The Big Monday Thing - Don't Sweat The Small Stuff
the punches won't make the pain go away, Steven Stamkos
I feel like I have a tendency here on the Big Monday Thing to set a tone based on whatever happened in the most recent Flames game. That’s been all fine and dandy this season, as we’re usually starting the week coming off a victory, but even at times like this, the day after a loss, I need to take a step back and look at this critically.
Okay, so I refuse to do anything critically, but I am willing to make sweeping declarations!
Yes, the loss yesterday at the hands of the Avalanche was a bit of a gut punch, but I thought they played pretty well overall, and also, you know, the team is legitimately good. It’s very weird.
We’re roughly three quarters of the way through the 2021-22 campaign, and the Flames are nestled all the way up there in second place in the Western Conference. At some point over the past 59 games, this is what the team became. I have no idea how they’re doing it, but I’ve become so Darrylpilled that I’m convinced whatever else they want to try is going to work. It’s very exciting to have faith in the team you like. How have fans of good teams in the past dealt with this?
The Week of: March 7th-13th
Results From Past Week: 5 games in one week! That is bonkers. This was necessitated by something called the novel coronavirus COVID-19, which I think is a book or whatever, and it must be a long read because the Flames missed a lot of hockey in December because of it.
That being said, your Calgary Flames won 3 of those 5 games, including one against the defending Stanley Cup champions*, and they also effortlessly dismantled Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers, which is always very fun. The Washington Capitals and Colorado Avalanche, however, both managed to get revenge for earlier losses to the Flames (and also Dan Vladar, oddly enough)
The Flames beat Detroit. Don’t really have anything for that. It was not hard for them at all.
Flames Overall Record: 36-16-7, 79 pts
Standings: 1st place in the Pacific Division, 2nd in the Western Conference. You simply must trust the process.
Soundtrack: The Heat Is On - Glenn Frey
Lots of things can be true. The Eagles suck. Glenn Frey is dead. The Heat Is On is a dope song. All of these things are based in fact.
It was 80’s Night down yonder at the ol’ Saddledome this past Saturday, and today’s soundtrack selection was the goal song for the night, which made it immediately better than the every day AC/DC choice we’ve been inundated with since what feels like whatever year it was Bon Scott died, and also stuck in my head ever since. They should make it the permanent goal song in my educated opinion.
Should I watch Beverly Hills Cop this week?
What We Liked:
Elias Lindholm scored his 30th goal of the season against the Red Wings, which for him is already a career high with plenty of hockey to play (I had Mandela Effect’d myself into remembering him scoring 40 goals once, but that must have happened in a dream..or there’s a conspiracy at play!!!!)
Lindholm hitting triple digits (that’s right) is hopefully just the first crack in the floodgates that his teammates intend on busting right through, as Andrew Mangiapane, Matthew Tkachuk, and Johnny Gaudreau are right on the cusp.
I assumed it had been a very long time since the Flames had multiple 30 goal scorers at their disposal, so I decided to look it up, and it turns out the last time this happened was in…2018-19. Purple Gatorade. Lindholm, Gaudreau, and Sean Monahan all hit that mark. But had the team ever had FOUR thirty goal scorers?
Yes.
But for that feat we have to go all the way back to 1993-94, when Gary Roberts, Robert Reichel, and [redacted] all hit 40 goals, while Joe Nieuwendyk notched a paltry 36 goals in 64 games.
Honestly, these numbers don’t look that unattainable for this iteration of the Flames, and this is in an era where goalies know what they’re doing.
I like that.
What We Would Prefer Not To See:
Please come back soon, Oliver Kylington. We love you and miss you very much, and you should see who they’ve got holding down your spot while you’re gone.
That’s right, it’s him! I KNOW! He ust never goes away. What’s that? No, still bad.
Enemy of the Week:
Is it too gauche to say Tom Brady? It’s not a stretch to think he could be the enemy of every week!
Just trying to keep this thing topical over here.
What Comes Next:
Our heroes get a brief reprieve, with no game action until Wednesday, when our good friend Dougie Hamilton rolls in for a museum tour of the city, before the Flames entertain the juggernaut Buffalo Sabres.
The Flames kill off the week with a chance to gains some vengeance on the Vancouver Canucks, after Bruce Boudreau’s squad dropped the most embarrassing loss of the season on our boys. Konnie is going to be at that game. I might be too, but probably not. So watch out for that if you’re bored?
Vegas Golden Knights Record With Jack Eichel Of The Week:
3-8-1! Luckily, the Calgary Flames never ever considered trading for him, and never ever mulled over the possibility of trading Matthew Tkachuk to nab him, and I certainly never thought that would have been a good idea.
This is all great, because as mentioned, the Golden Knights are 3-8-1 with Jack Eichel in the lineup.
Unrelated Fact:
Baseball!
A reminder:
See You Next Week:
I’m very tired and going to bed.