Talk to Me About Depth Sutter

People who know me or read my blog understand that I do not care much for Darryl Sutter and the way he has chosen to run this franchise.

Well, Sutter’s comments on Thursday at the Flames Charity Golf tournament struck a chord with me, as they tend to do.

Before I rant though, let’s start with a good quote from the farmer himself:

"This is going to be the best training camp since I've been here; somebody isn't going to be happy."

He was of course referring to the abundance of players the Flames have signed under one way deals and the negative balance the Flames currently hold in reference to the Salary cap. This was a good statement, albeit a little contrived, but still it lets the players know that no one is necessarily safe.

Back to the Future?

Marty: "Oh, this is heavy, Doc. I mean, it's like I was just here yesterday."



Doc: "You were here yesterday, Marty, you were."

Remember this? When Marty and the Doc were forced to go back to 1955 to steal back the ‘Grey’s Sports Almanac’ from young Biff so that he wouldn’t become rich and powerful and eventually kill Marty’s Dad George and marry Marty’s Mom Lorraine. Marty was experiencing a bit of deja-vu as he was back re-living November 12th, 1955 but, this time, from a different angle.

Well I have this sneaking suspicion that Olli Jokinen will probably have a very similar reaction when he touches down in Calgary for training camp in September. A guy that was, for all intensive purposes, booed out of this city for not living up to his potential has been brought back for another kick at the can.

Deja-vu? It sure feels like it.

This time though, he has a ‘no trade clause’ and is signed for two years at $3 million, not the $5.25 million he was making previously. What can we expect from him this year or better yet what SHOULD we expect of him this year?

His point totals have been falling, and falling fast since his 91 point total in 2006-07 (71 in 08’, 57 in 09’, and 50 last season).

So, should we be happy if he gets 15 goals or should we be angry until he scores 30? He scored only 15 last year, which was pretty much half of what he had the previous year. He is set to be centering the number one line again with Iginla and Tanguay, yet he does posses front line talent anymore.

He has gone from being a guy who was counted on every night to be ‘The Guy’ in south Florida to being a second rate centerman with the Flames; a team laden with second rate centermen.

They have Stajan and Langkow who are not number one guys.

Backlund is quite possibly the Flames only hope for a number one center, barring any trade that would bring one to the city.

On a side note, putting Backlund up there with the big boys might be risky, but then again it might be a way bigger risk to stick him into a 3rd line checker role where his development would sputter. Just like Boyd, just like Lombardi, just like Kobasew, we could be on the verge of watching another potential star in the Flames system get blockaded behind older washed up stars who Sutter thinks will save the franchise from yet another disappointing and frustrating season.
In the end I realize that this topic has been bandied about more times than Brett Favre has retired, yet I just still can’t believe it’s a reality.

I just feel like I am about to watch the same Olli Jokinen stick handle up the ice like a 10 year tyke player, out of control and no sense direction, and fire the puck wide or lose it in the corner.
Same Olli Jokinen. Just a slightly different angle.

This is heavy Doc.

Maybe it has something to do with the earth’s gravitational pull?


NOTE: Away from the whole Jokinen debate I would like to point out the three players at the Heritage Classic gala last Wednesday; Staios, Sarich and Glencross. Sarich has been talked about as a potential trade target given his large contract. Staios will have a tough time making this team and might be pushed into the minors. Glencross is the only player who I see actually being on the team come mid February. Maybe this is a signal from the team instilling confidence in these specific players. Then again, I am probably over thinking a very meaningless press conference where these players were simply the most accessible.

twitter.com/TSRNewman

What if Kipper plays bad?

When the Flames gave up three or more goals, they only won 10 of 37 games; proof that scoring goals was a serious issue for the team. However, despite the inability of the Calgary Flames to put pucks into the opposing net, rarely did they have too many issues with keeping the puck out of their own net. They ranked 5th in the league in ‘goals against per game’ with 2.48; which ranked them 1st amongst non playoff teams. They ranked 7th in the league in shots against per game and they had a goaltender who defied gravity for most of the year.

