Calgary Flames vs. San Jose Sharks - The Post Mortem

I think Game 7 was the perfect microcosm of this Flames season; the Flames were over matched, they had a few steamboats (Iginla, Regehr, Nolan, Lombardi) a lot of inconsistency (Kipprusoff, Phaneuf) and a lot of anchors (Tanguay, Conroy, Eriksson).

While San Jose has had their share of problems this post season, they had a lot of guys step up that weren't expected to. Turns out that you can't stop Ryane Clowe, you can only contain him... and Jeremy Roenick, he's still alive? The reports of his death have been greatly exaggerated apparently.

To think that the Flames actually had a lead at one point of this game 7 is pretty unbelievable, especially considering the shot differential. Matt at BoA has been talking a lot about how odds eventually come into play into hockey games, players who get a lot of shots eventually tend to get a lot of goals, and teams that get a lot of shots do the same. San Jose's PP, which had been stagnant at times, came alive and buried the Flames. 2 PPGs plus one scored 25 seconds or so after the PK with Robyn Regehr out on forward. Game-set-match.

I know that I predicted the Flames to do even worse, and I was pleasantly surprised by their competitiveness, but this team should've had higher expectations. No first round victories in 3 years is simply not acceptable for this team. The Flames went 15 or so years in between 1st round victories: 1989 (beating Vancouver) to 2004 (beating Vancouver again). Flames fans have no desire to wait that long again.

Calgary now has a laundry list of off-season questions:

Mike Keenan: Stay or go?
There were a lot of things I liked about Mike Keenan - he appreciated the significance of line matching very well, he seemed to be surprisingly calm under fire, he definitely seemed to get good performances out of Iginla who had arguably his best season ever, and Dion Phaneuf who in my opinion made leaps and bounds of improvements this year.

On the other hand he made a lot of questionable roster moves, (Godard, Eriksson, Hale), made some very strange decisions in at least game 7 (why was Nystrom on right after that PK? was pulling Kiprusoff the best move in a 2 goal game?) and worst of all, he seemed to alienate some of the most useful players on the team. Miikka Kiprusoff had his worst season ever, and I find it hard to believe the correlation of Keenan and the path of destroyed goaltender confidence that follows him around is just a coincidence. Kiprusoff is the $8 million dollar man, Keenan has a one year contract, you do the math.

I firmly believe Kristian Huselius has the skill set to be a very useful hockey player - despite all the criticism he's taken, the benchings, etc. he still finished second on team scoring. Did Keenan rightfully expect more out of Huselius? Probably. But one sign of a good coach is selecting the right tool for the right job. Juice is a precision screwdriver, not a hammer. If you need a hammer, grab a hammer, don't use a screwdriver. I thought he was pretty effective playing on a line with Nolan and he showed us some of his best. He made some important plays in this series, and if I had the choice between Juice or Keenan, I would choose Juice.

What is the point of Conroy, Tanguay, Eriksson or Aucoin?
Poor Craig Conroy, I appreciate what he's done for this franchise, I really do, but this series was a very clear example of how far his usefulness as a player has dipped. He took a lot of penalties, many of them good ones to take, but I noticed the reason he took most of his penalties is he was simply out of position. Whether he's not thinking the game right or he just isn't quick enough doesn't matter. He just gets beat far too often and he doesn't contribute anything offensively.

Can somebody explain to me exactly what Tanguay's role is? He doesn't score, he can barely set up his teammates, he can't play physical, he isn't good defensively...what else is there? Tanguay is great at skating fast with the puck and giving it away. He got severely outplayed by a lot of players on the Flames and even more Sharks.

Eriksson is quite simply one of the worst defenceman in the National Hockey League. He's unpredictable defensively, he contributes nothing offensively. What is the point?

Adrian Aucoin gets eaten up by halfway decent competition, he's completely immobile, he's not a great decision maker, and that $4 million dollar shot wasn't exactly a revelation.

Oh, and special mention to Rhett Warrener; please man, just retire. You're too injured to even hit the ice, let alone play effectively. I wish you all the best.

Who get's resigned?
Calgary has 10 UFA's according to nhlnumbers.com. Of that group I would like to see back:
Owen Nolan - proved his value more so than ever in the playoffs.
Daymond Langkow - be smart with an offer to Langkow, don't go too high, but he is a good player.
Kristian Huselius - I don't think he'll garner a huge number on the open market and I believe he's a very strong 2nd liner. Provides depth.
David Hale - I think he's a very strong 3rd pairing defenceman. No offensive capabilities but you know what you're gonna get from him every night.
Curtis Joseph - a very good backup if he's offered the right price
Stephane Yelle - I think he's still got some game left in him. He can play a great 4th line role and his PK abilities are still respectable.

