I agree with Lambert's (Puck Daddy's) assessment of the puck possession game that the Flames lack. Whatever negative stats you look at with the Flames, on any given season over the past 34 years or so, it's hard to see a Flames team win so many games when they're down and out by mid-3rd-periods. If you just read the post title for this thread alone and don't read further into what Lambert's comments, no, they're not screwed for now. But if the Flames don't address the issues that they have in regards to their size, defence, and puck control - yeah, they might have issues after this season. The thing that amazes me is how many blocked shots there are in a Flames game and Russell blocks like half of the shots while Bouma gets about 25-30% on PKs. I don't care how good the Flames goalies can be and how many blocked shots there are per game/period, they should be playing more in the other end of the ice.
I'm also thinking that this season is kind of odd that the Flames have placed so much better in the standings while teams like the Kings and the Sharks are placing themselves just enough to within reach. I betcha next season when the NHL has changed the draft lottery system and the draft won't be as good in 2016 that the standings won't be so surprising. So, are the Flames screwed? They may be...
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