Miikka Kiprusoff was a Vezina worthy goaltender last season. I know, I can be a little biased but anyone who watched Kipper in any number of games would agree. The Flames unfortunately missed the playoffs though, kyboshing any chance for such a nomination.

He was second, only to Brodeur, in games played this season. Amongst goalies who played more than 60 games he ranked in the top 5 in GAA and top 7 in save percentage. He recorded 35 plus wins for the 5th straight year.

Yet, despite all of this he was unable to carry the Flames into the post-season.

So, what am I getting at? Why now do I bring up this fact mid way through July? The reason is because over the past couple of weeks since the Jokinen/Tanguay deals, people have come up and asked me what I thought of the deals. I re-iterate how I was happy with the Tanguay risk, but then how I almost jumped off my balcony when I heard the sacrilegious concept of Olli Jokinen coming back to the Flames.

However, the thing that I come back to is the fact that Kiprusoff was an All Star last year and the Flames still fell short of playing spring hockey. The simple actuality remains that if he slips just a bit from his form of last year, then the Flames will find themselves on the outside of the playoff picture once again, but much further down the Western Conference ladder.

Reason being is that the Flames have not solved their goal scoring problems; despite what the Dark Lord Sutter has told us. Unless he believes that Tanguay can somehow put up ‘Thornton-esque’ numbers, then the Flames will, once again, be searching for ways to score goals.

Then, of course, it comes back to Miikka. He is the rudder, the sail, and the oars on this fragile vessel. If he breaks, then the Flames will free-fall into the land of obscurity.

I was just checking to see if this scared everyone else like it scares me.

This has been,

Newman on the Flames

twitter.com/NewmansFlames

The Flames Did What?

I woke up on Canada Day feeling like it was Christmas day as the NHL Free Agent Frenzy was upon us and all sorts of excitement was about to unfold. Some big moves right off the bat that saw Gonchar sign with the Sens. I saw that Vancouver had thrown a pile of money at Manny Malhotra. I had to look twice when I saw that New York gave Derek Boogaard $6.5 million over 4 years; he hasn’t even scored a goal in 4 years.

I didn’t think it was possible for Sutter to top Sather in the race for dumbest GM’s in the league. Little did I know that before the day was out, the entire hockey community would be pointing and laughing at the Calgary Flames.

First off, the Flames signed Alex Tanguay to a one year deal at $1.7 million.

This move did not come as a huge surprise to me as Ken King, the Flames President, had talked up Tanguay during the annual season ticket holder’s dinner this past Monday.

I like the signing for the money spent. Tanguay had some of his best years in Calgary and the only reason he left in the first place was because Keenan had put him into a checking role and Tanguay was not happy with that. He sounds excited to come back and re-ignite his career. There is little risk with the move, as it’s only a one year deal for a relatively low dollar amount. The ‘no-movement clause’ was a little strange given that Tanguay has not really earned that right, I believe, but it does not matter much given it’s such a short term.

Then, as the TSN coverage rolled on, Darren Dreger reported that the Flames were close to signing Olli Jokinen to a two year deal. Then, as the TSN coverage rolled on, Darren Dreger reported that the Flames were close to signing Olli Jokinen to a two year deal.

The Flames are thinking about doing what?

My jaw subsequently dropped to the floor and I thought that TSN was playing a practical joke on the city of Calgary. I was hoping this was just a rumour that some prankster had started while talking it up with his buddies.

Guy 1: “Hey, wouldn’t it be hilarious if the Flames sign Jokinen?”
Guy 2: “Yeah, the Flames would have to be brain dead to make that mistake twice.”
Everyone laughs.

Then, the entire TSN panel laughed as the rumour became a reality and Dreger announces that the Flames have officially signed Jokinen to a 2 year deal worth $3 million per season.

When the brightest analysts in the game are speechless and/or start laughing at the move you just made, you know that maybe, just maybe, you made the wrong decision.

Apparently, Sutter admitted that trading him to New York was a mistake. Well if that was a mistake, what do you suppose this is?

