it's too much to put blame solely on one player any losses that the Flames are going through. For all the games that have been played and lost, the Flames have sucked defensively. Even last year when the Flames were hemmed in their own zone for like 40 minutes a game, they were just not that good. This year, they're just pathetic. Last year, with Russell and Wideman blocking a lot of shots, this year, everyone's watched the tapes and are well prepared for those shot blocking.
I've been saying this before and I'll say it again - Flames D are too small and having Hamilton play like JBo and playing soft doesn't help when he's a big body. You don't need another Kipper, Brodeur, or Roy in net to win and Chicago, Detroit, and other teams with good skills and deep defence have shown. Sure, it helps to have a goalie win a few games in the playoffs, but overall, it's the guys in front of the goalie that should be doing their job by not turning the puck over continuously like what the Flames are doing.
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