The rest of the UFAs can be let go as far as I'm concerned.
Craig Conroy Mark Smith Eric Godard Jim Vandermeer

That's all I've got for now, now leave me in my grief.

update: linky to MG's near mirror image thoughts at FHF

Calgary Flames vs. San Jose Sharks: Anything Can Happen

Well, we just saw the Flames put in their best 60 minute effort of the series and perhaps we've finally seen a glimpse of the type of hockey this team can play. IMO there were a couple key things tonight that precipitated the win.

1. Keenan played a terrific matchup game. He used the Regehr/Sarich pairing to perfection against the Thornton line, he made sure the Nystrom/Primeau/Moss line was up against the soft opposition.

2. Guys stepping up. Anders Eriksson played maybe the best game I've seen him play, David Moss played his role to perfection (except that forgettable 3-1 which he overcomplicated), I think Kristian Huselius played a very good game, and lastly, Miikka Kiprusoff with the shutout.

3. Matthew Lombardi continues his defensive effectiveness. He CANNOT seem to convert his chances but he's just doing everything else so well. Another couple blocked shots tonight, making a lot of good decisions out there in general. I feel very comfortable with his play.

4. Owen Nolan has been about as clutch a player as the Flames have had this postseason. We've seen by far his best efforts this season and he now has 2 game winners this series, a pretty impressive feat. MG has validly questioned Nolan's 2nd line presence, but there's no doubt right now Nolan's earning it.

A valid question on the fan 960 after the game; Are the Flames this good or did the Sharks play this bad?

Is this not the closest series you've ever seen? Every game a 1 goal difference except for each team's 2-0 shutout victory.

Might not get a chance to comment on G7 with my current schedule, so I'll just say this. It's game 7, anything can happen.

Go Flames!!

You Win Some, You Lose Some

A lot of thoughts keep running through my head after last night's game, they're scattered but I'll do my best.

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RudyKelly was pretty prophetic with his tirade against Thornton bashers. I partially agree with him; for some reason 'showing emotion' usually means losing composure, and that's not really a great leadership quality. Some guys lead by yelling and breaking teeth, some lead by playing smart hockey. I don't think there's one right way. Joe Thornton's play at the end of the game, domination along the boards leading to good puck possession and movement lead directly to the goal which he tipped in. He did it all. He can't be that good all the time, and it's unreasonable to have that expectation. IMO his linemates aren't that great and sometimes it's hard to soar with the eagles when you fly with turkeys.

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Calgary did just about everything right in the first period - scored a goal, kept the opposition chances to a minimum, played with speed. The 2nd and third period were different stories, despite tying San Jose in the 2nd, the Flames were starting to get overwhelmed. Craig Conroy takes yet another stupid penalty, the Sharks tie it up. The third was even worse - it was white knuckle hockey at it's best, or worst. The Shark's 2nd goal was a bit lucky, but one hell of a shot by Cheechoo.

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I commented to a co-worker today that the Flames 'almost won.' He said to me, the Flames didn't almost win, they almost didn't lose. Couldn't have said it better myself - on Sunday night after the Sharks started to see the Flames come back, they played to not lose. Same with the Flames last night.

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The little things played a big part in this game, here's a few plays that I couldn't help but notice.

1) Craig Conroy, offensive zone hook. That penalty lead to the Sharks first goal. I know the Flames pulled ahead soon after, but a goal is a goal. Some penalties are legit to take, some are just stupid. This was just stupid.

2) In the third period the puck slides through the Flames crease; Miikka Kipprusoff puts his glove on it and slides his glove across the crease as he is poked and prodded. Eventually he realizes the referees are not going to blow the whistle (who knows why) so he plays it behind the net. The Flames cannot regain control and are forced to take a penalty. The Sharks don't score, but that's an extra 2 minutes down a man that the Flames could have pressured San Jose and maybe created some chances.

3) Kristian Huselius goes in on a 3-1 with Iginla and Langkow. He messes up the pass to Iginla, but recovers behind the net and centers a pass to Langkow who proceeds to hit th post. Both Huselius and Langkow believed it was in (it wasn't) and stopped playing. That could have put the dagger in San Jose's heart. Score that and the Flames more than likely win the series. Miss and you give the Sharks a chance to get back into it. Flames missed, the Sharks get back into it.

