@FlameRaptorRaven

4mo

How Craig Conroy and the Flames have Contributed to New Jersey’s Downfall

As I alluded to in my rating, the Flames have fleeced the Devils in recent years. Despite the Devils only making 2 trades since Craig Conroy became GM, he has made the Devils regret it. The first mistake was the Yegor Sharangovich deal. In Craig Conroy’s very first trade as Flames GM, he traded Tyler Toffoli to the Devils for Yegor Sharangovich and a 3rd round pick. At the time, many people, including myself, thought the Flames got less than they could’ve for the 80-point player. Well, Sharky changed our perception immediately as he became the 1st Belarusian to put up a 30-goal season and Toffoli would get traded to the Jets halfway through the next season for a 2nd and a 3rd. Although I wish Sharky was more consistent, he looks to be a 20-goal scorer with solid penalty killing ability. Also, that 3rd round pick became Suniev who is currently in the AHL. A year later, Conroy made another trade with the Devils that fans looked at much more optimistically than the Sharky deal. The Flames traded Jacob Markstrom to the Devils for Kevin Bahl and a top 10 protected 1st round pick. A steep price to pay, but Markstrom was supposed to be the goaltender New Jersey desperately needed who would put them over the top. Unfortunately, Markstrom has been inconsistent with his good nights not fully making up for his bad ones. Meanwhile, Kevin Bahl has become a cornerstone of the Flames blueline and the kind of rock-solid defense-first D-man with some offensive punch the Devils desperately need. That 1st round pick the Devils sent became Cole Reschny. It’s not just the trades, the Flames have also been responsible for some of the worst losses for the Devils. March 20th, 2025. Devils go up 3-1 after 2 periods and keep that lead 6 minutes into the 3rd. Calgary proceeds to score 4 unanswered goals, including 3 in just 10 minutes and win the game 5-3. This game triggered a downward spiral for the Devils. They lost 7 of their final 12 games and could’ve easily choked a playoff spot away had the Blue Jackets managed to catch them down the stretch. The Devils then got bulldozed in the playoffs against Carolina. Also, Dan Vladar got his first shutout of that season back in November. Ironically, one of Markstrom’s final wins as a Flame also contributed to New Jersey’s misery. February 8th, 2024, right before the Flames made the Noah Hanifin trade and before the Devils traded Toffoli. New Jersey was on the outside, but close to a playoff spot at this point. Markstrom made 37 saves as the Flames jumped on New Jersey early and often to win 5-3. Unlike the other one, it’s hard to point it a correlation with their collapse, but it is worth pointing out the Devils went 13-18-1 after this game. Now we can add this game to New Jersey’s Flames-related misery. Why do I point this out? I swear it’s not to rub salt on New Jersey’s wound. Mainly because I find this fascinating. For all of New Jersey’s disappointment since 2023, the Flames are one of the most underrated culprit’s in their downfall. I also find it ironic the Devils struggle against Flames.

CGY5

4NJ

7.6•1 fan average

Replies:

The Streak Continues

Teams to score first in a game that clinches the Stanley Cup are a mind-boggling 35-0 since 1988, including this game where Taylor Hall scored the first goal of the game (although you probably knew Carolina scored the first goal of this game considering it was a shutout. There have been some very wonderful players to put in this first clinching goal. Glenn Anderson, who is especially known for being a money player, scored the first goal in the 1990 SCF for the Edmonton Oilers. Jaromir Jagr scored the first goal in the 1992 SCF to lift the Penguins over the Blackhawks. To end the New York Rangers' long drought, hall-of-famer Brian Leetch scored the first goal in the 1994 SCF. Uwe Krupp scored the only goal in the 1996 SCF in triple overtime to lift the newly-minted Avalanche over the Panthers. 12x All Star Nicklas Lidstrom scored the first goal in the '97 Stanley Cup. Devils legend Scott Niedermayer's short-handed goal was the first in the '00 Stanley Cup. Skipping a bit to the 2010s, future HOFer Patrice Bergeron scored the first goal in that infamous 2011 SCF. KINGS LEGEND DUSTIN BROWN scored the first goal in 2012. Justin Williams in 2014 got both the goal AND the Conn Smythe. This pattern continued with Duncan Keith in 2015. Brian Dumoulin is the active player with the oldest goal in 2016 with the Penguins. Factor (Ryan O'Reilly) had the Smythe and the goal in 2019 for St. Louis as they won their first cup. Brayden Point led the Lightning in playoff scoring with his goal adding to that wondrous pandemic amount in 2020. Ross Colton is the same as Uwe Krupp, the lone goal to win it in 2021. Mark Stone (who YOU saw in THIS game) did it in 2023. Finally, Sam Reinhart's FOUR goals in 2025, including the first, helped Florida win in game 6 of the 2025 SCF. What a list, amirite???

@rafiki

9.3

The "Most Boring Final in NHL History" is ANYTHING but that!

Mitch Marner's performance in Game 3 of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final was one for the history books. During the second period, Marner's three-goal, natural hat trick came in just 6:10, making it the fastest hat trick ever recorded in a Stanley Cup Final. It was also the first hat trick scored in a Stanley Cup Final outside the opening period and only the third single-period hat trick in SCF history. Marner added an assist during the frame, giving him a total of four points for the period. The last player to record four points in a Stanley Cup Final period was Frank Foyston, who tallied three goals and an assist for the Seattle Metropolitans in Game 3 of the 1919 Stanley Cup Final. That series is remembered for a much different reason, though: after five games, Seattle and Montreal were tied at two wins apiece with one tie, and the deciding game was canceled due to the Spanish flu pandemic. As a result, no Stanley Cup champion was crowned, making 1919 the only Stanley Cup Final ever left unfinished. To this day, the Stanley Cup bears the inscription, "Series Not Completed." But Carolina was ready with some history of their own, and the Hurricanes' comeback was nearly as remarkable as Marner's historic period. Carolina scored three goals in just 39 seconds to erase a four-goal deficit, breaking the previous Stanley Cup Final record of 56 seconds set by the Montreal Canadiens in 1954. The Hurricanes also became just the second team in NHL history to tie a Stanley Cup Final game after trailing by four goals, joining the New York Rangers in Game 1 of the 1972 Final against the Boston Bruins. According to Andrei Svechnikov, the turnaround began during the second intermission. "To be honest, it was kind of quiet a little bit," Svechnikov said. "Roddy came out and gave us a little speech and we knew what we had to do" (NewsObserver). Between Marner's historic hat trick and Carolina's record-breaking rally, Game 3 became one of the most statistically remarkable contests ever played in a Stanley Cup Final. Quote Source: https://www.newsobserver.com/sports/nhl/carolina-hurricanes/article316032823.html

@rafiki

8.5

25 Seconds. 50 Years. Nikolaj Ehlers.

Last time someone scored a Game 1 Stanley Cup Finals goal this fast was 50 years ago. Nikolaj Ehlers just scored 2 goals in the first period of Game 1 of the 2026 Stanley Cup Finals. His first goal, coming just 25 seconds into the first period, is now the 3rd fastest goal in a game 1 in the Stanley Cup Finals after Reggie Leech (0:21, 1976) and Sid Smith (0:15, 1951). But he didn’t stop there; Ehlers also became only the second player in Stanley Cup Finals history to score 2 goals in the first period of Game 1. For 35 years, Al MacInnis stood alone. Tonight, Nikolaj Ehlers joined him. Not bad for his first Stanley Cup Finals Game. **Repost so it's on the actual game**