The Flames have fallen into this habit of not playing a full 60 minutes. Either they are trying to the easy way out, or they have lost the will to work, basically hoping to rely on their good looks.
The defence is still making very embarrassing turnovers. Well-established defensemen do not make these kinds of mistakes. On paper, we have one of the best defences in the League. We continue to give up close to 40 shots a game. The nights we don't, the goalies take the night off.
Don't even get me on the forwards. They have decided that playing in their own end is no longer necessary. They seem to think that they do not have to fight for the puck. It is like they think they have diplomatic immunity. Lazy is not acceptable; work is. Someone has to take away their immunity and give them hard labour.
The good news is that the Flames are still in the midst of the playoffs race. These brain farts can be fixed, it just a matter of discipline and hard work. Right—work seems to a dirty word. Putting themselves on the line should not be an alternative. It should be the only method of playing.
In the news, the Flames have sent Lack down for obvious reasons. He was struggling with his play. To be honest, he did not have much help in front of him. I was quite surprised that Gillies did not get the call-up. The Flames instead went with Rittich, who was great against the Avs. Before we ordain Rittich as the backup, let's see how he does in his second start. At least his first start was a pleasant surprise.
No comments:
Post a Comment