a one off for them, but for once it was nice to see a complete effort by this team.

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Flames Suffer Another Set Back with a loss to the Predators

The Calgary Flames dropped there third straight decision Thursday night, in a disappointing loss to the Nashville Predators. A Nashville Team that came into the game three points back of the quickly falling Flames, is now a single point back of them with two games in advantage to boot. Calgary is quickly falling behind, and unless they start playing with some urgency and heart, they’re going to be out of the picture quickly. The Western Conference playoff race is extremely tight right now, with Winnipeg now sitting just one point back with a win last night, beating the Blues 4-2. Even the Minnesota Wild are gaining ground, only four points back of the Flames after beating the Canucks 4-2. Calgary needs to figure out something fast, as they are eventually going to find themselves on the outside looking in. Nashville and Winnipeg are both at 59 points, Chicago is at 58 and Minnesota is at 56. At one point the Flames were looking quite comfortable ahead of the teams I mentioned, but with three straight losses, everybody is starting to catch up.

Their inability to put together a full sixty minutes is quite odd to me, especially considering last season they did nothing but bulldoze their opponents (up until the playoffs at least), surging to the top of the Western Conference. As seems to have become the trend with the Flames, it seems they make it one year and can’t do it the next. Now look, I’m not saying this team has the greatest roster in the league, and I sure didn’t expect them to win the conference this year, but I did expect them to be leading the Pacific Division. So, seeing where they are now, is not only odd it’s unacceptable for this franchise.  The Flames have some very talented players and on paper, they have a pretty solid roster. Yet here they are, barely putting in effort in games and disappointing their fans on a nightly basis. Every time things start looking up for this team, they plummet back down to earth I spectacular fashion.

So, what’s the deal? Well it’s simple really. This team lacks heart throughout the lineup and unfortunately, lacks any sort of mental fortitude whatsoever. They can’t for the life of them put together a full sixty minutes, and when they start losing, they just roll over and take it up the rear. There are a few players I quite like, and I hope stick around for many years to come, as they are the only guys that seem to care whatsoever night in and night out. Tkachuk, Anderson, Dube, Ryan, Mangiapanne, Hamonic, Lindholm, Giordano, Rittich and Talbot, are about the only players on this team that seem to have any sort of fight in them. They seem to be the only players that come out (at least mostly) and give it their best, or at the very least TRY. I understand players have down years, but the seasons that Monahan, Gaudreau and Backlund are having, are NOT ACCEPTABLE. This isn’t just a down year, this is a full-blown regression on their part. Nearly every game they come out lackluster, and almost seem bored and would rather be doing anything but playing hockey for this team. No player is perfect, but if theirs at the very least some effort and heart involved, those three wouldn’t be having the horrendous season, they are having.

I know some folks will blame the coaching and perhaps that’s part of it, but how many coaches have we gone through with this core group of players? Let’s see, we had Bob Hartley, Glen Gulutzan, Bill Peters and now Interim coach Geoff Ward. Where does it end exactly? When do the payers start taking responsibility for their extremely poor play? I’m sorry, but at this stage I the game you can’t keep blaming the coach and coaching staff. There comes a point where you must look at the group of players that have been assembled, and the blame has top be placed on them.  Look, I get that the Flames could go on some magical streak and end up winning the Pacific. I would be STOKED on that and would happily be wrong in what I’ve said here today, but I just don’t think the Flames will be this years St. Louis Blues. Even if this team makes the playoffs, I can’t see them making it out of the first round. I can’t see them making some miracle run to the Stanley Cup. They lack heart, soul, anger, effort and it’s become quite apparent that this team may need to change some core pieces going forward.

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