THURSDAY COMMENTARY – THE RING OF FIRE
(Listen daily for the Rod Pedersen Commentary on Cat Country 98 & Rock 98.5 FM)
You can feel the heat on the Calgary Flames all the way out here on the Atlantic coast.
Projected to be one of the top teams in the NHL this season, the Flames sit 8th in the conference just past the midway of the season.
They’ve lost two in a row including a 4-1 home defeat to Colorado last night, a team who’s only two points back for the final playoff spot and getting better. Colorado’s won three games in a row and have three games in hand on Calgary.
And Wednesday’s game followed an all-too-familiar script for Calgary, as starting goalie Jacob Markstrom allowed three goals on the Avs’ first 14 shots and Colorado was up 3-0 halfway through first period.
The ring of fire is engulfing the Saddledome. There have been instances this season where the team has been booed off the ice.
I was there and heard it for myself.
Their coach’s brother, Rich Sutter, was on the RP Show prior to Wednesday’s game imploring the Calgary media and fans to “BACK OFF” and let this team follow its plan.
Richie says quality teams take time to build and the idea is to peak at the right time. Clearly now is not that time.
But it says here if you’re not getting quality goaltending night after night, you’re sunk from the get-go. Markstrom himself said before Christmas, “I suck at hockey right now”. He seems to still be in that funk.
How long do you wait? Undoubtedly the Flames are wondering what their options are ahead of the Trade Deadline on March 3 but if you look at the lists of the top available players, the only goalie on there is Ottawa’s Cam Talbot.
The Flames have been there, done that.
Oh, and Talbot looked pretty sharp in the Sens’ 5-4 OT win over the Penguins last night.
Flames prospect Dustin Wolf is the #1 goalie in the AHL right now, by far. At what point do you give him a chance?
Or maybe the Flames will favour the idea of “dance with the one that brought ya”, and try another spring with Markstrom as their number guy. I always favour sticking with your people.
Desperate times call for desperate measures. But clearly for Darryl Sutter, they’re not that desperate yet.
That’s today’s Rod Pedersen Commentary
(The Rod Pedersen Show airs daily at 12 pm ET on Game+ TV, YouTube Live and WQEE Radio)
All Flames fans have been thinking it. But the goal is to qualify for the playoffs, and they are on pace to do that. Stick with the plan.
Calgary is one of those organizations that gets so much time spent on much ado about nothing. 42 seasons in Calgary they have made the playoffs 25 times. For 25 playoff years they’ve only been past the second round a few times. This is a team that largely has done absolutely nothing. When they were relevant it was when our generation was a lot less closer to quailfiying for CPP Benefits and Old Age Security. Bottom Line: Garbage Franchise Garbage City Garbage Fan Base Garbage Rink If it were not for the Edmonton Oilers who by the way in their… Read more »
Remember the St Louis Blues just a few seasons ago? Last place at the All Star Break to Stanley Cup Champions a few months later. Patience my friends…patience…the pieces are there.
Oh they have Jaden Scwartz, jordan binnington, and Pat Maroon?
Sorry pal to win the big one you need warriors with something in the chest cavity.
I can tell you right now Daryl Sutter looks in that room and there is not one Justin Williams or Dustin brown.
….and the nerd GM got his hockey bones by his dad buying him a league to run.
We had that in Regina once.