GAME PREVIEW: THE FLAMES AREN'T (TRAILER PARK) TRASH ANY MORE!
Not smokin' weed Ricky, the Flames are good! Seven straight wins! Jesus Christ, Julian, they're gonna make the playoffs! Shit winds be blowin', Lahey - Calgary has done all this winning without the referee muggin' specialist himself Dennis Wideman, who's been a healthy scratch during the streak.
Jeez louise, it's amazing how many good things can happen when you take guys out of the lineup. Claude Julien yanked incessant bumbler Alexei Emelin from a start on Tuesday night, and the Habs went out and played one of their most competent games of the season in a 2-1 OT victory over the Canucks.
So logically, Emelin will stay out of the lineup again tonight versus the Flam ... I'm sorry, what? (/checks earpiece)
I guess you can't have it all. Indeed, Emelin will get the start tonight, with Brandon Davidson, who played an awfully solid game in Vancouver, will watch from the press box. Sigh.
News out late this afternoon has Carey Price out (oh no!) from the flu. Al Tony Montoya will get the unexpected start.
Habs also have a couple of confirmed injuries. Again Tomas Plekanec will not play, along with Brian Flynn who sustained an injury Tuesday night. There was some speculation that Alex Radulov might return from his day-to-day UBI tonight, but that's been pushed back to at least Sunday's game in Edmonton.
Over on Calgary's side, the Flames aren't touching a thing. Winning is winning, with Mikael Backland leading the way the past month:
- More sloppy, sloppy decision making by Nathan Beaulieu, poor turnover at the Flames line springs Calgary on a 2-on-1, Price with a big ol' save to bail his underperforming defenceman.
- Early minutes, Habs are almost certainly going to dominate puck possession if the first 7 minutes is any indicator, but they're still not doing a good job working the puck towards the middle. Too many point and permitter shots.
- Habs powerplay kind of slipping back into an over dependance on Weber, too many passes back to him, too many failed shot attempts. Having Weber hammer the puck worked for the first month, then by mid-November the opposition identified the strategy and made adjustments accordingly.
- Good lord, Zach Redmond is terrible - at least at the NHL level. I'm sure he's doing a fine job at the AHL level, filling out the 'Caps roster with necessary veteran abilities. But with the big team? Agonizingly slow and inadequate.
- This game ins't exactly a pretty picture, both offences struggling to make basic passes, or even carry zones competently. Basically most of the decent scoring attempts have come via broken plays.
- Not hard to see why the Flames have been struggling so much with offence, just no flow to their game, basic inability to construct an effective attack, lot of plays going offside. You'd like to think these are problems the team can work through at practice, but I don't think the talent is there.
- Flynn with a perfect screen, Shaw with a snapshot that Johnson almost certainly didn't see, and once again, the Flames allow their opponent to score first.
- Not a great period of hockey by the Habs, but their opponent - wow, Calgary is just a functional mess right now. Big shame on the Canadiens if they don't win tonight.
SECOND PERIOD:
- Even period, possession-wise, but quality of play considered, the Flames were not good.
- Danault with one of the sillier penalties we've seen in awhile, brain-cramp interference behind the Flames net, of all places.
- Habs kill the bad penalty, and then take another dumb one, and guess who - it's Alexei Emelin with a stupid hold.
- Whelp, maybe Chad Johnson was feeling badly for Emelin, as he lets in a shorthanded softie, Thomas Plekanec says thank you very much. 2-0.
- Flames are a mess, Habs with ease a tic-tac-toe powerplay goal, Radulov finishes the play. 3-0 Habs. Calgary must be wondering where it all went south.
- Flames can't convert on a 5-on-3, Price is most definitely back on his game - the Sabres game, which was very good, was a preview of tonight, apparently. Still, Calgary very much resembles a team made of a bunch of pieces that aren't fitting together. I see no light at the end of their tunnel.
- Not sure what the deal with Byron has been of late, but his tentativeness with the puck in the O-zone is perplexing. Just seems to be full of hesitation of late, frequently passing up on taking shots from pretty good spots.