4) With about a minute to go in the game Huselius ices the puck; Iginla almost beats it out but apparently does not. Keenan knows the players out on the ice are tired but decides not to call a time out. It's easy to say it was the right call now, but it really was the right call, especially the way the Flames were panicking. Another subtle mistake by Keenan, having Huselius out there with just over a minute to go. I can forgive the Phaneuf /Hale pairing becausee Keenan was probably hoping that they could come off and Sarich/Regehr (the appropriate last minute pairing) would come on; I mean, you do need to put SOMEONE on the ice, and Phaneuf and Hale are probably the second best defensively (I would certainly put them both ahead of Aucoin and Vandermeer) but it really was the difference. Phaneuf obviously couldn't handle Thornton, possibly because of fatigue, possibly due to lack of ability, but quite simply put, he couldn't get the job done.

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This was the second time the Sharks scored a last minute goal this series because of poor bench management.

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Still, I remain pleasantly suprised by the Flames overall competitiveness. Excuse me for predicting a couple losses in a row to finish off the season, but in general it hasn't been as excrutiating as last year.

All Killer, No Filler

I couldn't help myself.

Three Words

Cory - FUCKING - Sarich.

Enough said.

Calgary Flames vs. San Jose Sharks - Game 3 Preview

Having not seen the final two periods of Thursday night's game I have to say I am pleasantly suprised by the way things are going. Miikka Kipprusoff is clearly on his game, as are Iginla and Phaneuf, and the Flames have been competitive for the first three periods of the first game, and at least the first period of the second game, and the Flames end up with a split.

Forget the massive shot differential - MG did a nice job of explaining at least some of it in game 1, and game 2 was a special teams nightmare. The only real concern of the massive shot totals is that it is possible it could eventually fatigue Kipprusoff, (something I am sure the Sharks coaching staff is counting on), but if Kipper was going to fatigue I would have thought it would have been in the first group of 76 games he played during the season, many of which the team hung him out to dry. The fact is, if Kipper plays the way he's playing, the Flames will be competitive in every game this series.

The thing I like most about this series so far is that it has no resemblance whatsoever to last year's first round ass pounding by Detroit. Simply put, the Flames were totally outmatched in the first two games, and although they won game 3 and 4, they probably shouldn't have.

That said, the Sharks are currently licking their chops waiting to face Calgary at the Saddledome. While their home record finished a respectable 22-13-6, their away record is 27-10-4. Only 10 regulation losses all season, that's pretty impressive. Calgary is better at home with a 21-11-9 home record and 21-19-1 away record. Calgary better be hoping they finish it off in regulation though, holy sweet jesus , 9 OT/SO losses at home.

Of course, the Flames number 1 goal for the game will be to avoid taking penalties. They did a great job in game one, but obviously game 2 got out of hand. The Iginla call was bullshit, but that's NO REASON for a team like the Flames, composed mostly of veterans, to totally lose their composure. This is supposed to be where Calgary has an advantage; bad calls are part of the game, they're going to happen, but you can't let it change the gameplan.

The fact that Calgary wasn't blown out is very encouraging, the fact that they had several quality chances to put themselves back into the game was even more encouraging. Nabokov obviously played very well in game 2, but I am sure having an approximately 10 minute break helped keep the offensive chances down for the Flames.

Something to keep an eye on tonight is the matchups; The Flames have two ES goals while the Sharks have three ES goals. Not exactly a clear indication of who was winning the matchup war, however I will say a +1 advantage over two games isn't exactly convincing.

Game 3 starts tonight at the Saddledome, 8:00MST.

A Few Final Ramblings Before the Series Begins

You know, I really wanted to go through and evaluate a few things in depth before this series began, but I've really been beaten to the punch. Nevertheless, I had a few things I wanted to get off my chest that haven't really been covered by others, and I've still got 2 or so hours before gametime, so why the hell not?

Despite the fact I believe the Flames will lose this series, I think it certainly has the potential to be a lot closer than a skimming of the statistics would indicate. I think Matt did a terrific job of coming up with reasons to pick the Flames (link above), but I have a couple more (continuing his list of 7).
8. Miikka Kiprusoff - You can show Evgeni Nabokov's stats from this year until your head explodes, but one outstanding season from Nabokov and one 'off' season from Kipprusoff does not make them equal goalies. As Matt mentioned, San Jose were the 'team to beat' in 2004, 2006, etc. but Nabokov got outplayed in 2004, and he was totally pulled in 2006. For my money I'll take Kiprusoff any day of the week. He'll need to be at his best, but in my opinion he's the better goaltender, and goaltending IS the playoffs.

9. Patrick Marleau - In my opinion, as long as this guy is the Sharks captain, they will not win. That's not to say Marleau isn't a good player, but some guys are simply not meant to be captains. Theoren Fleury wasn't a captain, Mike Modano wasn't a captain, and judging by Marleau's big game disappearing act, he isn't a captain either. He was given multiple opportunities to play for Team Canada and always brought forth his worst effort, in last year's playoffs against Detroit he completely disappeared. Leadership matters, and it could be the difference.

