Anyways here is a look at my set up. (this will be adjusted as needed, a change log date will appear at the bottom of this post when i make changes)

Difficulty: Superstar
Game style: Custom
Icing: Hybrid
Injuries: on
Penalties: 4 (max)
Penalty time scaling: 4
Period length: 8 minutes
Trade difficulty: hard

General
Attribute effects: 6
Broken stick frequency: 2
Game speed: 3
Gameplay version: lastest

Fatigue effect:
CPU: 6
Human: 6

Fatigue recovery:
CPU: 0
Human: 0

Injury occurrence:
CPU: 2
Human: 2

Player acceleration:
CPU: 3
Human: 3

Puck control:
CPU: 0
Human: 0

AI
AI learning: 6
BAP strategy adjustment: 0
CPU difficulty adjustment: 3
CPU faceoff difficulty: 3
CPU penalties: 6
CPU strategy adjustment: 6 (was 5)
CPU teammate penalties: 6
Fight difficulty: 3
User strategy adjustment: 0

Passing
Manual passing: on
Pass assist: 2
Pass speed: 3
Saucer pass speed: 3

Pass accuracy:
CPU: 0
Human: 1

Pass interceptions:
CPU: 0
Human: 1

Pass reception ease:
CPU: 0
Human: 1

Shooting:
One timer accuracy:
CPU: 0
Human: 1

Shot accuracy:
CPU: 1 (was 0)
Human: 2 (was 1)

Shot power:
CPU: 2
Human:3

Slap shot accuracy:
CPU: 1
Human: 2

Slap shot power:
CPU: 1
Human: 3

Checking:
Hitting assistance: 1

Aggression:
CPU: 6
Human: 6

Hitting power:
CPU: 2
Human: 2

Poke effectiveness:
CPU: 0
Human: 0

Stick lift effectiveness:
CPU: 0
Human: 0

Goalies:
Goalie cover frequency: 6
Goalie passing: 0

Goalie reaction speed:
CPU: 5 (was 4)
Human: 6

Goalie screen effect:
CPU: 6
Human: 6

Change log:
updated Thursday January 1

Hello and welcome hockey fans, opening day for the 2014/2015 NHL regular season is only one sleep away and today we are taking a brief look at the Calgary Flames.

The good: The Flames have acquired some solid young talent, with a very strong showing in the pre season (the Flames went 4-2-0 and outscored opponents 12-4) players like Sean Monahan (2013 6th overall), Sam Bennett (2014 4th overall) and Johnny Gudreau (2011 104th overall) have made an early impact and impression on coaching staff and upper management, enough in fact that the Calgary's opening night roster is filled to the brim with young forwards hoping to prove their worth in the regular season, so many that veterans Curtis Glencross and Matt Stajan will be sitting in the press box for opening night against the Vancouver Canucks.

When asked for comment about how long players like Bennett may linger at the NHL level for, head coach Bob Hartley only offered a simple reply "as long as it benefits (his) development and (he) is having a positive impact)


The bad: No one expects Calgary (even after a brilliant pre season) to win the Stanley cup, or even challenge for the playoffs. It's clear that this is a rebuilding team and the decision is being embraced by the local fan base. The ride should be bumpy and most likely filled with many peaks and valleys but there are also many things that will be monitored and watched carefully by the staff here in Calgary.

They don't want a long 82 game season to hamper the development of their young core players, guys like Monahan, Bennet, Gudreau, Granlund, Reinhart, Beartschi and Bouma. Even though some of these guys have already seen NHL action for various lengths it is still very important to make sure that the lessons of this potentially long and painful season are positive to each players growth and each step froward is taken in a positive light regardless of the standings or score board. it is quite possible that the Calgary roster changes completely by next week if the signs are not good or its looking like the young guns are being overwhelmed by the situation.


The ugly: There are rumours of some bad blood stirring between C Mikeal Backlund who had 39 points last season and as most thought, took a step forward in his NHL career. Backlund has been a healthy scratch the past four games, registering a -4 rating, 1 shot, 0 points, 6 face-off wins in both games (both losses Calgary suffered during pre season play) that Backlund looked disinterested in participating.

