Friday, December 29, 2017

Same old, same old

The Calgary Flames looking for a way to lose is becoming comical. What makes it so frustrating is that they keep losing the same way.

Think of the special teams as the Titanic. Think of the coaches as captains steering the ship into the iceberg. Think of the players as the passengers kicking and screaming, having no idea what to do. There are so many holes; no one has a clue which one to fix first.

The Flames have developed a system to get the puck and keep the puck in the zone. But the system is not working. They are throwing the puck in blindly and getting outworked. They are having trouble just getting into the zone. They have to start learning what to do with the puck. There is no thought to their system; they are working as individuals and not as a team.

I am still confused as to which players the Flames are using on the powerplay. They are putting players in a position to fail instead of to succeed. This is all on the coaching staff. Knowing the players is their job. They need to use players' strengths. This has to stop.

The players have to start looking for each other. Be on the same page, if you will. They have to start shooting the puck. There is too much passing while looking for the perfect shot. You can't score unless you take the freaking shot.

You know how to improve your penalty kill? How about stopping taking stupid penalties. Too many times, players are taking selfish penalties. It's bound to happen. The ones that really upset me are the lazy ones. Give that extra push to catch up instead of using a lazy hook or trip.

The Flames are getting caught out of position too many times. They look like they have no idea where they are supposed to be. The communication has to be there. Players have to know what the others are going to do. For example, all four players cannot geta caught behind the net on a powerplay. Players cannot leave the zone until the puck leaves the zone. The forwards have to help the defence get the puck out. The Flames are making obvious mistakes that any junior player knows not to make, let alone an NHL player.

This team need help. Changes have to be made. They can't just play 10-20 minutes a game. The game against the Ducks was another example of pathetic, lazy hockey. If it weren't for Smith, it would have been 8-1. Gaudreau and Monahan have to show up.



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