Quote:
Originally Posted by Textcritic
It works in both directions, and I can happily admit that my natural tendency to view things optimistically indeed carries over into my interpretation of ALL events—including my perception of hockey games in which my favourite team is playing.
Are the Flames a better team this year than last year? Honestly, it is too early to tell. Are they a lottery team? Again, there is probably not nearly enough data from which to know for certain. With this in mind, I think that everyone really would be well served to reserve judgement, one way or the other.
I will say this much: Through six games lats season the Flames had compiled a 2-3-1 record. Through their first five home games they were 2-2-1. In their first six they were -3 in GF/GA (15-18), and were pretty regularly trounced on the shot-clock, having compiled an average of 25.5/31.1 SF/SA per game (153 for, 186 against). They finished last season dead last in faceoff winning percentage.
Their record is MARGINALLY worse than it was at this time last year, but their numbers on the powerplay, faceoffs, shots for and against are all significantly better. Again, I can't say for certain if the team is any (or much) better than last year's version—it is too early to tell. But by the same token it is too early to determine that this is indeed a bad hockey team. What I think is fairly abundantly clear is that the team is not worse than last year's—not in any meaningful way, and the places in which they do seem to have improved significantly compensate for any apparent setbacks.
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What a funny example of dissonance this is.
A tremendous amount of hoop jumping followed by an admission that the Flames are indeed actually worse than last year as it stands right now.
You think it's abundantly clear that the team is no worse than last years, a 10th place team, aka, a bad team. It's abundantly clear to me that they are indeed worse, and the first and only place I have to look is their record, the premier evaluation method of success, to see that they are, indeed, worse. Worse than the start the Flames had last season where they were in 13th until December. Worse than the start the Flames had last season where they held a playoff spot for less than 48 combined hours.
Through 6 games, they've scored less goals than last year and allowed more and have a worse record. I don't know how you can attempt to spin that as if the Flames aren't worse than the 9th place team (that went for it) they were last season.