Thursday, April 19, 2007
Flames-Wings: Game 4 Review
Earth to Hockey Media: in case tonight's game didn't drive it home sufficiently, it's Calgary that has the better top-end talent, and Detroit that has the better overall team game. I know that's not the typical way you look at these 1v8 things, and I certainly know it's not the way you're accustomed to viewing these two particular teams. But it's time to wake up and smell the Langkow 5-on-3 goals and realize that it's the case. This is "young Oilers" all over again. ("The plain facts of reality still haven't percolated upward to the control booth at the CBC, which continues to preach the myth as gospel almost as often as Mark Lee masturbates to photos of Steve Yzerman.")
No doubt, the Flames could have lost that game. I don't think they got outplayed, but it was certainly close enough that the Wings could have won. They got outscored 5v5 again -- by the Lang-Bertuzzi line, and no I didn't see that coming -- but they pretty much crushed the Wings PP again.
The reffing? I just read Christy's post, and yeah -- let them play. There wasn't many bad calls in the sense of, "X just got penalized for something he totally didn't do", but in the sense of actual fouls that caused harm (hurt someone or affected possession and a scoring chance), they were almost all bad calls. In the rink, you notice some things and miss out on others, so I don't even know what Hasek's penalty was actually for (air slash? dive? yapping at ref?), but Lidstrom's hooking penalty looked like nothing. The penalty on Iginla, which I'm pretty sure was the makeup call for that one (though you can't really make up for 1min of 5-on-3 with a plain-old minor), looked like nothing. This is a game, played by men, for the ultimate prize.
You'd better believe I am psyched that it's tied up, but I sure as HELL do not want this series decided by who converts their 5-on-3 chances better.
Andrea Susan played a nice game tonight. Giordano -- it's funny. When the Flames are in the lead, no, you'd prefer not to have him on. Most of tonight, I would have been happy to have seen him glued to the bench. But if the Flames were down by a goal -- like one of those crazy situations back two days ago -- then he's about 1200x as useful as David Hale. No offense Dave, hope your weird kidney thing gets better, but I don't want to see you dressing again unless the Flames have terrible injuries or are up 3-0 in a series.
I'm glad Calgary tied this sucker up, I'm glad I was right picking Langkow to score two goals, and I'm plenty glad that I'll be frightening my small children with yelling and profanity on Saturday afternoon because the game will actually matter. Go Flames.
No doubt, the Flames could have lost that game. I don't think they got outplayed, but it was certainly close enough that the Wings could have won. They got outscored 5v5 again -- by the Lang-Bertuzzi line, and no I didn't see that coming -- but they pretty much crushed the Wings PP again.
The reffing? I just read Christy's post, and yeah -- let them play. There wasn't many bad calls in the sense of, "X just got penalized for something he totally didn't do", but in the sense of actual fouls that caused harm (hurt someone or affected possession and a scoring chance), they were almost all bad calls. In the rink, you notice some things and miss out on others, so I don't even know what Hasek's penalty was actually for (air slash? dive? yapping at ref?), but Lidstrom's hooking penalty looked like nothing. The penalty on Iginla, which I'm pretty sure was the makeup call for that one (though you can't really make up for 1min of 5-on-3 with a plain-old minor), looked like nothing. This is a game, played by men, for the ultimate prize.
You'd better believe I am psyched that it's tied up, but I sure as HELL do not want this series decided by who converts their 5-on-3 chances better.
Andrea Susan played a nice game tonight. Giordano -- it's funny. When the Flames are in the lead, no, you'd prefer not to have him on. Most of tonight, I would have been happy to have seen him glued to the bench. But if the Flames were down by a goal -- like one of those crazy situations back two days ago -- then he's about 1200x as useful as David Hale. No offense Dave, hope your weird kidney thing gets better, but I don't want to see you dressing again unless the Flames have terrible injuries or are up 3-0 in a series.
I'm glad Calgary tied this sucker up, I'm glad I was right picking Langkow to score two goals, and I'm plenty glad that I'll be frightening my small children with yelling and profanity on Saturday afternoon because the game will actually matter. Go Flames.
# posted by Matt @ 11:59 pm 
Comments:
This is the series where the home team wins all their games...I think the Flames got lucky tonight as Kipper stole this game in the 3rd but the Flames special teams is destroying the Wings special teams...either way, Calgary did what they had to do to win
GOILERS!
GWINGS!
Jordan
I sure as HELL do not want this series decided by who converts their 5-on-3 chances better.
I got this exact sentence tattooed on my chest part way through last year's Stanley Cup finals.
(crawls under desk to cry softly for a while)
Bah, I got used to my dad yelling profanities at the TV when I was a wee bairn. It stopped scaring me by the time I could walk.
The Flames may have had a little over half the shots, but they had a lot better quality of chance per shot, because while studying in front of the TV (and flipping between the Flames and Canucks -- gotta love that staggering), I noticed at least a half-dozen odd-man rushes for the Flames, but hardly any for Detroit (maybe one or two), and a lot more shots from the outside. Actually, reminded me a bit of last year's series with the Oilers: the Wings bombed Roloson, but most of the shots weren't worth a damn, while the Oilers made their shots and chances count. (Am I damning you with faint praise, yet?)
