The life of a rebuild; one step forward, two steps back. Rinse and repeat.
The Flames got off to a tough start this year, playing wildly loose in their own zone, giving up too many scoring chances and leaving their newly acquired tandem of Brian Elliott and Chad Johnson to fend for themselves. Then they started to right the ship, slowly. Better attention to detail, more consistency up and down the lineup and a notion that they were learning the new system and turning the corner as a young franchise.
Then a game in L.A. against a team that was struggling to score. A chance to move up the standings, move back to .500 and set the stage for a young November with a tough schedule pushing towards a solid season. Not so fast.
The Flames looked more like drunken college students running with the bulls tonight, and were collectively gorged in a 5-0 blow out in Los Angeles tonight sending Glen Gulutzan and his staff back to the drawing board.
The Flow
The Flames were not ready to go tonight. Not in the least. They were flat footed both physically and mentally, essentially throwing away 20 minutes of hockey. Through 19 minutes and change they inexplicably got away with it, but then then things caved in as the period wound to a close. First Johnny Gaudreau tried to go end to end, turning the puck over at the blueline and creating an odd man rush and a delayed too many men on the penalty against. Carter finishes it off and the Kings lead 1-0. Less than 15 seconds later the Kings beat Brodie wide flip the puck out front, Elliott handles the loose puck poorly and Devin Setogucchi pushes the puck in and just like that its 2-0 Flames. A period of domination with only one good shift, that of Backlund, Frolik and Tkachuk, but that was it. One of the worst periods of hockey from the team all season, or at least since that face plant to start the season against Edmonton.
Well the second was better, then how could it not. Don’t get me wrong the result was the same as the Kings piled on two more goals to make it 4-0 through 40 minutes, but this one at least featured a pulse from the guys in white, red, yellow and black. The Flames actually pushed hard in the first 3-4 minutes including one stretch where they had the Kings bottled up for long enough to run two shifts at them. They didn’t score however, and it was the Kings adding to the lead when Nicklas Grossman fired into a set of shin pads and didn’t have the leg speed to get back and halt the inevitable goal from Kyle Clifford. The Kings score again when Dougie Hamilton missed Frolik in the slot resulting in a free for all and Setogucchi’s second of the night. Not pretty once again.
Does the flow of the third period in a 4-0 game really matter? Didn’t think so. Sure the Flames put 12 pucks on net, out shooting their hosts but at that point does it really matter? The game is over. The 2 points given. Both teams are just winding things down. The Kings finish out the scoring with another goal, this time by Trevor Lewis and that was pretty much it, video tape to burn, never to be reviewed again.
1. Devin Setoguchi:Guy pretty much bottomed out in Calgary colours so what a great comeback story to see him back in the show and scoring two goals. The world needs feel good, well done.
2. Dustin Brown: After getting stripped of his captaincy because of a lack of production it was great to see the former Kings leader put up two assists tonight.
3. Petr Budaj:Great way to complete the feel good three stars with a goaltender that looked to be on the permanent scrap heep in Petr Budaj. Posts a shut out without breaking a sweat but a shut out is a shut out.
Big Save
Not a good night for the Flames but Petr Budaj had to be big in the third period to hold on to his goose egg in a 5-0 guaranteed win. No one save stood out, though at this point I was annoyed I still had to watch this mess, but trust me he gets it.
The Goat
Can there be a goat in that mess? Gaudreau for starting the free for all with a first period turnover? Grossman for making sure there wasn’t going to be a comeback? Dougie Hamilton for his -3? Brian Elliott for his .872 night? Or just leave it and move on? That’s where I’m going.
Mr. Clutch
Matthew Tkachuk. Found out on Thursday that he was staying, and tonight was the only Flame’s player to show up and make his presence known tonight. Two or three good scoring chances, and some sandpaper to his game throughout.
Odds and Ends
It was bound to happen. The Flames top line and top two forwards have struggled off the hop this season to the point that it’s shocking that the team has been pretty much competitive since a rough start to the season. So tonight they were finally split up with Gaudreau sliding in on the Bennett Brouwer line, and Ferland taking his place with Monahan. … In the end the changes did very little to fix either of the two big players, and in fact it might have tanked the Brouwer/Bennett line in the process. Not that I blame Gulutzan as he has to do something. … The other change was Niklas Grossman reinserted against one of the West’s heavier teams, which certainly makes some sense. What I like though is the fact that Brett Kulak didn’t go out in his place and Dennis Wideman remained on the sidelines. This isn’t to bash Wideman as he’s had some pretty good play since being scratched earlier in the season, but I have this feeling that Brett Kulak in 15 straight games could be the fourth defenseman answer the Flames are looking for, and perhaps a classic battery mate for Dougie Hamilton. … Gaudreau. Have to imagine the coaching staff is telling him to simplify his game and to stop trying to do everything by himself. Yet there he was again tonight in the first trying to go end to end and turning the puck over and creating a back breaking goal. He has to get pucks deep, use his teammates and just let his skill come to the surface. … Would guess that Lance Bouma separated his left shoulder tonight and may be gone a week or four, though clearly I’m not a doctor. If that’s the case some will clamour for another young scorer to come up, but look for Hathaway to get the call to replace his presence on the fourth line. … Speaking of the fourth line, pretty ironic that the changes to fix the top two lines came up empty yet the movement of Micheal Ferland to the top nine actually hurt the fourth line that was nowhere near as effective tonight as it’s been consistently all year. … Matthew Tkachuk had the Kings incensed when he took an elbowing penalty on Jeff Carter in the second period. After serving his two minutes he had to deal with a challenge from Clifford who was none too impressed. Tkachuk had more jam on the night than most of the Flames players. … Have to laugh at these new monitors under the players bench for NHL coaches to see replays. Replays tend to come after goals, so when they show the team that got scored on the head coach has his head down looking at the replay which if you didn’t know there was a monitor honestly looks like they’re skulking or dejected. ..
Next Up
Right back at it tomorrow night and pretty much in the same city, as the Flames travel to Anaheim to play the Ducks on Sunday night. Game time 8p0m on Sportsnet. Guaranteed win night, the Flames always win in Anaheim.
Lines:
Ferland – Monahan – Chiasson
Gaudreau – Bennett – Brouwer
Tkachuk – Backlund – Frolik
Bouma – Stajan – Hamilton
Giordano – Brodie
Grossman- Hamilton
Kulak – Engelland
Elliott
