GDT: Nov. 1; Canucks@ Flames; 6:30 pst on TSN

[dhabums]

As far as resting players goes... that's obviously a good idea but I don't see how a couple minutes of PP time is going to make or break a road trip for the twins, who are two of the best-conditioned players in the NHL.

We shoulda run it up on 'em.

My pool agrees with you, but I have zero interest in seeing either get hit by a puck in a meaningless game. Plus it can't hurt to give the 4th line some bonus time.

Yeah but this is AV. Somehow that will convince him that Volpatti is now a 2nd liner that he can trust.

Just wanted to mention my avy, which I grabbed the day we traded for CH.

[Topper]

Tell your wife to stop using your account, she is making you look bad.

I watched a full 60 minutes of the game, not just the 90 seconds of Silent 3's open ice play.

[tantalum]

I'm just going to try and forget you said that.

Anybody see any memorable Bountiful quotes tonight?

You know what I mean. They put the boots to them for 30 minutes. If at any time during the final 30 minutes they needed to put the boots to them again they would of. I was just saying I have no issue with the team going through the motions when they play 3 in 4 nights etc.... And really going through the motions still had them playing the Flames evenly (at worse).

That is one slow team.

Perhaps they have the talent like many on Calphuck think. I would disagree, especially on the blueline. However, talent aside they are missing:

-speed
-passing ability (hmm that would seem to fall under talent...guess they might be missing that after all)
-ability to make good offensive decisions (Tanguay and his over-passing is worse than Henrik has ever been, blueline is clueless when it comes to offense. hmm that talent thing again)
-clueless when it comes to a 5 man defensive structure
-any sort of discipline. It's why guys like Bourque and usually Glencross don't help a team nearly as much as they should.
-and yes they are missing any sort of mental fortitude.

It also confuses me how Iginla gets such a free ride from most flames fans. I understand he was a great player for the organization and was a good leader during some successful years. Fact is right now he IS a player on the decline and it is affecting all aspects of his game. He is becoming much more of a perimeter player (though one with a great shot that will put up goals if he is open), his defensive coverage is really quite terrible and has been for several years now, his offensive forays die when he's carrying the puck (that perimeter thing again) and quite frankly his leadership and demeanor on the ice (and off) often doesn't justify the C on his chest right now.

That isn't to say I would hate to see Iginla on the canucks. I wouldn't. It'd be nice for the cnaucks to have that kind of shooter. But he wouldn't be THE guy in Vancouver. He'd be a support player, a very good one, but a support player nonetheless. Same as he would be in Pittsburgh who you have to think would just love to have him alongside Crosby or Malkin.

Honestly when I look at the Flames team I see a team that may squeeze into the playoffs only to get bounced in 4 or 5 games. I think the ownership is happy with that and that is GREAT because it will have the Flames continually spinning their wheels. If they were smart they'd own up to the fact that the roster they have doesn't resemble the roster they need. The canucks, oilers, and avs are all building fast teams and in another 12 months a similar looking Flames team is going to be getting their asses kicked by those three teams on a regular basis. And that will mean they won't have a chance at the playoffs. The Flames need to move several of Bourque, Glencross, Iginla, Kiprusoff, Bouwmeester, Sarich, etc etc and rebuild. I really really really hope they don't.

[tantalum]

Oh and the canucks will not be moving Edler in a deal for Weber. It would defeat a good chunk of the purpose of adding Weber to the blueline.

[old calamari]

Every time the I hear the words "roof daddy" dribble their way out of Darren Dutchyshen's lipstick-smeared mouth, I am possessed by an uncontrollable longing to to kick Don Taylor in the balls. In rapier-like fashion.

dude wears rouge too

[tantalum]

seems to have cut down on his lip stick though.

[RoyalDude]

Great game, looks like the boys are back to form. The Sedins look to be back. Higgins and Lapierre still continue to impress. Won't be missing Erhoff much if Edler continues this way. The lines seem to be settling in, Janek Hansen seems to have returned.

The negatives - Malhotra is still sucking, when Raymond gets back, cut Stone Hands Malhotra loose, shit even Volpatti and Weise handle the puck better than him. Weise is almost as bad as a fighter as Oreskovich was. He's gonna get rocked one day soon, if he don't stop fighting. He should leave the fighting to Volpatti.

[Potatoe1]

Tell your wife to stop using your account, she is making you look bad.

I watched a full 60 minutes of the game, not just the 90 seconds of Silent 3's open ice play.

You may have watched the game but it's fairly clear you have the "shit coloured glasses" on when ever you watch Hodgson.

[Potatoe1]

Wow do the Flames ever look terrible and it must jut be killing them to see The Dion turning things around in Toronto. Sure they would still not be great had they stayed the course but at least back when they had Phaneuf and Regehr the team had some type of identity. Now it just looks like a collection of bad players just barely keeping up.