He NEVER gelled with Iginla and clearly did not fit in with this team. His production has been on the serious decline since he left Florida. He is as streaky as they come and disappears for weeks and months at a time. Olli skates like an out of control novice player afraid to handle the puck. He scored all of 15 goals last year, 11 of which were with the Flames. He scored 4 in 26 games with the Rangers. Impressive numbers and definitely worth $3 million per season…

Trying to bury my frustration deep down in the dark corners of my soul, I have to look at what this could possibly mean going forward.

Assuming Dawes is bought out after he clears waivers (Sutter said this would happen), then the Flames have roughly $1.5 million to play with when it comes to the Salary Cap.

Does this set up a Langkow deal? You now have Backlund, Jokinen, Langkow, Stajan, and Brett Sutter, assuming he signs, as your centermen. Backlund can not play 3rd line minutes as he needs to develop properly and he needs minutes. There is talk of Jokinen moving to the wing, so maybe that frees up room down the middle. But, all this really means, and I hope I am right, is that Sutter is unfolding something larger and one of the aforementioned centremen will be moved via trade.

Langkow is the only real option, given that Stajan just signed and no one else is going to take him at $3.5 million (I wonder why?), and Backlund is not going anywhere. Stay tuned in the days to come to see if Darryl can get himself out of this quagmire of stupidity.

Dave Hodge stated that Calgary would make the G20 riots look like child’s play when the Jokinen deal was announced and I do not think he is far off. Other reporters and analysts said Sutter should be fired immediately for making such a bonehead move, TWICE!

To quote former President George W. Bush, “Fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can't get fooled again.”

Apparently you can.

This has been,

Newman on the Flames

Are you Jokinen?

Following the aftermath of the Phaneuf trade, late on Sunday night, TSN reported that Olli Jokinen and Brandon Prust had been traded to the New York Rangers for Ales Kotalik and Christopher Higgins. However, by Monday morning there still had not been any confirmation from either team. Was the deal happening or wasn’t it? There had been some speculation throughout the morning that Ales Kotalik, with a no-trade clause, would not approve the move. The trade was eventually finalized late Monday night though and Jokinen and Prust (again) were no longer members of the Calgary Flames.

I have to say I am not impressed with how this was handled by the Calgary Flames organization. After news of the trade first broke, there wasn’t any reaction from the team. This left two players in the lurch, wondering whether or not their tenure with the Flames was finished, and knowing for certain that they were no longer wanted by the team. Now I know hockey players are compensated very well for what they do, and one of the sacrifices is the possibility of being traded to another team, in another city, but this fiasco wasn’t only unfair to the players being traded, but also the rest of the players on the team.

I can’t imagine what yesterday’s morning skate was like for the players and coaching staff arriving at the Saddledome, knowing that two of their players are no longer wanted by the organization. I don’t imagine it would be possible to have an effective practice with that black cloud hanging over everybody. Why even have Jokinen participate? Was Sutter going to be achieving anything? “Hey Olli, you need to keep working on your face-offs; the Rangers will appreciate it.”

However, I think the practice would be a picnic compared to the game last night. Not only is it impossible to expect anything from Prust or Jokinen, it is also difficult to expect anything out of the rest of the team as well. Two players were about to be traded, and four players were playing their first game in a Flames uniform, following the Phaneuf trade the day before. A third of the skaters were either new to the team or about to be off the team and I don’t imagine there was much of a positive attitude around the dressing room. Perhaps Sutter gave a speech before they hit the ice, “Hagman, Stajan, meet your new teammates; but don’t worry about introducing yourselves to 21 and 33 though, they’re going to be traded after the game. Now let’s play great!”

It’s no wonder the team came out flat and uninspired in losing to the Flyers three to nothing. The blame of this fiasco should fall squarely on the organization. First off, the trade shouldn’t be leaked out to the media before it has been finalized. Secondly, after it was leaked, at least one of the teams should have addressed the issue, both for the players and the fans. I typically hear about how “classy” the Flames organization is, and would usually agree, but as it concerns the Jokinen trade, the team really dropped the ball.