There has also been rumblings of a dispute between Matt Stajan and head coach Bob Hartley, though this doesn't appear to be the reason Stajan has been scratched for opening night (he was honestly out performed as a result of a strong showing by C Markus Granlund and C Max Reinhart)


Projected starting lines:

These were the lines at Flames practice this morning

Johhny Gudreau - Sean Monahan - Jiri Hudler
Mason Raymond - Sam Bennett - Devin Setoguchi
Sven Baertschi - Markus Granlund - David Jones
Lance Bouma - Max Reinhart - Joe Colborne

Mark Giordano - T.J Brodie
Ladislav Smid - Dennis Wideman
Kris Russell - Tyler Wotherspoon

Jonas Hiller
Karri Ramo

Its hard to say how this will shake out against the reformed Vancouver Canucks, there is a mix of skill, speed and youth here, particularly in the forward group but will they be able to handle the rigours of an NHL season?

Only puck drop will tell.

Opening night VS the Vancouver Canucks, emotions are high, blood is pumping, the fans are yelling and screaming. It's hard to top these moments as a player. Opening night holds a special place for many that have come and gone and we expect Calgary to be ready to go and get this season on its way.

It looks like Bob Hartley will keep his lines as they were at practice and youth will rule this night in nearly every forward position this evening here at the saddledome. In a pre game interview earlier today Sam Bennett couldn't contain his grin when asked about skating in between Mason Raymond and Devin Setoguchi during his first NHL game and mentioned that pre game nap was out of the question.

It will take time for those nerves to fade and only game time experience will teach these young players how to deal with it.

Lets have a look at the game results.