- Flames are piling up shots on Price, but it's all much a mask - vast majority of pucks that Carey Price has stopped haven't been particularly dangerous. Calgary a pretty dysfunctionally played game tonight, their powerplay looks absent confidence, and their PK was structurally MIA during Radulov's goal. Habs can and should cruise the rest of the way to the finish.
THIRD PERIOD:
- Habs controlled that 2nd period, Calgary's offence pretty much only coming off powerplays. 62.5% CF in 2nd period alone, 54% overall for the game.
- Flames are trying, we'll give them that - at least some kind of consolation offence, something ... anything. But Carey Price is shutting the door, compounding Calgary's woes.
- Carr makes it 4-0, as Flames defence makes a mess out of a simple 2-on-2 break. When it rains, it pours, and if you're a Calgary Flames fan, the past 10 days have bene a monsoon.
- The Flames haven't been hopeless, at least not this 3rd period, applying O-zone pressure. But oh, so many basic fundamental defensive breakdowns - that's their weakest spot by far. They do more than enough up front to win hockey games, but their blue line are shambles, especially in protecting the crease/low slot.
- Habs have had 4 powerplays tonight, registering a measly 2 shots on goal. Both of them by Radulov. Both of them goals. His 2nd an absolutely beauty of a backhander. What an incredible player.
- What a shame, Radulov takes a late penalty, Shea Weber somehow can't clear the puck, and Price loses the shutout with just a second left on the clock. Carey deserved it.
- Anyone who hadn't watched the game but looked at the final score might figure the Habs curb stomped the Flames tonight, which would be the wrong conclusion. Yes, the score was lopsided, but the Flames were given far too many high quality scoring chances, only another great performance by Price keep them off the board. Calgary's big undoing was some remarkably terrible defence, either poor positioning or lethargic effort. Flames are now faced with having to face the Sens this week, Ottawa just coming off a win over the Caps tonight. Little reason to believe this miserable road trip won't get a bit more awful.
GAME PREVIEW: ALL IS NOT WELL WITH THE CALGARY FLAMES
It has not been a golden age for hockey, if you happen to be a fan of either local NHL team in the Province of Alberta. Since 2008, neither the Edmonton Oilers or the Calgary Flames, with exception to the Flames' brief appearance in 2015, have been able to qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs.
This season was supposed to be different, with both organizations focused on building teams built off youth from wise draft picks. For the Oilers, after 11 consecutive years in the wilderness, it appears that program is finally going to reward them with a playoff berth. For the Flames? Well ...
For awhile there, the Flames were doing it right. In the 2010 and '11 drafts, Calgary picked the likes of Sven Bartschi, Micahel Ferland, and Johnny Gaudreau (4th round!). Not franchise guys, but still, decent player selections. But then in the 2012, draft Flames scouting came up empty, selecting Mark Jankowski who ended up never playing an NHL game. Aside from their two number one picks in '13 and '14, Sean Mohahan and Sam Bennett respectively, the Flames' cupboard isn't exactly brimming.
What happens when a team tries to build from within but can't make consistently wise draft picks? Guys who sit in offices get fired. So out went General Manager Jay Feaster at the end of 2012, and in came Brian Burke who held the fort for now G.M. Brad Treliving. Betcha didn't know who Calgary's G.M. was. Now you know.
Anyway, the Jay Feaster era was where the plan pretty much got derailed - consecutive years of poor draft selections set the table for the Flames current problem - they're a borderline playoff competitive hockey team - maybe, just maybe good enough to eek out a 2nd wildcard spot, but in all probability, destined to a 9th or 10th place Conference finish. Not even bad enough for a really high draft pick.
The Flames come into tonight's game at the Bell Centre in the midst of a bad losing streak. They got edged out by (a suddenly revived) Nashville team last Thursday, then spanked at home by the arch-rival Oilers Saturday, and the final humiliation, they got stomped by the Leafs last night 4 to nada.
What's the deal, Calgary? Well, the Flames are a terrible team out of the gate. In the past eight games, their opponent has scored first, and while not scoring first isn't always a fatal blow, it certainly doesn't make the road travelled any easier when you're always trying to play catchup (for what it's worth, Calgary's record over the past eight games is 2-5-1, not good).