-TheRev

Photo from: http://www.calgaryherald.com/sports/Flames+finally+pull+trigger+controversial+Jokinen+trade/2510662/story.html

Five in a Row

In case you missed it last night, and since the Junior Gold Medal game was on, I’m betting most did, the Flames won their fifth game in a row with a 3-1 win over the Nashville Predators. The win put the Flames into first place in the Northwest division at the halfway point of the season. Not only was it the fifth consecutive victory, but also the fifth consecutive game the Flames only allowed one goal. Miikka Kiprusoff, having played four of those, is 4-0-0 with a 1.00 GAA and a .964 save percentage. First star of the week anybody?

In last night’s game, the Flames played a solid first two periods, which gave them a 2-0 lead going into the final frame. In the third, a couple of defensive lapses led to a few Predator scoring changes and one goal, but Daymond Langkow was able to score an empty netter in the final minute to put the game away for good. The first two goals were scored by David Moss and Olli Jokinen who both ended month-long scoring droughts. I keep expecting to see Jokinen break out, but it just doesn’t seem to happen. Halfway through the season, he now sits at 8 goals and 20 assists; on pace for his first sub-20 goal season since 2001-2002. For a comparison, and a nod to my colleague, Lombardi is at 7 goals and 19 assists, for $3,500,000 less per season.

Tonight, the Flames take on their divisional rival, the Minnesota Wild. It may be another game not seen by many Flames fans, as it won’t be available on local television. I always find it hard to believe that we still have Flames games that aren’t on television. Most US teams, whom practically nobody watches, have every game on local television. Yet here in a hotbed of hockey there are still games we can’t watch due to restrictive television contracts with TSN and CBC. Of course, as always, tonight’s game will be on the Fan960, so tune into the broadcast and be treated to perhaps the best play-by-play man in hockey, Peter Maher.


- TheRev

Flames Burn Thrashers

The Flames returned home, after their longest road trip of the season, to face the much improved Atlanta Thrashers on Wednesday night. The Flames did not disappoint their fans as they played a solid game and won 3-1 for their second consecutive win at home, after losing 4 of their previous 5 on home ice. The old cliché of ‘having their best players play like their best players’ was evident tonight as the Jarome Iginla, Olli Jokinen, Rene Bourque and Miikka Kiprusoff were all in top form.

This might have been Olli Jokinen’s best game as a Flame this season. He was flying out there as he contributed with one laser of a goal and one sweet dangle through the Atlanta (Peace up, A-Town) defence. Not to mention he had 4 shots on net, was a +2 on the night and logged more ice time than any other Flames forward (20:26). His confidence is clearly growing in each game and his chemistry with Iginla and now Nigel Dawes seems to be getting better with each outing. Iginla could have had a bundle of goals tonight but was shut down by Thrasher Goaltender Johan “Moose” Hedberg all night. His patent “leg kick” while flying down the right side of the ice was in full effect tonight, but he could not find the twine. He did chip in with two assists including setting up the eventual game winner. He also managed to draw a few timely penalties which helped kill time off the clock, because clearly the Flames are unable to score a goal with the powerplay (0 for last 16).

As mentioned earlier, it seems Iggy and Olli have found a line mate in Nigel Dawes. Dawes, a top prospect coming out of junior, never really found a spot in the NHL. He struggled with consistency in New York and really did not have time in Phoenix to do much of anything. Now it seems he is comfortable and playing well with the added responsibility in Calgary. Already on pace to shatter his career high in goals (14), assists (15) and points (29) in a season, Dawes is giving the Flames the exact kind of support player they wanted when they signed him in July. He has great speed and is able to slip in and out of the tough areas with minimal detection. Another gem signing by Darryl Sutter only a year after he snagged Glencross and Bourque out of heap of available players.

A few ‘notable notes’ from tonight’s contest was Glencross’s spirited fight in the third period; good to see the energy always riding high with him. Regehr was back after missing one game with an undisclosed injury. Conroy, however, was not in the line-up tonight after colliding with Oscar Moller of the Kings on Monday. Cory Sarich also missed his 8th straight game. Coming from an interview on the Fan960 with Coach Sutter, when asked about Sarich, he said, “You will have to ask Darryl about Cory.” Since when does the GM decide when the player is ready? Wouldn’t the Coach be in charge of that? Or better yet, maybe the team Physician?

