Quote:
Originally Posted by strombad
I never really get tired of pot-kettle-black scenarios.
Aside from that funny comment, you're not entirely wrong, but it's not quite as absolute as you make it out to be.
Hartley is not costing us games. His systems are certainly making us more defensively suspect, but it's at the cost of improved tempo and effort. Nobody can deny that despite the absolute stinker now and then, this team is still pretty exciting and fun to watch. We've run into trouble when up against teams that have the ability to shut down our offensive game because our team isn't very good.
Hartley implements a higher risk system than we are used to seeing. With our fairly poor defense, it's much more likely the risk doesn't pay off. We could have Tippet here, or bring Sutter back, and you know what would happen? We wouldn't score. This team isn't good enough to be naturally productive, we need to take risks and hope they pay off. It's a run and gun style, I know a lot of people were hoping for this team to get into a more exciting brand of hockey, but that simply means we are going to get shut down now and then.
If you'd rather us play like Phoenix, then complain until you're blue in the face. Otherwise just relax. There isn't a coach in the NHL that could get the same amount of goal production WITH a sound defensive system out of this squad. Sorry chum, we're not a good enough team for that.
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"Fun to watch" isn't having 7 wins in the first 22 games. I'd rather win games while playing the trap then lose a game and constantly give up 4 or more goals.
is this exciting for Flame fans? Not knowing how to play defence is exciting? We are the softest team in the NHL and that isn't exciting to me. Even when we win we play horrid defence.
So laugh at Edmonton all you want about their defensive woes but look at this team and don't make excuses because our defence is now rated last in the league. That is at least partially the coaches's fault. Or do you believe our team just has terrible luck in goaltending? Because Kipper's stats last year were also bad under Hartley. That's not the goalies that's the system.