Flyers vs. Flames preview: Calgary kinda needs a win too

by Travis Hughes on Feb 25, 2012 4:29 PM EST

More late night hockey tonight in Western Canada, as the Flyers are in Calgary to take on the Flames. They'll try to get the awful taste of Thursday's loss to Edmonton out of their mouths, but the Flames are a team right on the cusp of the Western Conference playoffs. Things are actually pretty entertaining out there in Calgary right now...

Flyers_orange_medium
10 tonight at Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta
TV: CSN Philly, CBC | Radio: 94 WIP [feed]
Stole Atlanta's Other Team: Matchsticks & Gasoline
Flames_medium

The Flames are one of those teams at the crossroads just two days before the trade deadline. Yeah, they're right there in the playoff mix, sitting just outside at No. 9 heading into tonight's game, but they've been playing like ... well, utter crap lately. Let's allow Matchsticks & Gasoline to explain, which they did following a loss to the Coyotes Thursday night.

Simply not good enough. This is a disappointing loss against a direct playoff competitor and it isn't even one you can say the Flames deserved to win, once again they were the ones stealing a single point. The Coyotes put in a noticeably better effort.

General manager Jay Feaster ripped his team during an intermission interview that night, basically threatening the team with trades at the deadline Monday if things didn't turn around. He backtracked from those comments a bit on Friday, but the point still stands: Tonight's game is really important for the Flames. Not just in the standings, but if they want to have any hope of keeping their team together at the deadline.

We'd have to expect the Flames to come out flying tonight, then. Desperate might be a good word, although as Feaster said, they probably should've expected that on Thursday night and they didn't get it.

Of course, the Flyers are in a very similar boat here. Peter Laviolette wasn't happy after the Edmonton game, and rightfully so considering where the Flyers sit and how they took the second period off the other night. On the bright side, Ilya Bryzgalov had a really solid game, and we know we don't have to worry about this team failing to score goals over the long-term.

As we said the other night, if everything comes together at the same time for this team, they'll be damn scary. Let's make that happen, you guys. Lines might be the same as the Edmonton game, but we'll have to see. Bryz is in goal according to writers at the Saddledome today. Game thread around 8ish.

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OT

did anyone see the tsn.ca interview with richie stevens n carter?

by Jazzy85 on Feb 25, 2012 4:42 PM EST reply actions

Richards: "I’m really excited to get to “play” with him again." That’s true bromance right there.

Stevens: “We’ve had a problem scoring big goals at key times and Jeff will bring that to our club” Well, if he’s talking about scoring empty net goals when the game is just about over anyway, then he got what he wanted.

by hbcivicsi93 on Feb 25, 2012 4:52 PM EST up reply actions

Oh boy.

by everybodyhitswoohoo on Feb 25, 2012 4:54 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs

Boo this man!

But seriously, that last sentence is retarded and inaccurate.

Formerly... "You don't have to be sweet, to be good"

by Ed Van Chimp on Feb 25, 2012 5:46 PM EST up reply actions

5 empty net goals since the start of the 2007-08 season, huh?

by everybodyhitswoohoo on Feb 25, 2012 5:50 PM EST up reply actions

headdesk

Editor at SB Nation's Philadelphia Union blog, The Brotherly Game. Follow me on Twitter.

by Justin F. on Feb 25, 2012 7:24 PM EST up reply actions

Bob.

Lightning strikes once, Hextall strikes twice!
"I think there is virtue in pissing off idiots." - Fehr and Balanced

by hintzy64 on Feb 25, 2012 7:34 PM EST up reply actions

...

by j reed on Feb 25, 2012 7:47 PM EST up reply actions

I am sad that not one person linked to this article.

@BSH_EricT
Writer at Broad Street Hockey

by Eric T. on Feb 25, 2012 7:57 PM EST up reply actions

All that proves is that M’s definition of “clutch” was silly. :-p

Lightning strikes once, Hextall strikes twice!
"I think there is virtue in pissing off idiots." - Fehr and Balanced

by hintzy64 on Feb 26, 2012 9:56 AM EST up reply actions

I actually thought it was a pretty reasonable definition, and that the problem is more that clutch goals are such a tiny fraction of all goals that we don’t come anywhere near having enough sample size to know whether clutchiness (as it relates to goal-scoring) really exists.

@BSH_EricT
Writer at Broad Street Hockey

by Eric T. on Feb 26, 2012 7:10 PM EST up reply actions

I thought since it yielded such a small sample size is why it wasn’t a very good definition, but I see what you mean.

Lightning strikes once, Hextall strikes twice!
"I think there is virtue in pissing off idiots." - Fehr and Balanced

by hintzy64 on Feb 27, 2012 9:46 AM EST up reply actions

LOLs of all LOLs: Today, I learned that the Blackhawks have signed Carter Hutton.

What3v3r.

by ww2b on Feb 25, 2012 5:50 PM EST reply actions

That guy Eklund at hockeybuzz has the flyers tied to just about every rumor from dustin brown to nash again. Does he have levity sources?.

by Boundforbeach on Feb 25, 2012 6:22 PM EST via mobile reply actions

nope

"Women should have three breasts - two in front and one in the back for dancing." -Al Bundy

by HankMonahan on Feb 25, 2012 6:32 PM EST up reply actions

eklund

this is his file photo, which i found odd…

"Women should have three breasts - two in front and one in the back for dancing." -Al Bundy

by HankMonahan on Feb 25, 2012 6:34 PM EST up reply actions

Threatening the team with trades could work against you unless the city of Calgary is some sort of Canadian paradise.

by j reed on Feb 25, 2012 7:42 PM EST reply actions

This is the guy that comes to mind when I think of Calgary .

I wasn't even a year old but I stayed up to be outside the Vet with my Dad and Mom when the Phillies won the World Series 1980.

by Christopher A on Feb 25, 2012 9:28 PM EST reply actions

Why can’t the flyers kill an opposing PP?

Suck it Phaneuf!

by SkookFlyerfan on Feb 25, 2012 10:18 PM EST reply actions

I hate Breezy. . . . . how much worse can he possibly get?

Suck it Phaneuf!

by SkookFlyerfan on Feb 25, 2012 10:20 PM EST reply actions

OMG. I just got home & saw we are down 2-0? Calgary scores on the first 2 shots? Sorry, but I’m done with Bryz. I’ve tried to be in his corner all season hoping he would turn it around but both these goals were soft…again. I’m done. Get rid of him. Anyhow. Anyway. I’m done.

The Legion of Doom would still kick butt today!
All aboard the Wayne-train!
"These cows are small, those cows are far away."

by mrberg19 on Feb 25, 2012 10:56 PM EST reply actions