Just ‘spitballin’ here but I think he is being shopped around and will be dealt before the deadline. It makes sense with his salary, the need to clear space for Bourque and other UFA/RFA’s this summer, and the emergence of Aaron Johnson and Staffan Kronwall on the backend.

This has been,

Newman on the Flames

Source of Photo: http://www.nhldigest.com/images/Flames%20Socks.jpg

Flames Take Two

The Flames went into two arenas that have been quite unfriendly in the past and walked away with 4 points. First, the Flames shut out the two time defending Western Conference Champion Red Wings in Joe Louis Arena, which is no easy task. For the first time since 1977, the Red Wings were shutout twice in a row at home; the Flames being the back half of that equation. The following night, the Flames are down 3-1 going into the third period, yet manage to battle back to beat the slumping Blue Jackets for wins on consecutive nights. The Flames now have won 9 road games on the season and have gained points in 13 of their 14 contests away from the Dome. A drastic change from past years where “the Road” was the last place the Flames wanted to be.

Miikka Kiprusoff once again stole the show in a Flames game, not to mention stole two points for the win. The Flames were out shot 40-17 over the three periods of play and Kipper managed to stop everything that was thrown at him (well, sort of). Detroit had two goals that were disallowed that looked to be legitimate scoring plays. The Wings must have thought they jumped in Doc Brown's Delorean and went back to 1999 when the infamous “foot in the crease” rule was a topic of conversation. The goal was apparently called off because Kipper did not have a chance to save the puck due to Cleary being in front of him, and being slightly in the crease. Is that not called screening the goalie? Most fans, even Flames fans, thought that it should have counted yet the Flames caught a major break. It is a very vague rule as there was no penalty called on the play and is something the league should look into changing. Nonetheless the Flames played a strong third period and kept the home team off the board and Miikka earned his second shutout of the season.

Now if you read this blog often, you will know Olli Jokinen really grinds my gears. Well Olli, you really have shown you can contribute to this team after all. Scoring 10 points in the last 8 games, he is showing more confidence and playing like he is capable of being a high calibre NHLer. He is fore-checking with authority and using some patience when he is handling the puck, which is a drastic change from earlier in the season. Scoring 2 goals and 2 assists during the weekend’s two wins, Olli is shutting up his critics and letting his playing do the talking. The Jokinen-Iginla experiment is clicking right now as they have provided a majority of the Flames offence over the last couple weeks. Sutter must have implored the motto, “at first you don’t succeed, try, try again, and again, and again,” until it works. Sutter does make an interesting point, where as Keenan might have diverted away from the duo playing together rather quickly, Sutter let the two superstars gel through time and let both players grow accustomed to one another. Things do not always click right away, and this seems to be the case here.

Curtis McElhinney, starting his 3rd game of the season, had a very average game amid the “Whiteout” in Columbus, but shockingly came out with the win. Normally, that would have been a loss for the back-up goaltender, but the Flames persevered and rallied to win the game. Allowing two very soft goals from the Blue Jackets, it looked as if McElhinney and the Flames were headed towards their second road loss in regulation this season. But, Curtis stopped all 13 shots he faced in the third and overtime and then made a key stop in the shootout to win his 2nd game of the season. He has had better games, but this was a good sign that the Flames back-up goalie does not need to stand on his head to win the game.

The Flames have not lost in regulation on the road since a 2-1 defeat to very same Jackets back in late October. The Flames have gained point in 9 consecutive road games and look to set a record when they travel to Nashville on Monday. The Predators, for their part, are one of the hottest teams in the NHL. They have won 8 of their last 9 games and have quickly vaulted into contention in the tight Western Conference. The Flames swept the season series last year against the Preds, outscoring them 18-12 over the four games.

The Flames are now atop the Northwest division by 2 points over the Avalanche and hold 2 games in hand. November has once again been the Flames month and hopefully they can close it out with another good showing on Monday in Music City.

This has been,

Newman on the Flames

Source of Photos:http://www.life.com/image/73870860

Flames Can't Solve Ducks

For the tenth straight time in the regular season the Flames failed to beat the Anaheim Ducks in the Honda Center. Not sure if it is the mystical aroma or the echo you get when you drop a pin in the stadium, but the Flames have constantly had trouble winning in Disneyland.

