Best Playoff Matchup?

[Mathgod]

Who do you think the Flames would match up against best in the first round of the playoffs?

I think it's fair to say that a series against the Hawks would be the worst case scenario.

The Ducks would also be a tough matchup. We all remember what they did to the Flames 2 years ago and I believe that team still matches up well against the Flames. It looks like Perry has broken out of his slump and is back to being his dangerous self. Throw in the Honda Center curse and you've got a tough situation overall.

A BOA first round would obviously be the most interesting scenario. Keeping McDavid in check is easier said than done, but if you can do it you've done yourself a huge favor. Ultimately though I think that series would come down to goaltending. Talbot is a Jekyll & Hyde goaltender, so the series would likely come down to which Talbot shows up for that series.

The best scenario for the Flames, I think, would be a matchup with the Sharks. Most of their key players are on the wrong side of 30. Thornton is 37, Marleau is 37, Burns is 32, Pavelski is 32, MEV is about to turn 30. By making it a physical, fast-skating series, I believe that the Flames can overwhelm the Sharks with their speed and work ethic and draw a lot of penalties.

[Iniggywetrust]

I like a Wild match up. We've fared well against them this season, they've had poor post seasons in the past and are slumping right now.

[neo45]

The Wild by far. Doesn't look like it will happen though.


The worst? Anaheim without home ice because curses are real

[Huntingwhale]

Anyone but the Ducks. As much as I'd love to see a top 3 divisional spot, I'd rather see the Oilers have to play them in round 1. I'll take our chances with the Sharks, Hawks or Wild.

The only way I see us coming out on top of Ducks is if we somehow end the stupid 14 year curse and win at the Honda Centre in convincing fashion. Otherwise if we play the Ducks, all the media will talk about is the curse and it will likely be in the teams' head. All the hard work to make it to the playoffs will be undone by playing Anaheim in round 1. Truthfully I can see this team beating any team in the west, even on the road. But not Anaheim

[Frequitude]

1. Edmonton (Sure McDavid scares me but Edmonton has nothing beyond him)
2. Minnesota (Centre depth)
3. Chicago (Playoff studs)
4. San Jose (Dad power)
5. Anaheim (Curse)

[Redliner]

The Hawks would be the toughest matchup for sure, but Anaheim is probably the one I am most afraid of - at least right now. If the Flames break the curse before the end of the regular season then it's anybody's ball game. Sharks, Wild, coilers....bring 'em on. I'd love nothing more than to see McDingleberry's playoff dreams crushed in the first round.

[Fire]

Really just happy for the Flames to make the playoffs after it looked like we had no chance for the first half of the season. I would still prefer a BOA. Even if the Flames lose it should motivate the team that much more to improve for next season.

[VilleN]

I actually want Anaheim in the first round. If we win I think it would really give the team momentum and be the perfect catalyst for a deep playoff run. I think it could create the "if we can beat Anaheim we can beat anybody" mentality. Similar to how beating Detroit in '04 really made the team believe they were good enough to win it all.

[dissentowner]

I never bought into the best matchup thing when it comes to the playoffs. Any team can beat any team (except the Oilers) when it comes to the playoffs and to go any kind of distance you are going to be facing a tough matchup every round (except the Oilers).
As long as the team plays the way they have since mid January they have a chance against anybody the could possibly face (especially the Oilers).

[rotten42]

Sharks or Wild get my votes.

[Dan403]

Originally Posted by Frequitude

1. Edmonton (Sure McDavid scares me but Edmonton has nothing beyond him)
2. Minnesota (Centre depth)
3. Chicago (Playoff studs)
4. San Jose (Dad power)
5. Anaheim (Curse)

Play the body on McDavid, play him rough and chippy.

Score on the Power Play when the Oil take stupid penalties defending him.

Profit.

[Rick M.]

Originally Posted by VilleN

I actually want Anaheim in the first round. If we win I think it would really give the team momentum and be the perfect catalyst for a deep playoff run. I think it could create the "if we can beat Anaheim we can beat anybody" mentality. Similar to how beating Detroit in '04 really made the team believe they were good enough to win it all.

I completely agree. The monkey has to be forcibly removed from our back. We're a much better team than when we faced them in 2015 and they're older.

[Bunk]

I don't necessarily want to play Chicago, but man would it be a hell of a lot of fun to watch.