What's going wrong, Calgary? Well, the what's going right, exactly? The Flames suddenly can't score, exception being to Sean Monahan. When your star guys like Johnny Gaudreau finds his point totals basically grinding to full halt, winning becomes extra onerous, especially for a team that's pretty thin up front. At 2.59 GF60, the Flames have the League's 19th rated offence. Not even good enough to claim mediocrity.
Oh, speaking of Johnny Gaudreau ... well ... hold the line, there's this from last night:
Flames fans were up in arms that the Leafs Leo Komarov hit Gaudreau high, but the replay shows that Gaudreau took his eyes off the play, and that Komarov basically plowed him to the ice with a hit on the shoulder. Anyway, the good news for the Flames is that Gaudreau is okay, and will play tonight.
The bad news for the Flames is beside guys who are performing like Gaudreau on wing, and Mark Giordano on defence, Calgary doesn't have much going right now. On that blue line, besides Giordano, Dougie Hamiltion, for whom the Flames gave up one 1st round, and two 2nd round picks in the deep 2015 draft, has been a significant disappointment since coming over from the Boston Bruins. Once considered a future Norris Trophy possibility, Hamilton has regressed significantly over the past couple of seasons to the point where he's now frequently mentioned as possible trade bait. The net effect from all of this, the Flames GA60 this season is 2.73, 18th rated - again, not even good enough to rank as mediocre.
So tonight Calgary hopes to get their season somehow back on track, as they take on the suddenly Alex Galchenyuk-less Montreal Canadiens. Galchenyuk won't play tonight because he reaggravated his knee which had recently kept him out of the lineup for six weeks. Good call, Habs medical staff. Putting your start 1C back in the lineup before he's fully healed from a significant knee injury send a pretty good signal you're running a competent ship.
So without Galchenyuk, the Habs will run with these lines tonight
Over on the Flames side, we have (projected): Tkachuk/Backlund/Frolik Gaudreau/Mohahan/Chiasson Versteeg/Bennett/Brouwer Bouma/Stajan/Freddie Hamilton Giordano/Dougie Hamilton Brodie/Wideman Kulak/Engelland Chad Johnson
Puck drops at 7:40 EST.
THIRD PERIOD:
- Score adjusted possession through 40 minutes. Reminder - the Habs are getting trounced by a team that struggles to crack 40% on any given night:
- Looking forward to Therrien's post-game comments tonight if the Habs do go on to win this game. Will he tell the media that he was satisfied with what he saw? Because it's pretty plain as day that his team is playing pretty horrendous hockey.
- Wack of icings to start the 3rd period, which I guess is what sit-on-the-lead Habs are satisfied in doing.
- Lars Eller is finally given a shift, and upon stepping on the ice, gets caught for a slash. He won't be returning tonight, you get bet on that.
- Byron of all people, to Eller's rescue! Short handed goal gives Habs 5-2 lead. Lars owes Paul ... big time.
- Eller gets another shift! And the Habs keep the Flames pretty much continued in their zone for every second of it. GO LARS.
- Combination of bad puck luck and sloppy defence for the Flames, Dale Weise with his first career hat trick to give the Habs a 6-2 lead. Fleischmann with an unselfish feed to Weise for the goal.
- Habs score adjusted possession in the 3rd period has been through the roof. Slightly more than 80% with 8 minutes left. Goodness.
- The more Dale Weise scores, the worse matters become for the Habs. He's not a power forward, he's not a 20 goal scoring player. But he's going to get top tier ice time from Therrien because of this production. He's not that kind of player.
- Well, Habs at least get a win from the trip, but it was a pretty poorly played game - certainly not much better than last night's debacle against Edmonton, and in some ways, worse. The only saving grace for Montreal tonight was Joni Ortio, who had an abysmal night in goal, a save percentage just above .800. Habs now return home to face a much, much better Winnipeg Jets team. If tonight is what they'll throw at Winnipeg, the final scoreboard result won't be nearly as positive.
SECOND PERIOD:
- Habs and Flames after 20 minutes. Montreal continues to struggle in outpossessing their opponent. Haven't done so in nearly two weeks:
- Hudler ties the game as a Pacioretty penalty expires, Habs PK unit not nearly tonight enough to cover the passing lanes. Oh well.
