Originally Posted by Roof-Daddy
In the past few years I might have partly agreed with this sentiment, but I don't buy it anymore......not this year.
Yet, I still see that statement on this site with some regularity.
"Maybe Kipper getting hurt has been the eye opener we all need. This roster is brutal, and without allstar goaltending is a bottom feeder team in this league"
...is a recent post I read on here, and is utterly false IMO.
First, we weren't getting anywhere near "allstar goaltending" from Kipper up until he got hurt, although his last two games he was starting to come around.
Secondly, numbers seem to show that this team shouldn't need allstar goaltending to succeed, just some semblance of at least NHL quality goaltending.
Crappy goaltending is probably the worst thing that could have happened this year, because a quarter of the way through our season, the Flames are looking like a top 1/3 offensive, puck possession team in not only the West, but also the league.....at least if the numbers are any indication.
Goals per game - 2.92 - 4th in the WEST, 8th in the league
Goals against per game - 3.42 - 15th in the WEST, 27th in the league
Shots per game - 30.8 - 2nd in the WEST, 5th in the league
Shots allowed per game - 26.6 - 2nd in the WEST, 4th in the league
Powerplay - 27.3% - 2nd in the WEST, 3rd in the league
Penaltykill - 70.4% - 14th in the WEST, 28th in the league
Since teams are only playing interconference this season, I'm going to use those ranking when making my points here.
Not much of a discrepancy offensively, 2nd in shots per game, 4th in goals per game, and a really solid PP. More shots = more good scoring chances = more goals.
On the flip side however, despite giving up the 2nd FEWEST shots per game in the west, the Flames are giving up the most goals.
That points to sub par goaltending....or, our goaltending is actually holding us back, NOT the other way around.
As for the PK, well being shorthanded is inevitably going to lead to scoring chances against, that's why they say your best penalty killer is your goaltender....well, not when your goaltending is a blatant weakness.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying this team is a bonafide Cup contender, or without it's glaring weaknesses, but please don't tell me this team is complete crap, and one of the worst in the league without Kipper. The team is actually playing with the puck A LOT more, creating offense both at even strength and with the PP, out shooting and out chancing the opposition regularly, and if it were getting just decent goaltending right now we'd probably be occupying a playoff spot.
Also, I am anticipating the "shots don't equal quality scoring chances" argument here.
Well, maybe if you pick a game here or there and dissect it, yes....but not over a 12 game sample size IMO.
If you come with this argument, please, provide some hard line stats that the Flames are consistently being out chanced on a game by game basis despite having one of the better shots for/against ratios in the entire league over 12 games. If you bring me that, my hats off to you.
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