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They usually don't play well in afternoon games, and they don't usually play well in Carolina, so winning today was quite a feat. Of course they don't ever win in Anaheim and they finally managed to do that. This team is looking great these days. Gaudreau now second on league scoring list. All cylinders going. Hopefully they can keep it up after the break.
 
Smith went down hard tonight, hoping it's not a tear or anything too bad. But at least it's nice to have confidence in your backup, I think Rittich has looked really great for his short time here.
 
Eric Francis is on the road with the team. He apparently had some encouraging tweets, which out of character for Francis. He said he saw Smith after the game and that he was waking without a limp. He also said later that things aren't as bad as feared likely after having spoken with someone in the know. Hopefully it's nothing more than a couple of games extra rest for him. Rittich has played well enough that he deserves a chance to see what he can do with back to back starts. I'll be a little more concerned if they're saying it's gonna be several weeks. Hopefully Rittich can carry the load. That'd be a tough challenge for him and Gillies though.

About last nights's game though, Tkachuk was a freaking dynamo. I really wonder what kind of deal they're looking at for him now? I can't believe how much he's accomplished as a 19 year old. 2018-19 will be the last year on his ELC. They're going to have a hard time negotiating that one.
 
In past years this would have been a disaster, but Riddich has proven he's certainly decent, and at least gives them a chance. Boston won't be easy though, they have a great record at home (18-7-4) Although Calgary plays well on the road (16-6-5)...should be interesting. As a side note, only Boston has less losses on the road than Calgary does with 5.
 
Another nice road win the Flames.....they should play all their games on the road! Is it me, or Tkachuck getting better each game. He's become a force out there. also Janks is looking better all the time.

I thought the Flames really controlled that game. It was good to see against the number 2 team in the conference. The score was closer than it should have been. Nashville's second goal was a Rube-Goldberg of improbable crap and the late penalty that allowed them to pour on the pressure late was pretty soft for 2 minutes to go. I'll never forget the refs letting Malkin clutch and grab Gaudreau like it was 1999 in our overtime win against them back in the fall. They have some pretty obvious double standards when it comes to the Flames. That late goal review was also ridiculous. Some guy throws his arms in the air and all of a sudden he's the most honest man you've ever met?

Anyway, back to the good parts. I hope they find a way to try out Bennett-Jankowski-Tkachuk some more. That goal was real magic. The 3M line isn't what it was unfortunately. Time to do some alchemy. Chucky is quickly showing that he's an indispensable part of the team's future. He seems to be able to build up the players he plays with like Gaudreau. If Brouwer had been out there for that rush, I don't think he would have made the same beautiful pass to Jankowski for the wide open back door.

What do you guys think the odds of Backlund getting traded are? I figured the deal would have been done by now and it really seems like Backlund is playing with a weight on his shoulders.
 
They really did. I find that on road games this season, the Flames are usually the better of the two teams for the majority of the 60 minutes, but have a few bad breaks or some breakdowns. Last night they played a perfect road game other than the last tow minutes, and even then they were decent considering.

Bennet Tkachuck and Jankowski looked good, but then again any line Tkachuck is on looks good. The guy has been dynamite this season.

I've been wondering about Backlund myself. I like the guy, but wonder about his upcoming contract. He would do well on the open market, as much as like him, maybe a trade is best? Although teams aren't getting much in return these days....as a GM I would probably keep him, even if it meant losing him to Free Agency.
 
I'm finding the Flames such a joy to watch, even on games where they lose, they are still 10 times more entertaining from the team 5-10 years ago. Back then, the team's only strategy seemed to be dump and chase and rarely ever scored on the rush, the last couple of years I've watched a team that can rush up ice and make some passes. It's resulted in numerous beautiful goals.
 
Re: Backs

Tree apparently commented on the Backlund contract situation during one of the intermissions, but the bar I was watching at turned off the volume when the game wasn't on. Apparently he said things are progressing with the Backlund contract. He must be murder to play poker against, because he gives up nothing.

I really like Backlund as a person and as a player. I think he's a boon to the team. If they really can't get a deal done, I think that maybe I trade him rather than let him walk to free agency. They'd have to look at bringing another centre with term in, in return though because I don't think Janko is quite ready for the next step up just yet, Dube hasn't even turned pro and Stajan is done when his contract is up.

My guess is that the crux of the issue must be how the team sees him being deployed over the life of the next contract. Backlund obviously feels like he's going to be a second line contributor for most of the duration, but I bet the team is probably factoring in that at some point he'll be in more a third line role before the life of the contract is up and wants to structure the contract accordingly.

Get'r done Tree, even if only to take the pressure off the poor guy. He sure gets things done when it comes to contracts, but man his style must be taxing. It's obvious that the weight of the last round of major negotiations seemed to really effect Johnny and Mony too.

Re: Watching the Team

I'll agree there's no question that this team is far more entertaining than the mid-to-latter Iginla/Kipprusoff era. Some nights they seem to have frustratingly inconsistent efforts though. And that seems to happen painfully often when they're at home. If only they could play like they did for most of last game for a full 60 minutes every night, there's no question they'd be a contender. I really wonder what the missing piece is. Some nights it feels like it's the coach, other nights its the guys. If they could make a deadline move that somehow ups the urgency out there, I'd be all for it.
 
Backlund was re-signed this afternoon, I’m listening to them talk about it on the radio right now, I guess he’s here for six years.
What do you guys think the odds of Backlund getting traded are? I figured the deal would have been done by now and it really seems like Backlund is playing with a weight on his shoulders.
 
So I've heard! 6Y x $5.35M. I think that's a pretty good deal. By the time it starts to feel weighty at the back end of the contract the cap should be a fair bit higher. My biggest hope is that he comes out on a tear after getting the contract monkey off his back.
 

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