[j-monster]

go leafs go, OT win!!!!!

(BTW mccabe doing pretty good on the points this year, he's among the league leaders!!!)

YES! 4 in a row for the Buds! :thumb:

After that game McCabe's point total sits at 2G - 9A - 11PTS, and he's tied for second in the league in points right now. Sweet... keep 'er goin' Caber!!! :thumb:

[direwolf74]

Flames 3, Greasers 1.

Once again, my boys came out flat in the first period, but thankfully they came alive in the 2nd. Kipper was incredible again, and holy shite the Flames are FAST when they get their feet movin. Their play has been so spotty over the first few games, I almost forgot how unstoppable they look when they use their speed. Oilers looked totally frustrated and disorganized in the latter half of the game. I love it!

All we gotta do now is get Iggy out of his slump, string a few wins together, and the confidence will continue to build. The Flames may not look that good lately, but mark my words, these guys are gonna be a bitch to play against come April.

[tragicallymike]

Buffalo Sabres!!! 5-2....and sittin pretty right now. Bring on the goddamn rangers!

[cferneyh]

The Flames may not look that good lately, but mark my words, these guys are gonna be a bitch to play against come April.

On which golf course?

Seriously though, I can't say I've been impressed. I'm not sure if two home wins against the slumping Oilers when the Oilers were without Smyth for both games and Horcoff for one is much to brag about. I suppose "baby steps" is the theme, but I'd be worried if I was a Flames fan.

It must be a little painful to watch Langkow struggle playing with Iggy while Conroy has put up a couple of impressive back-to-back games in LA.

Hey, when did Roenick retire? Did I miss that? WHAT? He didn't retire? Oh, there's his name! 12th on the Kings in points. All for $4.9 million! He makes NHLPA President Trevor Linden (8 games, 0 points, -1) look like a bargain. No wait. I take that back. Nothing makes Linden look like a bargain. Nothing.

At the top of my list for "biggest surprises so far" is Darcy "Jackass" Tucker with 9 points in 7 games, not to mention the solid play of rookie Alexander "Don Cherry Says I Have No Business Being In The NHL" Steen with 7 points in 7 games and a +3 plus/minus.

[direwolf74]

Seriously though, I can't say I've been impressed. I'm not sure if two home wins against the slumping Oilers when the Oilers were without Smyth for both games and Horcoff for one is much to brag about. I suppose "baby steps" is the theme, but I'd be worried if I was a Flames fan.

Baby steps is definitely the theme. And you're right, a win over the hapless Oilers isn't much to brag about, but it's a win nonetheless. The defence is finally coming around, the PK has been perfect of late, Kipper has been brilliant, and they're finally starting to realize that when they use their speed they can be very effective. A couple of things I'm still worried about:

1. Iginla. This guy really has to step up and start earning his 7 million. He's notorious for having slow starts, and as a fan it's incredibly frustrating. Because you know that once he gets hot, it gets contagious and the rest of the team starts to follow suit. He's just that kind of player.

2. The power play sucks somethin awful. I don't think I've ever seen it look this bad. They did score one last night, and they looked a lot more confident throwing the puck around on the PP in the 3rd, but for the majority of the game it was absolutely horrendous. I have a feeling that if Iggy ever breaks out of his slump, the PP will improve dramatically.

3. They seem to be afraid to play the gritty, crash & bang hockey that they're known for. At times they look really tentative in the offensive zone, and they're simply not being aggressive enough. It's almost like they're afraid to hit somebody for fear of getting a penalty in the "new NHL". The good news is that there were some nice BIG hits in last night's win, which hopefully is a sign of things to come.

Having said all that, it's still early and I think they'll be fine. Whether Ryan Smith is in the lineup or not, the Oilers always bring out the best in the Flames, and in those two games they showed what they can do when they actually play aggressive and use their speed. This upcoming road trip will be a HUGE test.

[tigerthelion]

The Flames may not look that good lately, but mark my words, these guys are gonna be a bitch to play against come April.

On which golf course?

Seriously though, I can't say I've been impressed. I'm not sure if two home wins against the slumping Oilers when the Oilers were without Smyth for both games and Horcoff for one is much to brag about. I suppose "baby steps" is the theme, but I'd be worried if I was a Flames fan.

It must be a little painful to watch Langkow struggle playing with Iggy while Conroy has put up a couple of impressive back-to-back games in LA.

Hey, when did Roenick retire? Did I miss that? WHAT? He didn't retire? Oh, there's his name! 12th on the Kings in points. All for $4.9 million! He makes NHLPA President Trevor Linden (8 games, 0 points, -1) look like a bargain. No wait. I take that back. Nothing makes Linden look like a bargain. Nothing.