<html><head><link href="http://dynasties.operationsports.com/css/osdyn.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"></head><body><table cellpadding="2" cellspacing="1" class="osdyn" width="575"><tr class="masthead"><td align="center" colspan="2">Vancouver Canucks at Calgary Flames</td></tr><tr bgcolor="#F1F1F1"><td valign="top" width="55%"><table cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1" class="osdyn" width="100%"><tr class="stathead"><td width="52%">Jan 1, </td><td align="right" width="12%">1</td><td align="right" width="12%">2</td><td align="right" width="12%">3</td><td align="right" width="12%">F</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>VAN ()</td><td align="right">1</td><td align="right">1</td><td align="right">1</td><td align="right" class="active"><b>3</b></td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>CGY ()</td><td align="right">1</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right" class="active"><b>1</b></td></tr></table><table cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1" class="osdyn spacer" width="100%"><tr class="tablehead"><td colspan="2">Three Stars</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="right" valign="top" width="16%"><img src="http://dynasties.operationsports.com/images/stars/1-Star.png"></td><td width="84%"><b>H. Sedin</b><br />2 goals</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="right" valign="top" width="16%"><img src="http://dynasties.operationsports.com/images/stars/2-Stars.png"></td><td width="84%"><b>J. Hansen</b><br />1 goal</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="right" valign="top" width="16%"><img src="http://dynasties.operationsports.com/images/stars/3-Stars.png"></td><td width="84%"><b>R. Miller</b><br />1.00 GAA 19 saves .950 SV%</td></tr></table></td><td valign="top" width="45%"><table cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1" class="osdyn" width="100%"><tr class="tablehead"><td colspan="3">Team Stats Comparison</td></tr><tr class="stathead"><td width="64%"></td><td align="right" width="18%">VAN</td><td align="right" width="18%">CGY</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>Shots on Goal</td><td align="right">18</td><td align="right">20</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td>Hits</td><td align="right">11</td><td align="right">12</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>Faceoffs Won-Lost</td><td align="right">10</td><td align="right">15</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td>Penalty Minutes</td><td align="right">19:00</td><td align="right">19:00</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>Power Plays Converted</td><td align="right">1</td><td align="right">0</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td>Power Play Opportunities</td><td align="right">3</td><td align="right">1</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>Time on Attack</td><td align="right">6:27</td><td align="right">6:44</td></tr></table></td></tr><tr bgcolor="#F1F1F1"><td colspan="2"><table cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1" class="osdyn" width="100%"><tr class="tablehead"><td colspan="3">Scoring Summary</td></tr><tr class="stathead"><td colspan="2">FIRST PERIOD</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center" width="10%">CGY</td><td width="90%">01:34 S. Monahan (1) (J. Gaudreau)</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center" width="10%">VAN</td><td width="90%">04:12 J. Hansen (1) (A. Burrows, S. Matthias)</td></tr><tr class="stathead"><td colspan="2">SECOND PERIOD</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center" width="10%">VAN</td><td width="90%">18:27 H. Sedin (1) (D. Sedin, R. Vrbata)</td></tr><tr class="stathead"><td colspan="2">THIRD PERIOD</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center" width="10%">VAN</td><td width="90%">04:32 H. Sedin (2) (R. Vrbata, A. Edler)</td></tr></table></td></tr><tr bgcolor="#F1F1F1"><td colspan="2"><table cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1" class="osdyn" width="100%"><tr class="tablehead_alt"><td bgcolor="#003E7E" colspan="5">Vancouver Canucks - Goalies</td></tr><tr class="stathead"><td width="40%">GOALIES</td><td align="right" width="15%">SHOTS</td><td align="right" width="15%">SAVES</td><td align="right" width="15%">SV %</td><td align="right" width="15%">GAA</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>R. Miller</td><td align="right">20</td><td align="right">19</td><td align="right">95%</td><td align="right">.950</td></tr></table></td></tr><tr bgcolor="#F1F1F1"><td colspan="2"><table cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1" class="osdyn" width="100%"><tr class="tablehead_alt"><td bgcolor="#003E7E" colspan="7">Vancouver Canucks - Skaters</td></tr><tr class="stathead"><td width="40%">SKATERS</td><td align="right" width="10%">TOI</td><td align="right" width="10%">G</td><td align="right" width="10%">A</td><td align="right" width="10%">+/-</td><td align="right" width="10%">SOG</td><td align="right" width="10%">PIM</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>R. Vrbata</td><td align="right">17:48</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">2</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">1</td><td align="right">0</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td>H. Sedin</td><td align="right">19:54</td><td align="right">2</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">5</td><td align="right">0</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>A. Burrows</td><td align="right">16:10</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">1</td><td align="right">1</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td>D. Sedin</td><td align="right">16:38</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">1</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">2</td><td align="right">0</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>S. Matthias</td><td align="right">10:36</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">1</td><td align="right">1</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td>J. Hansen</td><td align="right">10:25</td><td align="right">1</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">1</td><td align="right">1</td><td align="right">0</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>A. Edler</td><td align="right">20:01</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">1</td><td align="right">1</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">2:00</td></tr></table></td></tr><tr bgcolor="#F1F1F1"><td colspan="2"><table cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1" class="osdyn" width="100%"><tr class="tablehead_alt"><td bgcolor="#E13A3E" colspan="5">Calgary Flames - Goalies</td></tr><tr class="stathead"><td width="40%">GOALIES</td><td align="right" width="15%">SHOTS</td><td align="right" width="15%">SAVES</td><td align="right" width="15%">SV %</td><td align="right" width="15%">GAA</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>J. Hiller</td><td align="right">18</td><td align="right">15</td><td align="right">83%</td><td align="right">.833</td></tr></table></td></tr><tr bgcolor="#F1F1F1"><td colspan="2"><table cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1" class="osdyn" width="100%"><tr class="tablehead_alt"><td bgcolor="#E13A3E" colspan="7">Calgary Flames - Skaters</td></tr><tr class="stathead"><td width="40%">SKATERS</td><td align="right" width="10%">TOI</td><td align="right" width="10%">G</td><td align="right" width="10%">A</td><td align="right" width="10%">+/-</td><td align="right" width="10%">SOG</td><td align="right" width="10%">PIM</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>S. Monahan</td><td align="right">15:09</td><td align="right">1</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">1</td><td align="right">2</td><td align="right">0</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td>J. Gaudreau</td><td align="right">16:39</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">1</td><td align="right">1</td><td align="right">3</td><td align="right">0</td></tr></table></td></tr></table></body></html>

Post game with Sean Monahan:

"I think we deserved a better fate tonight really, you know regardless of the outcome there are lessons and things to learn from and video to watch and all of those things but I honestly thought we all played a sharp game tonight and we deserved more than we got but thats how this game flows sometimes and now we look forward."

Honestly Sean has got it right for the most part, the Flames definitely came out hot under the collar and ready to play, it was Monahan who slammed an amazing backhander into the top corner to beat Miller for the first and only time this evening, it was the conclusion to excellent work put up by Johnny Gaudreau who maintained possession of the puck in the end boards from Kevin Bieksa, who then spotted Monahan calling for the puck out front, a simple looking but perfectly placed back handed pass slid out to a wide open Monahan who went left to right on a sliding Miller, roofing the puck to end the play.

The Canucks took it in stride and returned the favour only minutes later but the Flames were all over them in the first, including two fights that broke out one started by Joe Colborne and the other by Lance Bouma. It was a split decision with each team winning one fight each.

The second period seen a lot of north south hockey but not a lot of quality scoring chances, even the goal scored by Vancouver was a power play effort after a David Jones slashing call.