- Therrien puts Dale Weise out on first powerplay unit. That's insanity.
- Beaulieu gives the Habs the lead again on the powerplay (no, Weise was not on), with a hard slapper from the point. Seems to me the Habs should just put pucks at the net at every opportunity. Ortio isn't elite. He might not even be good.
- Flames tie, as Condon fails to cover up the puck fast enough, and Jooris swipes in the puck. Habs again, with soft defence around their net. This time Emelin is the culprit. What a shocker.
- And Weise scores again, and Ortio muffs another shot, and Therrien is now going to think Weise is elite, and Weise will get more top line playing time while guys like Eller rot on the bench. You can see it all coming a mile away.
- Eller has been benched. You may commence with shakes of the head.
- So with Eller now just a spectator, Flynn isn't being deployed very much, which means Galchenyuk, one of the Habs most important offensive weapons, isn't getting shifts. It's a crazy misuse of assets. If I were a player I'd be wondering what the hell my coach is thinking?
- Flames are simply handing this game to the Habs on a platter, as Smith-Pelly scores his first of the season off a terrible turnover behind Calgary's net. In addition to massively misplaying their lines, Habs are getting soundly outplayed all over the ice, and yet, somehow, lead by two.
- Dougie Hamilton has been pretty quiet, borderline invisible tonight. Not sure if the Flames envisioned this when they gave up some pretty big parts of their future to acquire him.
- Habs lead by two after two, mainly because Ortio hasn't been very good. He's certainly not been much better than the Habs collectively, and in the meantime, Therrien singles out Lars Eller for punishment, of all people. It's a silly thing of Therrien to do, it certainly underscores the belief that he doesn't know how to watch the game. In any case, if the Habs do win this, it won't be in large part because of what they did right, but a reflection of what Calgary did wrong.
FIRST PERIOD:
- Sigh, Michel Therrien. And his lineups. Same as last night. Flynn 2nd line. What can ya do?
- Stumbling start for the Habs, Flames, who aren't exactly an offensive powerhouse, keeping Habs pinned early.
- Emelin was heaped praise (deservedly) for his strong play to start the season, but since the Leafs game, he's been slipping back to his sloppy ways. Positioning and judgement, mainly.
- Wow. Flames netminding. What to say? Dale Weise with a 50 foot slapper that may have been screened a little, but it's still a very stoppable shot. Ortio wiffs, and the Habs take a 1-0 lead.
- Mike Condon. Great positioning and great lateral movement robbing the Flames of two golden scoring chances. Still wonder how much of Condon's excellent play is a rub-off effect being a teammate of Carey Price.
- Habs are lucky the Flames are lousy converting their scoring chances. Otherwise this game could very likely have Calgary ahead on the scoreboard.
- Calgary's structure reminds me an awful lot of Montreal's last season (and this season, for all we know). Lots of chips, shooting pucks in from centre and chasing. Calgary also likes to block shots, a Habs speciality under Therrien. Big problem for Calgary is not only do they play like the Habs, but they don't nearly have the depth of talent. Formula for a losing season. We'll see.
- Evenly played first period, Habs continue to not play nearly as well as they did before the Leafs, their zone entries are very inconsistent, and perhaps more worrisome, they're playing very sloppy in their own zone, leaving far too many opposition forwards unmarked. Condon was excellent - one gets the feeling he'll need to be that way the entire night if the Habs hope to win at least one game on this trip.
UH-OH. DON'T LOOK NOW, BUT THE FLAMES MIGHT ACTUALLY BE TERRIBLE?
Remember last season, when the Calgary Flames, to the surprise of just about everyone, put together a 45 win, 97 point season, and then beat the Vancouver Canucks in the first round, their first playoff advancement in 20 years? And then do you remember all the accolades that went to coach Bob Hartley, who won the Jack Adams award for NHL coach of the year?
Then do you remember how during this offseason, the Flames went out into the market to improve their defense, by landing Dougie Hamilton, a possibly-future Norris Trophey, in exchange for high level draft picks? A bold move! So bold that some experts picked the Flames to be a high finish in this season's standings. Could a parade on Red Mile be in the not-too-distant future?