[GioforPM]

I'm not sure I want Anaheim, but (a) the curse is regular season only and (b) it will be over by then.

[Classic_Sniper]

For myself personally, I cannot seem to figure out what team would be an ideal matchup for the Flames as every team seemingly poses a significant challenge.

Ducks: Honda Center, easily defeated us 4-1 in 2015 playoffs
Oilers: Swept season series against us
Sharks: Last years Stanley Cup Finalist
Blackhawks: Best Western Conference team peaking at the right time

It's going to be tough either way, but if I was to rank the teams from least likelihood to win I would go Blackhawks, Ducks, Sharks, Oilers. I know the Oilers swept us this season, but the games were a lot closer then what the scores would suggest and we did outshoot them in a lot of those games. When you look at each game from a micro standpoint, poor goaltending hurt us, poor special teams burned us and turnovers/poor plays were committed by defensemen who aren't even playing on the team anymore.

I think we have the best chance to beat the Oilers over all the other teams, but based on how the standings are shaping up, I feel like it's unlikely to happen.

[Always Earned Never Given]

I'd prefer the Hawks for a few reasons.

First, how many times have we heard that the Flames are trying to «emulate» how the Hawks rebuilt. What better way to improve than to let the students learn from the masters themselves in a 7 game series. Management can then evaluate and make the needed changes in the off-season to stay the course.

Second, Hawks are second to last in penalty minutes and majors meaning that they mostly beat other teams with speed and skill and rarely with their physicality. But guess what? We aren't too shabby in the skill and speed dept + we have grit.

Finally by not playing a team that hacks and whacks, this team will not only be able to apply their system and let our boys do their thing, but be healthy heading into the 2nd round.

[Five-hole]

Personally I like the Sharks. I think we play them well, and despite their deep run last year I think they're vulnerable as most of their best players are on the wrong side of 30, and I'm not sure they have a goalie that can steal a series.

That's in no way to say the Sharks aren't a good team, but I have reservations about playing anybody else.

Hawks: probably the best team in hockey, and obviously playoff proven.
Ducks: in our heads. Honda Curse. etc. etc.
Oilers: the McDavid coverage would make me want to barf, and it would only be worse if we lost. (That said, it would be epic if we won.) Plus the narrative of them sweeping the season series is not a positive note to go in on.
Wild: Boudreau has kicked our butts in the past. The Wild are seriously slumping though.

[direwolf]

In order of preference:

1. Wild: Flames owned them this year and they've been struggling lately. We seem to match up well with them in terms of speed, size, and depth. It would be a tough series for sure, but I think the Flames would take it. I think this is our best chance at getting into round 2.

2. Sharks: Flames have always matched up really well against the Sharks. We've also played strong in their barn and have even won a few games there. Plus they're older and slower. I like our chances against this team.

3. Oilers: Shutting down McDoofus is not an easy task, and to give them credit, their PP is deadly. With the amount of ridiculous phantom calls that seem to go in his favor, this is the one thing that would worry me and could potentially be a deciding factor in a 7 game series. Considering the Flames are one of the most penalized teams in the league (not to mention the Wideman Effect), it wouldn't take much for the refs to call every chincy little thing on the Flames anytime they so much as glanced in McDavid's direction.

All that being said, I do think the Flames have much better depth overall and better D. I'd also argue that Elliott is just as good, if not better than Talbot when he's on his game. If you can limit McDingleberry and stay out of the box as much as possible, you'll probably win.

4. Ducks: Honda Center curse. Also Perry and Getzlaf are Flame killers. We never seem to have an answer for those guys, especially on the road. They've gotten older and a bit slower, but that team still frightens me.

5. Hawks: These guys scare me more than any other team in the West. I doubt anybody wants to face them in round 1.

[direwolf]

Originally Posted by VilleN

I actually want Anaheim in the first round. If we win I think it would really give the team momentum and be the perfect catalyst for a deep playoff run. I think it could create the "if we can beat Anaheim we can beat anybody" mentality. Similar to how beating Detroit in '04 really made the team believe they were good enough to win it all.

If the Flames can win that last regular season game in Anaheim on April 4th, I think our chances against that team increase big time, simply because they'll have finally ended the curse and it won't be in their heads anymore.

[Jbo]

ABC

Anyone but Chicago