One word.....Kiprusoff, if he can regain his form from 04-06 on a consistent level, the Flames will be a force. He showed spurts of brilliance last year but was it was not enough on the whole. I hate to use the old goaltending cliche as being the key to success, but I think this team will be very strong should they get solid goaltending.
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Jermaine Franklin: "Dion, where do you go from here??"
All of them are important, and almost went with secondary scoring, but Kipper being crazy good is the #1 factor I think.
One other possible option is a return to a more defensive style game.
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"... when people thought the Earth was flat, they were wrong. When people thought the Earth was spherical they were wrong. But if you think that thinking the Earth is spherical is just as wrong as thinking the Earth is flat, then your view is wronger than both of them put together." - Isaac Asimov
to me the single most important thing for this club to be anywhere near the sum of their parts is a commitment to team defense.
Forwards coming back hard to their own end...gap control between the D and the opposition...and Kiprusoff playing as well as he can...all 3 must be better or they miss the dance alltogether IMO.
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Derek Sanderson, who, when asked during his early ’70s heyday what he had before a game, said, “A steak dinner and a blonde.’’
Without a doubt this has to be on Kipper and team defence. If we can be a little more stingy and he can steal a few more games and be ready to stand on his head come playoff time, we'll win the division and make it out of the first round.
If we give up a lot of quality scoring chances because of defensive breakdowns, odd man rushes and break-aways and Kipper plays like he did last year, we may not make the playoffs.
Edit: wow everybody seems to be on the same wavelength. Better team defence = good
Those other factors are important to varying degrees, but none of them touch Kiprusoff. If he gets back to, say, a .915SV% it would shave nearly 20 goals from the GA column. That's massive.
Without a doubt this has to be on Kipper and team defence. If we can be a little more stingy and he can steal a few more games and be ready to stand on his head come playoff time, we'll win the division and make it out of the first round.
If we give up a lot of quality scoring chances because of defensive breakdowns, odd man rushes and break-aways and Kipper plays like he did last year, we may not make the playoffs.
With out a doubt these two elements are the most crucial. For the Flames style of hockey our defense can't be lazy or sub-par. Kipper as mentioned needs to steal a few games because the competition is so dam tight that an extra 6-10 points is going to make the difference.
I believe we have a great core of D, with Gio back and with the youth of Pardy (possibly) I feel they will be quicker and better moving the puck. Our offense will be fine I have no worries about how they will preform.
As always Defense wins championships and we have that.
(I'm pumped for this season)
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"I'd wish you good luck tonight but I hate the Oilers" - Me to MacTavish in the elevator at the Sheraton Hotel on New Years
If it is making the playoffs then several options are good, if it is going far then i picked Mike Keenan not losing the room. I am reading between the lines in the fact that the team to be successful must play as a team and do the little things that made them successful a few seasons ago.
I had team D as another option but thought it would be a wash with the Kiprusoff thing since they go so hand in hand.
I think Kiprusoff playing more solid sets up the level of trust needed so players can do their own jobs and not cover for the guy beside them. It all stems from that. Stopping the first shot, rebound control.
to me the single most important thing for this club to be anywhere near the sum of their parts is a commitment to team defense.
Forwards coming back hard to their own end...gap control between the D and the opposition...and Kiprusoff playing as well as he can...all 3 must be better or they miss the dance alltogether IMO.
But more importantly, the whole team needs to work as a cohesive unit. The forwards need to use their speed to come back and be aggressive by putting back pressure on opposing forwards.
Kiprusoff is the last line of defence, and with forwards providing more pressure above the hash marks it gives the defence more opportunity to keep control of the front of the net and I think we see less scramble and rebound goals against.
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A little doubt goes a long way... @kermitology
I had team D as another option but thought it would be a wash with the Kiprusoff thing since they go so hand in hand.
I think Kiprusoff playing more solid sets up the level of trust needed so players can do their own jobs and not cover for the guy beside them. It all stems from that. Stopping the first shot, rebound control.
I dont disagree at all...but I will say that so many of those 1st shots were from such good areas on the ice, rebound control was difficult at best regardless what some resident experts here claim.
Sure, Kiprusoff let in a bunch of poor goals as well from bad angles/weak shots, so yes he may very well be the catalyst for a better defensive game, but it will take all 3 areas to be better before that can happen.
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Derek Sanderson, who, when asked during his early ’70s heyday what he had before a game, said, “A steak dinner and a blonde.’’
I had team D as another option but thought it would be a wash with the Kiprusoff thing since they go so hand in hand.
I think Kiprusoff playing more solid sets up the level of trust needed so players can do their own jobs and not cover for the guy beside them. It all stems from that. Stopping the first shot, rebound control.
I agree and disagree. Team D and Kipper are two different elements that can work to win when the other isn't doing so hot. Personally I think the order goes Kipper first, Team D second. We've all seen kiprusoff come in and play amazing when the team is player average. To me if that is happening then winning consistently is easier.
example: In the 04 season (I know I know) when we played in Philly, it was like 3-2 win I believe with McAmmond scoring in OT. That game (to me) was one that could be considered a "steal" because of the way Kipper kept the team in it long enough to win.
Thus IMO Kipper above all else is our biggest ingredient for a successful/strong run to the cup.
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"I'd wish you good luck tonight but I hate the Oilers" - Me to MacTavish in the elevator at the Sheraton Hotel on New Years
to me the single most important thing for this club to be anywhere near the sum of their parts is a commitment to team defense.
Forwards coming back hard to their own end...gap control between the D and the opposition...and Kiprusoff playing as well as he can...all 3 must be better or they miss the dance alltogether IMO.
Yeah this would have been my choice if it was up there. I think Kiprusoff will be fine I'm more concerned about the forwards commiting to a team D concept.
I had team D as another option but thought it would be a wash with the Kiprusoff thing since they go so hand in hand.
I think Kiprusoff playing more solid sets up the level of trust needed so players can do their own jobs and not cover for the guy beside them. It all stems from that. Stopping the first shot, rebound control.
Maybe change Kiprusoff returning to form / team defence in the poll
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"Somebody may beat me, but they are going to have to bleed to do it."
-Steve Prefontaine
Was tempted to vote special teams, but I seem to recall that as horrible as they were at the start of the year, the guys were pretty good the rest of the season... so I voted Kipper/D
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