Meanwhile...back at the ranch................

Not impressed with Frolik. Wish the heLL we get past this 3M line & start focusing offensive talent on a 2nd line. Even the underlying analytics blows chunks on that 3M line. Not sure Backlund should be playing either. Benny needs to be playing top 6.
I would like to see Tkachuk with Benny & Ryan alternating centre/RW. Move Backlund & Frolik down with Lucic (who is surprisingly defensively responsible).

Roll the 4th with Mangi/Janko/Czarnik & Reider. I have always felt we should be cultivating a line a pairing with Tkachuk & Benny like we had done with Gaudreau & Monahan. Who knows who or when a Lindholm would come along & go electric like they did last year. Just saying. Time to scrap the 3M or at least put it on the shelf for awhile.
- Kevin R

Todays lines at practice.
FORWARDS

Johnny Gaudreau - Sean Monahan - Elias Lindholm

Matthew Tkachuk - Mikael Backlund - Sam Bennett

Milan Lucic - Derek Ryan - Andrew Mangiapane

Tobias Rieder - Mark Jankowski - Michael Frolik

DEFENCE

Mark Giordano - TJ Brodie

Noah Hanifin - Travis Hamonic

Oliver Kylington - Rasmus Andersson

GOALTENDERS

David Rittich

Cam Talbot

Those lines look good

The good signs so far are Gaudreau looks awesome, special teams are solid, Lucic hasn't been a black hole, and not much else. What's the second line done? What's the third line done? What's the fourth line done? Brodie's been off. Kylington's outplaying Andersson. If this team wants to be an elite contender they need to make quick improvements pretty much everywhere. The Flames don't have much of a window. They need to be elite this year.

Rittich was the backup until December and that's when he built up his numbers. When he started getting more starts, his numbers dropped off.
- Hunkulese

Fake news

Todays lines at practice.
FORWARDS

Johnny Gaudreau - Sean Monahan - Elias Lindholm

Matthew Tkachuk - Mikael Backlund - Sam Bennett

Milan Lucic - Derek Ryan - Andrew Mangiapane

Tobias Rieder - Mark Jankowski - Michael Frolik

DEFENCE

Mark Giordano - TJ Brodie

Noah Hanifin - Travis Hamonic

Oliver Kylington - Rasmus Andersson

GOALTENDERS

David Rittich

Cam Talbot
- DEDDIE

Fcking AWESOME!!!!!!!

Are you high? People on here are laughably dense. How is saying the team needs to play better if they want to be an elite team in any way panicking? The only reason to be panicking is if the dressing room is happy with how they played and think they'll be contenders if they keep playing that way. I guarantee you they're not feeling that way.

I'm saying they can and should be an elite team if they put in the work, and you twist that to it's time to write off the season?


Good teams can have mediocre or even bad games and still win. That's what happened. They were lucky they were playing the Canucks.
- Hunkulese

Saying the Flames don't have much of a window sounds kind of panicky. Desperate, even. Are you feeling desperate? I doubt the Flames are beating themselves up over a 3-0 win. Fricken Rittich and his unspectacular 34 save performance. What a POS douchebag. Play better!!!

Definitely not a solid game if you're expecting the Flames to be contenders. They were outplayed by the Canucks in the first and third, they've taken way too many penalties through two games, they generated zero offence when Gaudreau isn't on the ice, their first goal was a gift from Myers, and the second came out of nowhere because Gaudreau is amazing. Rittich was solid but not spectacular. The shutout had just as much to do with Vancouver being unable to bury their chances. If the Flames play like that against a good team, they lose.

It's nice to get a win, and it's still early in the year, but I'm pretty sure they weren't feeling great about the win and know they have a ton to work on.

Rittich is still a giant question mark until he's put in a full consistent season where he gets 50-60 starts. Everyone knows he can get on a roll for a string of games, but he's struggled every chance he's had to be the guy and hasn't been able to be consistent for a long period of time.
~Hunkulese

In general, I agree with much of what you said. The Flames need to generate scoring opportunities when Gaudreau isn't on the ice. They need to take fewer penalties. They need to limit opponents' shots on goal - a good defence doesn't allow 30+ shots against per game. It's true that in Rittich's first season, he had the opportunity to seize the net and run with it, but didn't. Last year was a different story, however, in that he ran with it until a nagging knee injury limited his ice time and his effectiveness - that was at least part of why Smith got all of the starts in net for the playoffs.

How about this?

FORWARDS

Johnny Gaudreau - Sean Monahan - Elias Lindholm

Matthew Tkachuk - - Sam Bennett - Andrew Mangiapane

Milan Lucic - Mikael Backlund - Michael Frolik

Tobias Rieder/Mark Jankowski - Derek Ryan - Austin Czarnik

DEFENCE

Mark Giordano - Rasmus Andersson

Noah Hanifin - Travis Hamonic

Oliver Kylington - TJ Brodie

GOALTENDERS

David Rittich

Cam Talbot