The third period was easily the best period the Flames have had this season (lol) but seriously, they fired shot after shot at Miller, possessed the puck with determination and pushed the Canucks back on their heels including more of the same even after Vancouver got a lucky one past Hiller, with the shot bouncing off a leg in front, slamming to a near stop off the right post then trickling ever so slowly over the goal line.

Don't get me wrong Flames fans, a loss is a loss but this one you can hold your heads high on.

Reporting here from Bridgestone arena where the Flames are taking on the Nashville Predators, following the stamp that has been Nashville for many years everyone expected a low scoring tightly defended game, imagine our surprise when the final horn blew and the Flames came out on top by a margin of 6-3.

Two hat tricks were scored in this wild affair, and the Flames as a team played extremely well. Coach Bob Hartley joked after the game that he wished some of those goals could be spread over two or three games but it was nice to see some bounces finally go his young squads way.

<html><head><link href="http://dynasties.operationsports.com/css/osdyn.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"></head><body><table cellpadding="2" cellspacing="1" class="osdyn" width="575"><tr class="masthead"><td align="center" colspan="2">Calgary Flames at Nashville Predators</td></tr><tr bgcolor="#F1F1F1"><td valign="top" width="55%"><table cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1" class="osdyn" width="100%"><tr class="stathead"><td width="52%">Jan 1, </td><td align="right" width="12%">1</td><td align="right" width="12%">2</td><td align="right" width="12%">3</td><td align="right" width="12%">F</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>CGY ()</td><td align="right">3</td><td align="right">1</td><td align="right">2</td><td align="right" class="active"><b>6</b></td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>NSH ()</td><td align="right">1</td><td align="right">1</td><td align="right">1</td><td align="right" class="active"><b>3</b></td></tr></table><table cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1" class="osdyn spacer" width="100%"><tr class="tablehead"><td colspan="2">Three Stars</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="right" valign="top" width="16%"><img src="http://dynasties.operationsports.com/images/stars/1-Star.png"></td><td width="84%"><b>J. Neal</b><br />3 goals</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="right" valign="top" width="16%"><img src="http://dynasties.operationsports.com/images/stars/2-Stars.png"></td><td width="84%"><b>M. Raymond</b><br />3 goals</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="right" valign="top" width="16%"><img src="http://dynasties.operationsports.com/images/stars/3-Stars.png"></td><td width="84%"><b>S. Bennett</b><br />1 goal 2 assists</td></tr></table></td><td valign="top" width="45%"><table cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1" class="osdyn" width="100%"><tr class="tablehead"><td colspan="3">Team Stats Comparison</td></tr><tr class="stathead"><td width="64%"></td><td align="right" width="18%">CGY</td><td align="right" width="18%">NSH</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>Shots on Goal</td><td align="right">25</td><td align="right">17</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td>Hits</td><td align="right">8</td><td align="right">18</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>Faceoffs Won-Lost</td><td align="right">14</td><td align="right">17</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td>Penalty Minutes</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">12:00</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>Power Plays Converted</td><td align="right">2</td><td align="right">0</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td>Power Play Opportunities</td><td align="right">4</td><td align="right">0</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>Time on Attack</td><td align="right">8:24</td><td align="right">5:57</td></tr></table></td></tr><tr bgcolor="#F1F1F1"><td colspan="2"><table cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1" class="osdyn" width="100%"><tr class="tablehead"><td colspan="3">Scoring Summary</td></tr><tr class="stathead"><td colspan="2">FIRST PERIOD</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center" width="10%">NSH</td><td width="90%">01:10 J. Neal (1) (M. Fisher, F. Forsberg)</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center" width="10%">CGY</td><td width="90%">02:19 M. Raymond (1) (S. Bennett, L. Smid)</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center" width="10%">CGY</td><td width="90%">10:54 D. Setoguchi (1) (S. Bennett)</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center" width="10%">CGY</td><td width="90%">19:02 M. Raymond (2) (J. Colborne, K. Russell)</td></tr><tr class="stathead"><td colspan="2">SECOND PERIOD</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center" width="10%">NSH</td><td width="90%">00:31 J. Neal (2) (Unassisted)</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center" width="10%">CGY</td><td width="90%">14:55 S. Benett (2) (D. Jones, T. Brodie)</td></tr><tr class="stathead"><td colspan="2">THIRD PERIOD</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center" width="10%">CGY</td><td width="90%">02:30 M. Raymond (3) (D.Setoguchi, D.Wideman)</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center" width="10%">CGY</td><td width="90%">03:41 J. Gudreau (2) (S. Monahan, T. Brodie)</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td align="center" width="10%">NSH</td><td width="90%">15:14 J. Neal (3) (A. Volchenkov, S. Jones)</td></tr></table></td></tr><tr bgcolor="#F1F1F1"><td