As for the Game.

-Holey smokes Alex Edler, 12 points in 12 games to go along with his physicality and sound defensive game. Could this be the year Alex truly breaks out?

-The Sedins just own the Flames. Regehr used to knock them around and at least make them pay a price for their points. Now with out the physical presence it's just going to be the shooting gallery we saw last night.

-Hodgson with a very solid game easily the best he has played on the wing. Skated well, and made some smart plays with the puck. Other then a turn over and an iffy defensive moment, a very solid night. Cant say the same for his line mates who continue to seem very fractured when they are on the ice.

-Thought the Bieksa / Hamhuis pairing was fine until the game was basically over and Casual Kev came out. People will criticise Bieksa for a couple of brain farts last night, but the game was long over at that point.

-Luongo had an easy night but still stopped the pucks that came to him. Hardly a game to write home about but still a good sign that October is over. Shame he didn't get the shut out, that would have shut some people up. I think he lost 3 or 4 shut outs last year in the same way, must be pretty frustrating.

-Lappy was excellent but as a unit I didn't think the 4th line was great at even strength. The only shifts the flames seemed able to generate any pressure was when their 4th line was matched up against ours. Jackman it a total ass, I wonder if he will be available come deadline day .

-3rd line had a good night. Hansen has really pulled up his socks and Manny was a bit better. Higgens obviously continuing his hot streak and the goals from him are pure gravy. I just lover how Higgens plays, hard on the puck, tough in the corners, sound defensively, smart offensively. If I could clone Chris Higgens I would keep Kesler, Burrows, and the Sedins and every other forward slot would be fill by a Higgens clone. That's how much I like Chris Higgens.

[Topper]

-Hodgson with a very solid game easily the best he has played on the wing. Skated well, and made some smart plays with the puck. Other then a turn over and an iffy defensive moment, a very solid night. Cant say the same for his line mates who continue to seem very fractured when they are on the ice.

That line is not gelling because of Silent 3, not inspite of him. Cody's only positives were when their wasn't traffic.

Wow, he played great when there was open ice against a shitty opponent Wow.

I just lover how Higgens plays, hard on the puck, tough in the corners, sound defensively, smart offensively.

Exactly the way Cody does not play.

He's hit the skids.

[Potatoe1]

Wow, he played great when there was open ice against a shitty opponent Wow.

Are you serious?

The kid is 21, is playing out of position in a role far above any he has been in, and your point is what?

That he only played well because it was a crappy flames team?

That line is not gelling because of Silent 3, not inspite of him. Cody's only positives were when their wasn't traffic.

This is almost as weak as your OHL level toe drag nonsence.

Codys goal came from the front of the net, the 5th goal came with Cody screening in front (and getting killed) and I can think of 2 other players where he was in front digging for pucks.

He was in traffic.

He's hit the skids.

What does that even mean?

Is it time for Andrew Ebbet?

[rats19]

I thought cody actually started to look like "the real deal" last night.albeit against a weak team.

[LotusBlossom]

I thought cody actually started to look like "the real deal" last night.albeit against a weak team.

Cody looked good last night. He's been pretty good all season so far, not great but good.

As far as the rest of the game goes..wow at the pass from Lapierre!

Higgins is working hard and getting rewarded. That's excellent news for the Canucks.

Still can't wait for the 2nd line to gel, but I see it coming. Booth and Kesler have amazing speed, and that's gonna kill once they get their chemistry together.

Nice to see Edler rack up those points. Wow.

[Topper]

The kid is 21, is playing out of position in a role far above any he has been in, and your point is what?

That he only played well because it was a crappy flames team?

Precisely my point and I see no reason why people continue to make excuses for him.

Codys goal came from the front of the net, the 5th goal came with Cody screening in front (and getting killed) and I can think of 2 other players where he was in front digging for pucks.

He was in traffic.

Cody was no where near traffic or the front of the net on his goal. Did someone mention Jason King in another thread? That goal was the result of hard work by Lappy and the strong net presence of Volpatti.

Oh, the Edler goal, the one where Cody cruised uncontested with Flame' defenders, Kesler did the same if you look, but man was he tough when he got flattened after the goal. As I said, incompetent coverage, not hard offence, and you already mentioned his defensive gaffs.

He's hit the skids.

What does that even mean?

My vision is not clouded by his skid marks.

[Corb]

The Nudist and The Preacher don't have any chemistry. With Cody on the wing, this could take quite a bit of time which I'm not sure they'll get.

It just seems their roles aren't clearly defined. Through the neutral zone, with this line, IMO the puck should be on Cody's stick with two big wingers bearing down on the defence. While I still think it is nuts (generally speaking) to move Kesler from center, with this combination I'd like to see a few shifts with Hodgson at center (mainly for the break out because I think he can distribute better than Kesler or Booth).