The title should be self-explanatory. The Calgary Flames have to become a 60-minute hockey team. The third period against the Kraken the other night was a gong show. The defense coverage was laughable. There were many other issues; blind passing, players standing around, and most concerning was being outworked every game. When was the last time you saw a Sutter team outworked consistently every night? My source said it best when he said, "The Flames are lucky to be 5-1 when they had not played a full 60-minute game all season." Well, that caught up to them, and right now, they're closer to a lottery team than a contender.
Plain and simple, I love the acronym KISS, meaning Keep It Simple Stupid. The Flames are overthinking, trying not to lose instead of trying to win. Suddenly they are skating in the mud, doubting themselves. They've lost their heart. The loss to the Islanders was Kraken, Part II. Mistakes happen when you start trying to protect the lead instead of keeping your foot on the gas pedal. Hockey comes naturally; the Flames need to let the game come to them.
Markstrom has not been able to make the big saves, particularly in the third period. That might be because the Flames slow down and stop playing, or because Markstrom is struggling himself. I think it is both. The Flames made a ton of mistakes in the Islanders game. It was another gong show. There is no excuse. Markstrom has to improve his game and the Flames must hustle for a full sixty minutes. They should know better. They're not a young team. It is time to put on their big boy skates. Sutter needs to bring the ship back on course.
If Huberdeau's injury is long-term, the Flames may have to consider trading one of the defencemen to bring in another forward. They must take action before the team falls too far behind.
Randy
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