While we're all in a relective mood, did you also happen to remember how the Flames finished 2014015 as the third worst possession team in the NHL? Whoops. Say what? Third worst? Naw. Really? Worse than ... Toronto? Yeah? For reals???!!
Indeed, the Calgary Flames of 2014-15, they of 45 wins and 97 points, were an analytical puzzle. They were winning consistently, even though the raw numbers from those wins weren't really adding up. A corsi percentage of 45.3%, which, indeed, was worst than the Toronto Maple Leafs, who - in the weaker Eastern Conference, finished with only 30 wins, and 29 fewer points in the standings.
So you can't really blame Calgary for standing essentially pat from last season to this. Indeed, you'd have to feel awfully optimistic about Calgary's chances this year, given they were able to obtain a stud like Hamilton.
Problem is, the Flames didn't really make any significant improvements or adjustments in how they approach playing hockey. They are today, as they were last year, a grinding team that prefers to chip instead of carrying the puck. The net affection through the first 10 games of the year? A 5v5 corsi percentage of just 39.2%, even more dreadful than last season's numbers. Add to Calgary's woes, a struggling powerplay, currently 23rd ranked, less than mediocre offensive tempo, registering an average of 28 shots per game (22nd overall), and most certainly huge challenges in goal, with Jonas Hiller, as their number one starter, registering a less than stellar .861 SP%
The net effect? Just 2 wins in their first 10 games, putting them just one point ahead of the lowly Anaheim Ducks for last place overall.
Maybe last year really was a facade. Maybe it was a season where everything went right for the Flames, instilling a belief that they were better than they actually were. If the first 10 games of this season is any evidence, Calgary might not be a playoff team. They might, in fact, be a terrible hockey team.
Tonight, the Flames might be getting a dose of relief, as they take on the suddenly hapless Habs, who somehow found a way of giving up a seemingly insurmountable lead last night against the young, talented, but raw Edmonton Oilers. The loss was so profoundly frustrating, that there's already griping amongst some of the faithful that Michel Therrien be shown the door for his inability to properly construct, and deploy, a lineup. And this for a 9-2 team!
Anyway, puck drops tonight at 9:10 EST. It's the Habs last chance to salvage some points out of this mini western road trip.
- Hard to believe how far the Bruins' defense has fallen this year. Pacioretty allowed soft access right to Rask, Hamilton feebly checking him, soft pass by Desharnais goes off Hamilton's skate and in. 4-1.
- Cue the Bruins dives. Desperate times.
- One more on Boston would be nice. Just to make it an official blowout.
- That 4th goal awarded to Patches, his second of the game. He started strong, so it's not entirely surprising.
- Chara's return will help, but it won't fully adress the fundamental shortcomings of this Bruins defense, which hasn't looked this soft and slow in years.
- Rubbing eyes. A powerplay goal? Sekac. Blowout status achieved.
- Admittedly, the Bruins were tired team tonight, but still an impressive win nontheless for the Habs, who followed their season-long pattern tonight to the letter. Slow first, big bounce-back second, and controlled third period. I'm not sure if any torch has yet been passed, but we may have had another glimpse tonight of two organizations headed in different competitive directions.
SECOND PERIOD:
- Weise gets a penalty shot and buries a chance. Hope Pacioretty was watching.
- Powerplay!!! DRINK.
- Subban blasts a shot off the back of Galchenyuk's leg. At this point, Habs should just decline the powerplay.
- Powerplay!!! Find the highest bridge near you.
- Nothing. Lots of passing, the two shot attempts on Svedberg harmlessly wide. It doesn't need to be a prefect goal. Just get it somewhere around the net and drive it home. The uglier the better.
- Habs bench management has been a mess tonight. Players who need to be played are stapled to the bench. Madness.
- 4th line Beaulieu just took Matt Fraser to the cleaners. Wondering if Beaulieu was visualizing Therrien's face on Fraser's head.
- Habs have played a much better forecheck this period, and Gallagher creates the turnover at Seidenberg and Hamilton's expense to feed Eller for the go ahead goal. Poor Bruins defense especially costly on that play.