Let's hope home ice advantage holds through the series. Go Wings. Go Hitmen. (Yeah, it doesn't make sense. Shut up.)
Is anyone else worried that we are about 2 games away from seeing Warrener collapsing and dying on the ice?
With about 8:30 left in the 3rd period there was play where the Wings dumped the puck and Warrener and Stuart were the Flames' two defensemen. Now the puck was on Warrener's side, so you'd expect that he would go get it. Instead, he turned to his right and started starring at Stuart as if he expected him to go get it. Stuart of course had no idea why Warrener expected him to retrieve the puck on the other side of the ice, so these two idiots are just glided down the ice starring at each other, waiting for the other guy to get the puck. Stuart ultimately ended up going for it, but of course he was late, and the Wings won the puck and almost scored.
Now don't get me wrong, I'm sure the guy is fighting through 15 different injuries and it's an absolute miracle that he's even playing, but if this guy doesn't even have it in him to skate back and get a puck, maybe he shouldn't be out there. You'll see three or four examples every game where Warrener just looks bagged, and appears physically incapable of making a play. Buddy is a warrior, no question, but I can almost guarantee you that there will be a moment in the next two games where Warrener is going to fuck up huge simply because he does not have enough in him (because of injuries, the fact that he is 30 going on 60, whatever) to make the play.
With the way the Flames PP is going, and the way the Wings PP is going, you might want to have this decided by who does better 5-3.
mclea: re: warrener
You're just noticing this now? This has been a Warrener staple for at least a year and a half.
I am truly, honestly surprised that of all the penalties called last night, the one against Lidstrom is the one people complain about. Iginla was going for the puck, Lidstrom held him back. I don't really have the eye to pick out penalties before the ref calls them, but that one was clear.
But it's time to wake up and smell the Langkow 5-on-3 goals
That just broke me up! I was laughing so hard, I've got tears in my eyes!
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This is the series where the home team wins all their games...I think the Flames got lucky tonight as Kipper stole this game in the 3rd but the Flames special teams is destroying the Wings special teams...either way, Calgary did what they had to do to win
GOILERS!
GWINGS!
Jordan
# posted by 
: April 20, 2007 12:51 am
: April 20, 2007 12:51 am 
I sure as HELL do not want this series decided by who converts their 5-on-3 chances better.
I got this exact sentence tattooed on my chest part way through last year's Stanley Cup finals.
(crawls under desk to cry softly for a while)
# posted by : April 20, 2007 8:00 am
: April 20, 2007 8:00 am Bah, I got used to my dad yelling profanities at the TV when I was a wee bairn. It stopped scaring me by the time I could walk.
The Flames may have had a little over half the shots, but they had a lot better quality of chance per shot, because while studying in front of the TV (and flipping between the Flames and Canucks -- gotta love that staggering), I noticed at least a half-dozen odd-man rushes for the Flames, but hardly any for Detroit (maybe one or two), and a lot more shots from the outside. Actually, reminded me a bit of last year's series with the Oilers: the Wings bombed Roloson, but most of the shots weren't worth a damn, while the Oilers made their shots and chances count. (Am I damning you with faint praise, yet?)
Let's hope home ice advantage holds through the series. Go Wings. Go Hitmen. (Yeah, it doesn't make sense. Shut up.)
Is anyone else worried that we are about 2 games away from seeing Warrener collapsing and dying on the ice?
With about 8:30 left in the 3rd period there was play where the Wings dumped the puck and Warrener and Stuart were the Flames' two defensemen. Now the puck was on Warrener's side, so you'd expect that he would go get it. Instead, he turned to his right and started starring at Stuart as if he expected him to go get it. Stuart of course had no idea why Warrener expected him to retrieve the puck on the other side of the ice, so these two idiots are just glided down the ice starring at each other, waiting for the other guy to get the puck. Stuart ultimately ended up going for it, but of course he was late, and the Wings won the puck and almost scored.
Now don't get me wrong, I'm sure the guy is fighting through 15 different injuries and it's an absolute miracle that he's even playing, but if this guy doesn't even have it in him to skate back and get a puck, maybe he shouldn't be out there. You'll see three or four examples every game where Warrener just looks bagged, and appears physically incapable of making a play. Buddy is a warrior, no question, but I can almost guarantee you that there will be a moment in the next two games where Warrener is going to fuck up huge simply because he does not have enough in him (because of injuries, the fact that he is 30 going on 60, whatever) to make the play.
With the way the Flames PP is going, and the way the Wings PP is going, you might want to have this decided by who does better 5-3.
mclea: re: warrener
You're just noticing this now? This has been a Warrener staple for at least a year and a half.
I am truly, honestly surprised that of all the penalties called last night, the one against Lidstrom is the one people complain about. Iginla was going for the puck, Lidstrom held him back. I don't really have the eye to pick out penalties before the ref calls them, but that one was clear.
# posted by : April 20, 2007 4:25 pm
: April 20, 2007 4:25 pm But it's time to wake up and smell the Langkow 5-on-3 goals
That just broke me up! I was laughing so hard, I've got tears in my eyes!
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