It was bad. Real bad. There was hardly anything good about it, in fact. Right out of the gate they stumbled, then they fumbled, then they kind of had life, and then they face planted….hard. Welcome to the year in review of the Calgary Flames 2017-2018. Now that the dust has settled, there’s a chance to revisit the season and discuss what went wrong. Let’s start at the bottom and work our way to the top. Before I begin, let…
Do you remember the Young Guns era? That team was really bad. Like, really bad. The Flames since March (probably since February (probably since January)) have been WORSE then the Young Guns. In fact, they have been playing as the worst team in the NHL. Pretty terrible for a cap team that was supposed to hit 100 points. HA! With off-season changes just around the corner, fans need to get through the final slow death of this team. Actually, most…
The Flames haven’t beaten the Oilers in a couple of years. Before that, there was a stretch of what seemed like 10 years that Calgary kept winning. But as of late, the Flames couldn’t get up for the Battle of Alberta. Tonight it changed, most in part thanks to the play of Mike Smith in goal who was outstanding. Now will it be enough to start a trend as the season fades and the playoff aspirations with it? Here’s what…
At this point the Flames have to play about .800 hockey to get into the post-season. Ya. Not going to happen. Playing tough competition in Pittsburgh, here are a few key takeaways. The D tightened things up led by the Captain. They need to continue upping their game though down the stretch. The top line is abysmal. Gaudreau can’t generate chances by himself. A RW would help and right now GG only solution is Troy Brouwer. Just senseless. This is…
After putting together 3 straight wins, the Flames were back to their old ways coming up short and fizzling out in a must win game. every game from here on in is a must win given how tight the Pacific Division is, and how little the Flames did at trade deadline. With the LA Kings and SJ Sharks getting better, a whole lot better, the Flames decided their deadline would amount to a waiver wire pickup. A castaway from the…
If there’s one thing Brad Treviling has done is put a solid lineup on paper. He also negotiates very well. The likes of Monahan, Gaudreau, and now Backlund, all would command top dollar on an open market, but play in Calgary for less. Backlund for one, he’s taking a pay cut, but he receives term in exchange. For the Flames, they hang on to one of the best two way centreman in the game, and even though he’ll be Troy…
The Flames are a road team and continued to show their wares across the league visiting the Eastern seaboard in the most recent trip. Although Calgary won 4 of 6, what was even better was how they kept up with the league’s best. There were mental break downs in their losses, but for the most part the team skated with the likes of Nashville and Boston. last night’s game was a solid way to cap off their road-trip with a…
Calgary 3 – NYI 2 Well it’s be a while since the Flames pulled out a last minute victory hasn’t it? Calgary continued their road pace with their 16th win as they travel along the US Eastern sea board. Tonight was a homecoming of sorts for Travis Hamonic, who returned to NY to face his old team for the first time since being traded. He played a solid game (his partner less so) and contributed to the eventual game winner….
Calgary is the only team that can play against the Division’s best team, lead with 1.5 minutes left in the game, and lose 4-2. Nobody else has the capacity to have a massive collapse like the Flames. Sitting out of a playoff spot, a win would vault them to second in the division and 8 points back of the Vega Golden Knights. Tonight’s loss puts them in 10th. What separates elite teams from the rest is quite simply mental toughness….
Calgary came off their break and went back to their inconsistent ways. They head into the All-Star break now, but will face the Oilers tonight. Which team will show up? Who knows. I need to share this though, an awesome graphic by Reddit user Gaskal.