Article content material
To rebuild or to not rebuild.
That’s been the query round Calgary for some time now in relation to the Flames.
Article content material
Because the hordes of Toronto Maple Leafs followers threw their hats onto the ice within the second interval of their crew’s 4-3 win over the Flames on Thursday night on the Saddledome, you would simply perceive the argument from these insisting the crew must tear it down and construct by the draft.
Commercial 2
Article content material
The Flames have a reasonably first rate hockey crew proper now.
They don’t have an Auston Matthews, although.
You typically want a first-overall choose to get a man like him.
A man who can nearly single-handedly erase the two-goal lead the Flames constructed within the first interval of Thursday’s recreation with a hat-trick in quarter-hour of recreation time.
When the Flames made errors, Matthews punished them. He added an help for good measure.
“When you give Matthews a pinky, he’ll take the entire hand,” mentioned Flames defenceman Rasmus Andersson. “He’s a hell of a participant and he confirmed that as we speak.”
The counter-argument within the rebuilding debate, after all, is that the Leafs haven’t gone any additional than the Flames have since they drafted Matthews in 2016. Even after Thursday’s win, they’ve solely bought 5 extra factors within the standings this season than the Flames.
And their celebrity hasn’t been in a position to forestall the annual, inevitable groans of agony and disappointment when the Leafs crash out of the playoffs each spring.
However even essentially the most Toronto-hating, hardcore Calgarian, live-and-die-with-the-Flames fan on the Saddledome needed to assume, ‘It’d be awfully good to have a man like him,’ on Thursday evening.
Midday Information Roundup
Article content material
Commercial 3
Article content material
With the Flames firmly in management because the seconds ticked down within the first interval, Matthews acquired the puck deep of their territory, deftly stepped between Jordan Oesterle and Nick DeSimone and ripped it into the highest nook previous a helpless Dan Vladar.
From there, he took over.
Early within the second interval, he scored whereas the Flames have been defending on a delayed penalty. He blasted a slapshot in after a pleasant feed from William Nylander.
Then, he did good work serving to arrange Mitch Marner a couple of minutes later to place the Leafs up 3-2 and earlier than the interval was up Matthews collected a unfastened puck in entrance of the web and batted it in for his third of the evening.
From the Flames’ perspective, positive, they bought a reminder that Matthews is a celebrity for a motive. Not that they wanted one.
But when there’s a lesson, it got here from the truth that they made errors that instantly led to him scoring. There have been a pair regrettable turnovers, and you’ll’t try this when a participant as expert as Matthews is on the ice.
“It’s errors you possibly can’t make towards anyone on this league, it’s the NHL,” Flames winger Blake Coleman mentioned. “Clearly, we let a pair guys beat us tonight and just a bit little bit of a drop in our situational consciousness, I suppose. I’ll maintain myself accountable, I assumed I used to be rubbish all evening, so I’ll be higher this weekend and I count on everybody else to look within the mirror and do the identical.“
Commercial 4
Article content material
These turnovers have been what bothered the Flames essentially the most after Thursday’s recreation, much more than the controversial resolution to overturn a game-tying purpose by Connor Zary within the third interval after the Leafs challenged that Coleman had handed the puck together with his hand.
Matthews pounced on the Flames’ errors, however he was solely in a position to do this as a result of they made errors within the first place.
That’s the lesson.
“You take a look at among the video games we’ve dropped this yr, numerous instances after we get into hassle five-on-five it’s due to silly performs within the impartial zone,” Huska mentioned. “While you’ve bought a participant like that on the ice, you could deal with the puck.
“Similar factor we’re going to see right here in a pair nights.”
The Flames don’t have lengthy to internalize the teachings of what occurs while you flip the puck over and a celebrity is out on the ice for the opposite crew.
On Saturday evening, they’ll host Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers.
Flip the puck over within the impartial zone with him on the market, and he’ll pounce. No lively participant has extra targets towards the Flames than the 29 McDavid has scored, in order that they’re all too conscious of what he can do.
Commercial 5
Article content material
One other former No. 1 choose who can flip a recreation on its head on his personal.
“We’re taking part in the same crew on Saturday, so now we have to study from tonight,” mentioned Flames captain Mikael Backlund. “That second interval, the best way we performed, we turned too many pucks over and it price us and it’s going to be the same factor on Saturday with a highly-skilled crew coming in, too.”
POSPISIL LEAVES
Martin Pospisil was pressured to go away Thursday’s recreation after crashing into the boards within the first interval.
He’d tripped whereas carrying a head of steam into the nook, and stayed down for a pair minutes earlier than being helped off the ice by teammates.
Huska had no official replace on Pospisil’s well-being after the sport.
“It didn’t look good, however from what I perceive he’s doing OK,” Huska mentioned. “I haven’t gotten an official replace but, hopefully it’s not one thing that retains him out a very long time.”
Article content material