Sabres 4, Flames 2 post-game embers: One step forward, two steps back
By Mike Pfeil
7 years agoLosing to a team that is barely together due to injuries isn’t nice. Losing after several decent wins by a team that has struggled to find any shred of consistency isn’t fun. Why the reoccurring theme of the Calgary Flames this season is one step forward, two steps back is beyond me.
Even through the constant themes and noticeable deficiencies that everyone has seemed to catch onto, it still continues and it’s not getting easier to watch.
Let’s talk about Monahan
One of the more legitimate concerns surrounding Sean Monahan prior to signing his big contract was the ever present concern of his abilities in the defensive zone. You could make a case to extend those concerns to the neutral zone on various days, too. Hell, you could make that point about him in the offensive zone too right now.
Virtually in every situation for the majority of this season – even with Johnny Gaudreau – Monahan has been been an unmitigated disaster. And now with Gaudreau out, it’s becoming more and more apparent.
And that’s being polite about it, even if you acknowledge that Glen Gulutzan has tried to find ways to shelter him. With sheltering it isn’t very pretty either and it’s really starting to beg the question of whether or not Monahan is remotely worth the value of his current contract already. Some might see that as a tad overreaction, others find it just. Somewhere in the middle of that topic is the truth.
The chronicling of the game that Monahan plays has been told since he broke in as a rookie in 2013-14. Touted as a Jonathan Toews-lite, Monahan is significantly more one-dimensional than most players on the team. Whereas there is reasonable hope that Sam Bennett can become the future number one centre on this team there is waning belief Monahan can live up to that miscast role brought upon him.
Last night fans got another taste of the immeasurable growing pains that aren’t anything new, but significant in being a noticeable factor in contributing to the situation where the Flames would inevitably end up on a 5-on-3, and succumbing to several power play goals:
With the discussion on Twitter being head-manned by our very own Kent Wilson, here’s the summary of everything wrong with that sequence:
- Long change in the second (linemates are gassed, stranded, and in desperate need for a change).
- THE VERY SIMPLE TASK: there is a clear lane out of the zone so get the puck out for a change.
- He doesn’t get moving at all and Evander Kane catches up with him, forcing the turnover.
- There is an obvious miss on a pass to Dougie Hamilton on the right-side which could have helped.
- The Sabres regroup, enter the zone, draw not one, but two calls against as a byproduct of this sequence.
The penalties aren’t Monahan’s fault, but they are a direct result of his inability to make a smart decision. These decisions he often makes that inevitably result poorly for him often have negative results for his team: penalties against, goals against, etc., etc.
Again, last night he was involved with a situation where there was an opportunity to help out:
This whole goal itself was gross. Everyone involved with the play was guilty, but the point emphasis is on Monahan to get engaged and help contribute to a situation that could have resulted positively for the Flames. It didn’t happen, obviously, and Marcus Foligno scored to put it away. His 46.15% CF at 5v5 with 100% zone starts isn’t anything to write home about.
This is Sean Monahan right now. He is a significant detriment on-ice to driving offense and he’s an even bigger detriment in the defensive zone. He relies heavily on Gaudreau to provide him with high quality passes, the defense to contribute from the point so he can clean up, and seemingly cannot find his way anywhere on the ice right now.
What has taken Gulutzan so long to realize this? Is he going to learn from this – as a coach – and find a way to positively impact Monahan’s development? Maybe he caught on because Monahan’s 13:39 last night was the second time since his rookie season he played in a full game below 14:00.
So I ask you, fans of this team (that haven’t jumped ship yet): what do you do about Sean Monahan?
Matthew Tkachuk: Disturbin’ The Peace
There’s a vibe to Matthew Tkachuk’s game that is so incredibly obvious that it’s impossible not to love it. The vibe and mentality that every shift might be your last on this planet, playing the game you love, and you’re going to do everything you can to make it memorable. It’s what makes his Corey Perry-style play so infectious.
It’s why fans should be captivated by what he does every night: do everything he can, within his physical parameters to try and make a positive impact. Sometimes it backfires like taking penalties, but prior to last night’s game he was still on the positive side of his penalty differential. It’s an area that if he can maximize his strengths in – by drawing calls whether rightfully or questionably – he can put the Flames in a position to potentially succeed.
The concept of concern that he is and will be a passenger on the Mikael Backlund and Michael Frolik line seems to be a dead narrative. Finally. The Boy Who Makes Everyone Hate Him finds himself engaged in virtually every shift he can in a wide variety of areas. From primary pass assists, to zone entries and exits, to puck battles, and shot generation. He does it all, while keeping up with two exceptionally skilled two-way forwards.
His style of play has rubbed off on his linemates as much as their style has. And it’s meshed wonderfully. Add in the Mark Giordano and Dougie Hamilton pairing and you get shifts like this:
This whole 3M Line + Gio/Dougie is the only thing that is keeping this team in the game.Buffalo answers with: CLOG EVERY LANE pic.twitter.com/PWS92CUpvz— AOL Keyword: Mike (@mikeFAIL) November 22, 2016
Concerns about his skating – though potentially misinterpreted as too precautionary – have dissipated to near non-existence. He’s an NHL forward progressing very well, playing on the team’s best line, and he’s going to find ways to contribute as much as he can.
Last night: a goal, an assist, and a very acceptable 53.57% CF at 5v5 (four iCF and three shots at 5v5).
The Power Play: Send It To Mars
We’ll try and make time in the coming days (hopefully) to dig in further on each of the power play and penalty kill’s breakdowns, but for now we’ll give you a bit of a teaser within the limitations of words only.
The power play, which is scarier than Frankenstein’s monster; more dreadful than Glitter, Gigli, Catwoman, and that Ben Affleck Daredevil movie. And it’s not to say this team does not have significant firepower to utilize while on the man advantage. In a simplistic standpoint: they’re measurably handcuffed by Dave Cameron and Gulutzan’s design and decision making.
Last night Hamilton got 2:02 of PP time, second to his partner Giordano (2:25). Beyond that, you’re still seeing Dennis Wideman (0:58) and TJ Brodie (1:21) get some considerable amount of time. It’s not to say the latter in Brodie is a bad idea, it’s just you’re not maximizing your results if you can’t squeeze a bit more out of Hamilton.
At forward, it’s even more dumbfounding. Even if with Sam Bennett’s struggles at times, it seems foolish to give him 0:19 while Troy Brouwer cleans up with 2:44 and nothing to show for it. It’s understandable to ride Mikael Backlund and Tkachuk given the offense either runs through them or Michael Frolik currently.
Even then, this decision making on player usage is one layer of the rancid onion that is the league’s worst PP. If this team has any aspirations this spring it needs to be rectified immediately. The Sabres literally beat the Flames because of their power play. If that wasn’t the case – say if the power play or penalty kill was better – then the Flames likely could have won this at even strength.
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