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Another thing I haven't seen anyone talk about is coaching, which to me sort of matters. Who has the edge? Well Mike Keenan hasn't coached a playoff game since 1995- 1996 season (St. Louis Blues) but he does have a Stanley Cup (Rangers, 93-94) under his belt (and multiple appearances in the finals, Flyers 84-85, 86-87, Chicago 91-92) with a 92-79 record.

Ron Wilson made it to the finals once (Washington, 97-98), and the conference finals once (San Jose 03-04...well we all know that one).

One interesting thing about both these coaches is that both of them have highly significant victories for their respective countries in the international stage.

Keenan of course won the 1987 Canada Cup, considered by some to be the greatest hockey ever played. Gretzky, Lemieux, Messier, Coffey, Fuhr, Larionov, Makarov, Fetisov all in their prime. By today's standards the hockey is a bit unsophisticated, but the talent involved is indisputable.

Ron Wilson won the re-organized Canada Cup, renamed the World Cup, for Team USA in 1996, probably a more significant victory in USA Hockey history than the miracle on ice, if only for the fact it was a best on best tournament and it was a best of three. Any team can beat any team once, but to Team USA to beat Team Canada in a best of three in dramatic fashion certainly speaks to Wilson's credibility.

Based on record alone Keenan probably has the edge, but his last playoff victory came over 10 years ago. That could play in as an edge in desire, or disadvantage in terms of modern day experience.

The other thing is, and I don't know how relevant this is, I was told today by someone who is a San Jose Sharks locker room regular that he has never seen this team so calm and loose. He told me the whole team as of yesterday is cracking jokes, keeping it light, they don't seem pressured at all. He told me Anaheim looked the same way last year.

Anyway, I guess the gist of this post is that while the Flames will most likely lose, the definately have a chance. Sometimes that's all you can ask for.

Calgary Flames vs. San Jose Sharks Playoff Preview; Deep Blue Sea

I think most of my fellow Flames bloggers will agree that this has been a very long season...unfortunately it isn't looking like it will be a very long playoffs. To say they limped in would be a let up of how bad or at least average the Flames have really been in the last month and a half. Matt has a very cool piece of data up at BoA that I think says it all about the Flames: one respectable quarter and a lot of mediocrity. Of course the last quarter goal differential just got blown out of proportion thanks to that Vancouver drubbing on Saturday night, but I think in general it seems the Flames haven't been good for quite some time.

That is good news for the SJS, who are on a tear in the 4th quarter of the season. Check out Matt's data for them;

"I've been tracking quarterly results since the lockout, and the best any team has previously done in one of these 20-game segments is 35 points. For San Jose -- you know, the Flames' presumptive 1st-round playoff opponent -- to earn 38/40 points is a spectacular achievement."(BoA)

In 2004 I was adamant the Flames ideal matchup was the San Jose Sharks - It was Sutter's old team, and by god I didn't believe there was any way he was going to let them beat him. Back then it seemed like the sky was the limit for Captain Patrick Marleau, while Vincent Damphousse was the man leading the offensive charge and Mike Ricci was still gracing NHL fans with his grit, determination and yes, that beautiful flowing hair. Alyn McCauly was acquired in a trade with the Maple Leafs and had a really nice season for the Sharks, earning a Selke nomination when the season was over. Marco Sturm (I believe) broke his leg and missed the post season. Jonathan Cheechoo was emerging as a talented young player and was a constant threat in the playoffs.

Brad Stuart and Scott Hannan patrolled the blueline with Mike Rathje and Kyle McLaren, all of them hard hitting stay at home defenceman.

A lot has changed since then.

Gone is Damphousse, Ricci, McCauly, Sturm, Stuart, Hannan, and Rathje.

Instead the San Jose Sharks are littered with speed, youth and talent.

Consider the upgraded defensive group:

Brian Campbell
Craig Rivet
Christian Ehrhoff
Marc-Edourd Vlasic
Matt Carle
Kyle McLaren
Doug Murray

It's obviously younger, it's definatley faster, there's going to be better puck movement, and with Campbell, McLaren and sometimes even Craig Rivet, it's still going to be menacing.

Joe Thornton joined the team after the lockout and made Cheechoo into a 50 goal scorer. Mike Grier replaces McCauly as the defensive presence up front. Milan Michalek, not even on the radar in 2004 is now a first line guy for the Sharks. Jeremy Roenick replaces Vincent Damphousse as the veteran on a mission.

The 2007-2008 Sharks are a new advanced team of Sharks, like that movie with LL. Cool J .