Calgary Flames

[kenboldt]

And the tough week starts with a loss to the 'Nucks.

Not on a high horse at all - how can you be as a Sharks fan, moving fast towards the playoffs?!  Sorry if it seemed that way!

yeah, that loss sucked.  TERRIBLE first period, then turned things around but Luongo was lights out.  The scoring woes continue.  11-0 were the shots in the third period for the Flames.  Talk about sitting back on a lead.  Canucks fans better hope that Vancouver doesn't play like that in the playoffs.  youch.

I'm hoping that the Flames can do the same thing to Detroit that they did last time.  Pick up a regulation win and get back into that last playoff spot.

ugh, the Flames have not just a tough week, but a tough finish to the season.  They are going to have to be at their peak if they have any hope of making the playoffs.  At least that means that if they somehow DO make it in, they will have battled in, instead of limping in like they have the past few years.  Even if they go out in the first round that way, it is still nicer to see as a fan than the team limping in and getting ousted.

[ap_cymru]

but Luongo was lights out. 

And thrilled to see it. He has been so shaky for a while but last night he looked like the old Luongo ... big ... confident. Slid his rebounds to the corners or dropped them in his own lap. One of the best games I have seen from him in a couple of months.

The scoring woes continue.  11-0 were the shots in the third period for the Flames.  Talk about sitting back on a lead.  Canucks fans better hope that Vancouver doesn't play like that in the playoffs.  youch.

We sure do hope that ... but I also think that was - finally - a little fatigue setting in after following up a 14 game road trip with back to back games. At least that is what I am hoping.

[Stupid Fan]

but Luongo was lights out. 

And thrilled to see it. He has been so shaky for a while but last night he looked like the old Luongo ... big ... confident. Slid his rebounds to the corners or dropped them in his own lap. One of the best games I have seen from him in a couple of months.

The scoring woes continue.  11-0 were the shots in the third period for the Flames.  Talk about sitting back on a lead.  Canucks fans better hope that Vancouver doesn't play like that in the playoffs.  youch.

We sure do hope that ... but I also think that was - finally - a little fatigue setting in after following up a 14 game road trip with back to back games. At least that is what I am hoping.

Wow, 14 games of straight travel, without several weeks off at any point in it?

Oh, wait.

[ap_cymru]

LOL ... still ... 8 games in 13 nights ... six of them on the road.

[Stupid Fan]

LOL ... still ... 8 games in 13 nights ... six of them on the road.

Fair enough - tough schedule they've had the last couple of weeks.

[kenboldt]

LOL ... still ... 8 games in 13 nights ... six of them on the road.

Just means they have had a better home schedule at other parts of the season than the rest of the league.

[Stupid Fan]

I don't think anyone's saying the Canucks are disadvantaged... just that maybe that explains some of the late-game lack of intensity on their part.  Not to take anything away from Calgary, but 11-0 in shots between two NHL teams means one's playing well, and the other is playing poorly.

[No Dice]

How are the ex-Leafs playing? (Stajan, White, Hagman, Mayers, Toskala)

I've always been a fan of Stajan and White and I'm still cheering for them to do well in Calgary.

This did kind of intrigue me to do some digging as far as production goes since the trade.

                   
Dion Phaneuf 11GP 0 goals, 2 assists, 2 points, -1, 20 pim.
Fredrik Sjostrom 7GP 0 goals, 2 assists, 2 points, -1, 0 pim.


Matt Stajan 12GP 3 goals, 5 assists, 8 points, +3, (just have to point out! 2 game winning goals!)

Niklas Hagman 12GP 1 goal, 3 assists, 4 points, 0 rating, 0 pim.
Ian White 12 GP 0 goals, 5 assists, 5 points, +10, 8 pim.
Jamal Mayers 12 GP 1 goal, 1 assists, 2 points, +1, 41 pim.

Just pulled everything off nhl.com

Glad to see White and Stajan doing well.

Phaneuf has been great for the team... it's hard to measure the impact he's had with those stats. He logs huge minutes, plays steady defensively, is a big physical presence, and he's already stepped up as the team leader. It's also worth mentioning that he's had a major impact on Luke Schenn, who has been a completely different player since the trade.

His offensive game has struggled though... he's been hammering shots away but the Leafs' PP has just been horrible this year. That's obviously the part of his game that he needs to come.

[Sharks2009]

The tough week continues...and the Flames lose a big game to the Wings.  Still lots of time left - 13 games for both teams - but now a 3 point advantage for the Wings.

The good news is, the Flames will be playing a Sharks team on the 2nd game of a back-to-back Friday night, at a time when they are playing terrible hockey.

[kenboldt]

I know that you say that there is still lots of time left, but that was a HUGE hit to their playoff chances.  Now they need to not just match Detroit game for game, they have to do at least two wins better.  That leaves extremely little room for error for a team that has had a lot of trouble avoiding error this season.

It isn't looking good at this point.  I am keeping my fingers crossed for a Nashville collapse at this point.

[NonMint]

I know that you say that there is still lots of time left, but that was a HUGE hit to their playoff chances.  Now they need to not just match Detroit game for game, they have to do at least two wins better.  That leaves extremely little room for error for a team that has had a lot of trouble avoiding error this season.

It isn't looking good at this point.  I am keeping my fingers crossed for a Nashville collapse at this point.

I have to admit it was an enjoyable game (from a purely schadenfreudian perspective).

-NonMint

[ap_cymru]

LOL ... still ... 8 games in 13 nights ... six of them on the road.

Just means they have had a better home schedule at other parts of the season than the rest of the league.

absolutely ... 10 of the last 15 at home. They need to make some hay.

The point I was making was that when they played so poorly for those second two periods on Sunday, one possible explanatin is they ran out of gas because of the intensity of the schedule for them for the previous two weeks.

[Gary]

Woo, big win last night! Will need to keep winning the next ten games if we want to leap the wings or nashville though! Gonna be close and sadly might end up in having to hope the Red Wings or Nashville are losing the last game of the season and I hate those games.

[landonhockey4]

man this is the most frustrating team to follow...

i'm at the point where im gonna start just giving up...i dont see us catching detroit (experience) or nashville (HOW THE HELL DO THEY DO IT). maybe well get lucky and sneak up on colorado instead, but i dont like the chances of that.

on another note, maybe its time to rebuild. get rid of the management and start again. backlund and irving could be building blocks...kipper iggy regehr bouwmeester hagman bourque and glencross would bring back good prospects/picks and im sure the same could be said for a lot of the other ones on the team. i just don't think the team is built right in the new nhl. i love the sutter style of hard work and banging bodies but im not sure it will work anymore. even the other teams who usually have hard hitting styles like philly or anaheim have young stars who are more suited to the speed and talent needed now.

[Lyle Richardson]

Wow, one mediocre season and you're ready to blow up the entire team.

I agree changes could be necessary but I think it's premature to suggest going to that extreme. I doubt Darryl Sutter's job's in jeopardy but I do think ownership will have him on the clock for next season.

If you look at the stats (and trust me, I have) defensively the Flames are as sound as they were four years ago, but the problem remains the same old one, lack of offensive punch. Sutter won't have enough cap space to chase big name scoring depth this summer unless he dumps some salary first, which won't be easy. But he's surprised us before by making moves we didn't think he'd make or was capable of making and I expect he'll do it again this summer.