- Bergeven so far has had a night he'd probably gladly forget.
- More soft Bruins defense off the Habs rush creates plenty of open ice to allow Wiese to slide a pass to Patches, his one timer totally freezing Svedberg in the headlights. 3-1.
- Pretty much a disasterous period for Boston. Unable to keep pace, Campbell hooks. POWERPLAY!!!!
- Good lord. Plekanec with the widest of open nets, and from five feet out, he somehow misses. On the powerplay. I'm speechless.
- More goonery by Lucic, this time on Sekac. P.K. chases him down and gives him a little taste back. More, please.
- Habs owned that period. Completely owned it. Bruins defense was overwhelmed by a fierce forecheck, and Habs legs went into some otherworldly gear that forced Boston into a series of chase infractions. Net result, three well deserved goals. Really should have been four.
FIRST PERIOD:
- Well I guess that's one way of ensuring Rask doesn't have another disasterous night at the Bell. Simply don't start him.
- So far, not exactly overwhelmed by Gonchar. Yeah, I know he's 40, but was he always this slow?
- Seems as though Therrien has Beaulieu already below Gonchar on the pecking list. Of course.
- Boston kinda pretty much totally dominating Habs, possession wise. Another terrible first period for the Habs. 17 games into the season, they haven't had a single good start to any game. Amazing.
- Habs powerplay!! AND DRINK.
- Desperate times. Subban and Markov are split up with the man advantage.
- Another man advantage, another adventure in nothingness. It's incredible how badly this unit is functioning, how little seems to be done to improve it. The coaches just stand around, shrug shoulders. How can Bergevin tolerate this?
- Habs forwards mainly playing on their heels, just standing back, not attacking, not taking any imitative. They look awful.
- 3 seconds. It took three seconds for the Bruins to score on their powerplay. That's salt in the wounds. Really deep wounds. Also, Desharnais on first line PK? Yeah, okay.
- Svedberg robs Pacioretty on a break. Max one of the few Habs players with any semblance of legs in this period.
- Bruins outshooting Habs 11-6 in the period. It was even worse than that. Habs have far too talented a roster to continually play this poorly to start their game, each and every game.
GAMEDAY GAME PREVIEW:
Hahaha ... the Boston Bruins.
Oh Tuukka. Poor Tuukka. You and your team got destroyed last night. To the Toronto Maple Leafs. Let's just think about that for a moment. Your team got whooped. By the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Hoo boy. Oh, the humanity!
Aw, the poor guy. But he's clearly a great Bruins fan in the making! Actually, he's pretty much nailed it down, at least emotionally.
So what's the deal with the Bruins? In a word, it's defense. It's not been very good this season. Yes, it's not helped that Boston lost their captain and arguably still their best defenseman in Zdeno Chara, who's out indefinitely with a leg injury. With Chara out, the Bruins have leaned heavily on the capable Dougie Hamilton, but he's only one guy, and he's no Chara. Other components to the Boston defense have struggled, including the slow footed Dennis Seidenberg, the relatively inexperienced Torey Krug, and the really inexperienced Joe Morrow.
Let's cut to the chase about this - the Boston Bruins are not a particularly strong defensive team - certainly not among the League elite. It is a flaw that could very well be their undoing as the season progresses.
And then there's Tuukka Rask.
What is going on here? The defending Vezina Trophy winner has posted a save percentage barely north of .900, which has him currently tied for 44th overall in the League among goaltenders. That's pretty far down, at least for the guy who was considered the best for his position in 2013-14.
That all said, the Bruins are facing an opponent tonight who aren't exactly setting the offensive world on fire. The Habs, ranked near the bottom of the League in overall offense (and let's not even get started about their powerplay which might be having its worst season in more half a century), might just be the defensive cure the Bruins have been trying to find the past while.
In any case, Rask will be playing against a team, in a venue that's been miserable to his career record. He, like the rest of the Boston lineup, will be hoping the Habs post another night of hapless passing, transition, powerplays and scoring. Then, and only then, will the Bruins have a pretty good chance of winning tonight.
Otherwise? May we be so bold as to suggest the Bruins suck? Because, defensively speaking, they do.