At the top of my list for "biggest surprises so far" is Darcy "Jackass" Tucker with 9 points in 7 games, not to mention the solid play of rookie Alexander "Don Cherry Says I Have No Business Being In The NHL" Steen with 7 points in 7 games and a +3 plus/minus.

I love the Linden jokes. I'm a Nucks fan but Linden is god awful. Roenick is a piece of garbage. Jeremy "don't you know i'm not allowed to get hit in the preseason so let me be untouched so i can actually get a goal" Roenick is garbage.

[j-monster]

A couple of things I'm still worried about:

1. Iginla. This guy really has to step up and start earning his 7 million. He's notorious for having slow starts, and as a fan it's incredibly frustrating. Because you know that once he gets hot, it gets contagious and the rest of the team starts to follow suit. He's just that kind of player.

2. The power play sucks somethin awful. I don't think I've ever seen it look this bad. They did score one last night, and they looked a lot more confident throwing the puck around on the PP in the 3rd, but for the majority of the game it was absolutely horrendous. I have a feeling that if Iggy ever breaks out of his slump, the PP will improve dramatically.

If I were a Flames fan who was taking a big picture view of things, then I would rather have Iginla hot come playoff time. Sure it may be frustrating that he gets off to such slow starts (and I can sympathize... he's on my #1 line in one of my hockey pools, so come on Iggy, score already!), but it's better to come through when it really matters. I'm a fan of Iggy as a player, so I'm sure he'll bounce back.

[j-monster]

At the top of my list for "biggest surprises so far" is Darcy "Jackass" Tucker with 9 points in 7 games, not to mention the solid play of rookie Alexander "Don Cherry Says I Have No Business Being In The NHL" Steen with 7 points in 7 games and a +3 plus/minus.

Speaking of Steen, he and Matt Stajan and Kyle Wellwood have been one of the best forward lines for the Leafs in the last few games. Hopefully they can keep it up, because if the Leafs are going to have the success all Leaf fans hope they will, then the young guys have to make significant contributions all year long. And I still think that, before the end of the year, Colaiacovo is going to be called up and play an important role during the Leafs' season.

[Lizard King]

Another win for the Habs!! Woo Hoo! Dont worry I wont be able to keep this up all year.. :lol: Anyways...

Some questions/thoughts on the season so far..

-So what's up with Pittsburgh? They can't buy a win, too much hype, poor special teams, bad goalie? Poor Mario, should of went to Montreal like you wanted to in 84.

-Martin Brodeur/NJ Devils-they stink! I hope Brodeur finds his game before the olympics. I hate NJ, losing Stevens and Neidermeyer hurt them bad imo. Not that Im complaining..lol.

-Go Rookies! Perezhogin, Staal, Richards, Ovechkin, Crosby..etc.. lots of great young players coming up this year, fun to watch. Who's the early favorite for the Calder, I say Ovechkin takes it. But I guarantee if Crosby and him are close in points Crosby will get it, its all politics. :wink:

[thedarkcanuck]

i guess my hard luck days of being a penguins fan haven`t quite come to a conclusion just yet they can`t possibly be this bad, can they? i sure hope not

[cferneyh]

Staal isn't a rookie. He played the full season in 03/04.

If they keep it close in points (Ovechkin and Crosby), they've got to give it to Ovechkin. At least Crosby has some talent around him.

[opiated]

although it got a little too close at then end, another one for the nucks..stick that avs

[Lizard King]

Staal isn't a rookie. He played the full season in 03/04.

If they keep it close in points (Ovechkin and Crosby), they've got to give it to Ovechkin. At least Crosby has some talent around him.

Your right, my mistake! :oops: I was thinking faster than my fingers could type. But still a great crop of youngsters this year.

[tragicallymike]

Sabres back in a tie for first place. The Sabres and Ottawa look like the 2 most dangerous teams in the North East.

[direwolf74]

Calgary 3, L.A. 2

Great character win by the Flames tonight, especially after that 2-1 heartbreaker against Dallas the previous evening. (curse you, Marty Turco!) Nice to finally see Iggy come alive. He didn't score any goals tonight, but he was all over the ice- skating, hitting, creating chances, and generally making life miserable for the Kings. If he keeps playing like that, the goals are gonna come. Kipper was brilliant once again, as was our Penalty killing. Stephane Yelle is my hero. Oh and did I mention that they scored twice on the PP? FINALLY!

Now all they gotta do is get out of this win one/lose one pattern and start stringing a few W's together. GO FLAMES!!!