colspan="2"><table cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1" class="osdyn" width="100%"><tr class="tablehead_alt"><td bgcolor="#E13A3E" colspan="5">Calgary Flames - Goalies</td></tr><tr class="stathead"><td width="40%">GOALIES</td><td align="right" width="15%">SHOTS</td><td align="right" width="15%">SAVES</td><td align="right" width="15%">SV %</td><td align="right" width="15%">GAA</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>J. Hiller</td><td align="right">17</td><td align="right">14</td><td align="right">82%</td><td align="right">.823</td></tr></table></td></tr><tr bgcolor="#F1F1F1"><td colspan="2"><table cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1" class="osdyn" width="100%"><tr class="tablehead_alt"><td bgcolor="#E13A3E" colspan="7">Calgary Flames - Skaters</td></tr><tr class="stathead"><td width="40%">SKATERS</td><td align="right" width="10%">TOI</td><td align="right" width="10%">G</td><td align="right" width="10%">A</td><td align="right" width="10%">+/-</td><td align="right" width="10%">SOG</td><td align="right" width="10%">PIM</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>M. Raymond</td><td align="right">14:53</td><td align="right">3</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">4</td><td align="right">3</td><td align="right">0</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td>S. Bennett</td><td align="right">16:44</td><td align="right">1</td><td align="right">2</td><td align="right">4</td><td align="right">5</td><td align="right">0</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>D. Setoguchi</td><td align="right">15:01</td><td align="right">1</td><td align="right">1</td><td align="right">2</td><td align="right">3</td><td align="right">0</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td>T. Brodie</td><td align="right">21:22</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">2</td><td align="right">-1</td><td align="right">1</td><td align="right">0</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>L. Smid</td><td align="right">19:06</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">1</td><td align="right">1</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td>J. Gaudreau</td><td align="right">17:59</td><td align="right">1</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">-2</td><td align="right">4</td><td align="right">0</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>K. Russell</td><td align="right">20:56</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">1</td><td align="right">2</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td>D. Wideman</td><td align="right">23:13</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">1</td><td align="right">1</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>D. Jones</td><td align="right">14:05</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">1</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td>J. Colborne</td><td align="right">12:54</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">1</td><td align="right">1</td><td align="right">2</td><td align="right">0</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>S. Monahan</td><td align="right">15:53</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">1</td><td align="right">-2</td><td align="right">1</td><td align="right">0</td></tr></table></td></tr><tr bgcolor="#F1F1F1"><td colspan="2"><table cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1" class="osdyn" width="100%"><tr class="tablehead_alt"><td bgcolor="#00285D" colspan="5">Nashville Predators - Goalies</td></tr><tr class="stathead"><td width="40%">GOALIES</td><td align="right" width="15%">SHOTS</td><td align="right" width="15%">SAVES</td><td align="right" width="15%">SV %</td><td align="right" width="15%">GAA</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>P. Rinne</td><td align="right">25</td><td align="right">19</td><td align="right">76%</td><td align="right">.760</td></tr></table></td></tr><tr bgcolor="#F1F1F1"><td colspan="2"><table cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1" class="osdyn" width="100%"><tr class="tablehead_alt"><td bgcolor="#00285D" colspan="7">Nashville Predators - Skaters</td></tr><tr class="stathead"><td width="40%">SKATERS</td><td align="right" width="10%">TOI</td><td align="right" width="10%">G</td><td align="right" width="10%">A</td><td align="right" width="10%">+/-</td><td align="right" width="10%">SOG</td><td align="right" width="10%">PIM</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>J. Neal</td><td align="right">14:05</td><td align="right">3</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">1</td><td align="right">4</td><td align="right">2:00</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td>F. Forsberg</td><td align="right">13:01</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">1</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>S. Jones</td><td align="right">22:28</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">1</td><td align="right">-1</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td></tr><tr class="evenrow"><td>M. Fisher</td><td align="right">09:39</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">1</td><td align="right">-1</td><td align="right">2</td><td align="right">10:00</td></tr><tr class="oddrow"><td>A. Volchenkov</td><td align="right">23:05</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">1</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td><td align="right">0</td></tr></table></td></tr></table></body></html>

As you can see it wasn't the greatest night for either goalie here, so far Jonas Hiller has failed to impress, sporting a .829 SV% and 3.02 GAA in 2 games and Rinne has also struggled for Nashville with an .850 SV% and 4.01 GAA in three games so far this season.

