Some things to consider here:
- Since the 04-05 lockout (excluding the shortened season), 71% of teams sitting in a playoff position on November 5th have made the playoffs
- The Flames currently sit in fourth place in the conference. Since 2005-06 season, teams sitting 4th or higher in their conference have made the playoffs 75% of the time.
- Right now the Flames sport a goal differential of +9. Since 05-06, there have been five teams (05-06 Carolina, 06-07 Pittsburgh, 07-08 Philly, 10-11 Detroit, 13-14 Montreal) on November 5th with a +9 GD. All five of those teams made the playoffs.
- The Flames are ranked 6th in the league in GD. Since 2005-06 teams in the top six for GD (as of November 5th) have made the playoffs 83% of the time.
- In case you think those numbers skew in favour of the guys at the top, teams ranked 6th on November 5th have made the playoffs 7 out of the past 8 seasons.
I'm not saying the Flames are definitely a playoff team, but you wouldn't be an idiot for putting down a bet on them to do so.
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