Tonight the Flames outplayed the Ducks in the 1st and 3rd periods outshooting them 33-13 during those two frames. Despite doing so, the Flames were only able to generate 2 goals and allowed the Ducks to score on their limited chances during the first period. It just happened that the Ducks scored these two goals faster than most people can use the bathroom. Does this sound familiar? For the fourth straight game the Flames allowed two ‘bang-bang’ goals to occur:

Colorado- 2 Goals in 1:06
Chicago- 2 Goals in 36 seconds (Albeit the game was out of reach at that point)
L.A- 2 Goals in 38 seconds
Tonight vs. Anaheim – 2 Goals in 1:08

Is it a lack of focus? A sudden lack of confidence? Do they forget about their assignments because they are worried about getting scored on again? For professional athletes to show such a lack of mental toughness is brutal. This has happened far too often this season to simply consider it a strange occurrence. This problem, along with the “shift after a goal” dilemma needs to be fixed immediately.

Jarome Iginla was again a force, scoring the tying goal with 18 seconds left in the game, while logging a beefy 28 minutes of ice-time. Olli Jokinen played better; that is all. The other part of that top line, Jamie Lundmark, may have paved his way back to Abbotsford tonight for “the bonehead” play of the year when he fired the puck directly into the slot from behind his own net, right onto the tape of Corey Perry, which led directly to the Ducks first goal. This play, coupled with a -2 performance on the night, really nullified any good progress he made in the Kings game.

The Flames head home to face the Hamilton (Phoenix) Coyotes on Wednesday night. The Flames have been horrifyingly average at home and need to exert their dominance inside the Dome. The Coyotes seem like a good place to start doing so.

This has been,

Newman on the Flames

Source of photo: http://www.seattlepi.com/hockey/2041ap_hkn_flames_ducks.html

Iginla Wears a Nice "Hat"

On a Saturday afternoon in mid November, Jarome Iginla showed why he is considered one of the most dangerous players in the NHL. Netting his 9th career hat trick in the Flames 5-2 victory over the Los Angeles Kings, Iginla dominated from start to finish.

A mere 13 seconds into the contest, as Kings and Flames fans alike were still getting comfortable in their seats, Iginla snapped home his 13th of the season. Playing on a line with Olli “Joke”inen and recently called-up Jamie Lundmark, Iginla continued his hot streak and helped Calgary stop their recent 2 game slide.

The second period offered some suspense as flashes of Thursday nights collapse came into view when the Kings scored 2 goals in 38 seconds to take the lead by 1. Fortunately, Sutter called a timeout and calmed his troops down, enabling them to force the Kings into making some mistakes. The Flames responded, coming back and scoring a powerplay goal on a highlight reel pass from Bouwmester to Iggy to tie the game up at 2. The turning point in the game came in the early portion of the 3rd period when the very same Iginla took an untimely tripping penalty, opening the door for L.A. to take the lead. However, the Flames “flipped the script” on the Kings with some aggressive fore-checking forcing a turnover in the Kings zone. A well timed pass from Glencross turned into Daymond Langkows 7th goal of the season, and a 3-2 Flames lead. Iginla finished off his afternoon with a rebound goal that let the hats rain down from the rafters from loyal Flames Fans following the team down to Southern California.

Rebounding from Thursday game was vital. A disappointing game today could have been disastrous. Jarome Iginla knew this, and carried his team on his very broad shoulders.

Jay Bouwmeester and Cory Sarich were two defensemen that stood out in this game. The pass from Bouw was “all-star esque” and Jay seems to be finding his way with his new team after a very quiet first 20 games. Cory Sarich’s hit on Wayne Simmonds behind the net in the first period helped to set the tone for the whole game; something Sarich has to do much more of if he wants to justify not being traded.

The Flames powerplay scored two goals on seven chances, and one goal was scored on a 2 man advantage. It did look better today but is still not producing at the level it should be.

And a new “Joke” segment that I have added until my favourite whipping boy turns it around (who knows if he ever will?):
Lombardi- 4 Goals, 8 Assists, 19 GP
Jokinen-3 Goals, 10 Assists, 21 GP

Bottom line- Jokinen continues to pave his road out of Calgary.

This has been,

Newman on the Flames

source of photo: http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-elliott-kings22-2009nov22,0,1323445.column

Battle for Supremacy

A battle for first place in the Northwest division turned out to be a bit of a snoozer. Coming off a 3 game road trip in which they secured 5 of 6 possible points, the Flames came out looking tired. Getting beat to numerous pucks, the Flames could never find their groove in a loss to the Avalanche. For the second time this season on home ice, the Flames fell 3-2 to the Avs in what turned out to very similar games. The Flames once again severely outshot Colorado but failed to win the game. The Avalanche took advantage of their chances and were able to hang on to the lead; something they have been very good at this year. They are eerily similar to the Minnesota Wild of yesteryear, in that they lull you to sleep and then pounce on you when given the opportunity. Coach Joe Sacco (not Joe Sakic), has installed a very good system in Colorado and the young Avs are executing on a very consistent basis.

Can somebody tell me why Rich Preston was brought back to run the powerplay? Over the last nine games the Flames have gone a horrifying 3 for 33 with the man advantage. A team that was firing on all cylinders early in the season has gone ice cold. What is wrong? What is different? They can barely get into the zone and when they do, they take ill-fated shooting attempts that are either blocked or tipped into the netting. Jokinen simply fires the puck when it hits his stick as the thought of actually setting a play up never really seems to cross his mind. Nowadays a powerplay reverts back to two less minutes that the Flames have to defend their own goal. They might as well just ask the timekeeper to subtract two minutes from the time remaining and resume the contest. They must figure out their problems on the powerplay or the ‘goals for’ column will continue to shrink, and subsequently the loss column will continue to grow.

The Flames had a fantastic opportunity to claim first place in the division tonight with games in hand, yet failed to do so. Were the Flames complacent after winning five of the last six games? The first game back from an extended road trip always seems to cause problems for teams, yet that is no excuse for a Flames team that craves to achieve the elite rank in the NHL.

The Flames better be rested up because the pesky Blackhawks come into town on Thursday night. The history between the two teams is growing, and after the last match-up with the Hawks, the Flames should be chomping at the bit to destroy them. This time, Sutter will make sure to get out to a 6-0 lead….just to make sure.

This has been,

Newman on the Flames

New Banners...small consolation

Just a few quick thoughts before I hit my pillow…

The Flames have no problem starting games anymore; it is simply playing the rest of the 60 minute game that they seem to have issues with. Leading 2-0 a minute into the game and the Flames stepped off the gas pedal and idled in neutral for most of the game. They were so close to running Anderson from the net, yet they change their game plan after they started so well. Jokinen showed some life tonight, but still looks out of place and stick handles like a 9 year old tyke player looking to go end to end.

Only allowing 14 shots on net, you think the Flames would be the victors; regrettably not. Their stingiest effort of the season was thwarted by a breakdown in the defensive zone, which allowed Colorado’s leading scorer to waltz into the slot unabated and snap one top cheese. A tough break, but a common sign for the Flames this year as small mental lapses have cost them a lot of goals against. Is it the new system? Is it laziness? Wolski split Dawes and Langkow and then Dion waved his stick at him like a magic wand hoping Wojtek would fall under a spell…all for not unfortunately.

One last thing.

The Flames finally changed the banners in the Saddledome and aligned them all on one side, in this case the Flames end, and made it look simply better. Not to mention changing the retired jerseys so they all look the same. Having Vernon’s jersey retired in a jersey he never even played in was a disgrace. This is the only time I am glad the Flames followed something the Oilers have done. Now all they have to do is retire Chopper’s number 2, which is something that should have been done before Vernon ever touched the rafters.

That is all.

This is been,

Newman on the Flames

Feeling Good

The Flames came out firing (no pun intended) on the Blue Jackets tonight. A well rested team hungry to re pay Columbus for a loss one week ago, the Flames took control of the game from the drop of the puck. Except for getting into some penalty trouble at the beginning and end of the second stanza, the Flames controlled much of the 5 on 5 play and came out with a the win.

This was Jarome Iginla’s 09’ coming out party as well, a welcoming sign for all Flames fans. He had two assists in the first and then contributed a vintage Iginla leg-pump-top-cheddar goal off the cross bar in the third period to seal the deal for the Flames. He came out skating hard and did not let up throughout the game. His line, alongside Conroy and Glencross, was responsible for 2 of the first 3 Flames goals and tallied 6 points on the night.

On a night where Steve Mason was not at his best, the Flames took advantage of the shaky sophomore and put 6 goals past him; only Iginla’s was of the highlight variety. The difference from Flames teams of old tonight was the simple ability to exploit a weak goaltender. The Flames were out shot, again, by the opposing team but managed to get 6 goals on only 22 shots. Kipper faced 30 shots for the 6th time this season. Tonight was slightly different as the Jackets had 7 power play chances including two 5 on 3 advantages, on some “interesting” officiating.

One troubling thing that I found watching the game tonight was the complete ineffectiveness of Olli Jokinen. He consistently underwhelms every time he is on the ice. The Flames are paying this guy $5.5 million for what exactly. He has One, Uno, Un, Eins, yksi goal on the season. Remember that snipe to the top shelf? Oh wait, it was a dribbler from outside the blue line in that rollercoaster Blackhawk game, not exactly the output we were expecting from this guy. This was his scouting report coming in here though; a top grade player that tends to disappear for weeks at a time. This is true, as he has one regular season goal dating back to March of last season. He is being outplayed by a number of players on this team; Sjostrom, Nystrom, Bourque and Glencross to name a few. A concern for Flames fans, maybe?

Lombardi has one less point and makes $3 million less, just saying.

The Flames are 6-2-1 and if they manage to beat the Oilers on Saturday will card 7 wins in the month of October for first time in some while.

Everything is coming up Milhouse!

This has been,

Newman on the Flames

Stealing 2 in Edmonton

So…the Flames go in to Edmonton last Saturday and “steal” 2 points when Khabibulin flubs a clearing attempt and Moss pots the game winner. Fast forward 5 days later. Rene Bourque tips a Jay Bouwmeester point shot with less than 2 seconds left in regulation to send it to extra time, leading to a shootout win. Not to mention the Oilers get a man advantage in the OT and fail to score, despite out shooting Calgary 7-0 in the 4th period of play.

The Flames should be running out of Rexall as fast they can. They legitimately stole 4 points and 2 games away from the Oilers in less than a week; a site all Calgarian’s can enjoy.

It seems to be a night of lines this year for the Flames. First three games can be attributed to the 4th liners for creating amazing energy and reasons for winning each game. Tonight it was the second line that did most of the heavy lifting. The line of Langkow, Bourque and Dawes accounted for five of the Flames nine points, and all three of their goals. Dawes even ripped one “Top Cheese” in the shootout to help the visitors get off to a good start in the shootout.

As you look at the TOI for the forwards for the first four games, you begin to realize that there isn’t really a top line, per say, more so just twelve “friends building a house together.”

The first unit of Iginla, Jokinen and Moss have a combined 3 goals in the first four games. Jokinen has not scored a regular season goal since March 14th of last season. Remember the hat trick against the Leafs last season; yeah…that was a long time ago. Iginla only has 1 goal in four games, very similar to last season when he only had 1 goal in his first 5 games.

I guess what I am trying to say is this: Iginla will break out sooner than later and with that, Jokinen will likely follow; and when they do, watch out for the Flames. The secondary scoring is scorching hot right now, and when Iggy and Olli hit their mark Calgary will be tough to beat.

The first line did look a lot better tonight. It was nice to see Iggy defend himself after Moreau stood up for Souray; Iginla could have popped him about five times in the head but chose the gentlemanly path. Jokinen played more aggressively, which was good. I am not sure the experiment with Moss on the top line is working so well. I think its sort of the “small fish in big pond” scenario, as in he might be better suited to step out of the spotlight and play on the second line. I just think he might have more success there instead of having the pressure of playing with 12 and 21.

In the end, the Flames are 4-0, so let us enjoy this unbeateness(yeah I made up a word) while it lasts.

This has been,

Newman on the Flames