Lucky for Hiller the young guys showed up to play tonight and put all six goals past a struggling Rinne.

Sam Bennett on his first multi point game of his NHL career:

"haha yeah, hard not to like that for sure. But its also an easy thing to do when your line mate slams homes three goals in a night, this was all about Mason honestly, it was a night where he had that extra step and wanted the puck every opportunity he could get, it was something special to be apart of honestly, he's just so fast and tonight he used it to his advantage.

Just nice to have things fall in our court, tonight was a good example of perserverence and that good things will come if we stick to the game plan"

Bennett showed why he was a high pick tonight VS the Preds, he had jam in his game, seemed to be in all the right places on both sides of the puck and put in a good night in the circle as well (57%).

So far the Flames sit an even .500 on the season (2-2) and there have been ups and downs as expected but in the end I think the future is bright right now, the kids are full of energy and excitement and it has been a joy to watch Calgary play, even when they do lose.

Hiller on his struggles:

"Im not too concerned about it right now, I've had trouble seeing the puck so far and I'm fighting it too hard, but it will come. I don't think there is one specific part of my game that needs to be worked on anymore than normal its more just sticking with the program and letting the puck come to me.

Of course its pretty nice getting six goals of support, no goalie is going to turn that down"

True to his above statement, Hiller has seemed a little bit behind the play and fighting the puck nearly every time its shot at him. So far he has split the games with Karri Ramo who has out performed Hiller, putting up a .929 SV% and a sparkling 1.48 GAA both goalies are 1-1 and the sample size is very small but if Hiller continues to struggle I would expect Bob Hartley to start leaning on Ramo more if his spectacular play continues.

up next the Flames have the Chicago Blackhawks in this second half of back to back Followed by games at Columbus and Winnipeg before settling in at home for a five game home stand VS Tampa Bay, Carolina, Washington, Montreal and Nashville.

Line changes have immediate impact:

Bob Hartley wasn't impressed after five games with hudler's in game effort which seen him slide all the way down to the third line, switching spots with Sven Beartschi.

Karri Ramo got his turn in net and the Flames spent the night pushing the Blue Jackets about the ice in a decisive 2-0 shutout victory for the flames, in which Beartschi slid a pass to a trailing Sean Monahan who one timed a shot off Bobrovski's shoulder that ended up rolling on edge into the net.

Ramo on a shutout:

"It's funny how it goes sometimes, as a goalie you can be on top of your game, in position and get a piece of that puck but it still rolls in, or bounces and hits something and it goes in, you know.. thats hockey it's how it goes.

When you get a shutout, at least for me its always something of an appreciation of the effort as a whole. Did I make all the stops? yeah I did, but my defence boxed them out all night, tossed away rebounds I left in bad places, the forwards came back hard and gave me two goals to work with.

win as a team, lose as a team, that's how I've always seen it."

Some news to pass along as well, Matt Stajan, Mikeal Backlund and Curtis Glencross still have not got a sniff of game time action. Word has it Backlund refused to practice with the team and was sent back to Calgary this afternoon by the team, a day ahead of the rest of the squad, he was unavailable for comment but head coach Bob Heartly had the following to say about all three of the healthy scratches.

"They all know this is apart of the game, we endeavour to win here, just like every other team and the line up I have on the ice right now I feel gives us the best chance to do that, all three of these guys are pros and they have all been here before.

They will see the ice soon enough, but up to this point I have been happy with the effort on the ice by everyone dressed, regardless of that though everyone needs to see the ice to stay in the flow of the game.

Mikael went back early because he has not been feeling well and it's been escalating for the past two days so he was sent back for precautionary reasons and to keep everyone healthy"

rumour around the league is that multiple teams have been inquiring about the services of Matt Stajan, though there doesn't seem to be much traction on the Flames sides of things, the offers are there but the word is mum on the subject from the Flames.

Stajan is 31 years old with four years left on his current deal, with a cap hit around 3.1M per season the offers available for Stajan i doubt are in the blockbuster range but perhaps enough for a team in a rebuilding mindset, it may make sense.

Originally Posted by Braeden (Post 2046948917) Awesome, the Flames are a really interesting team to follow! :smile: