Quote:
Originally Posted by getbak
Yeah, I'm not sure how anyone can question Bob's OT strategy this season. In fact, I suspect most teams will be copying it by the end of the season.
I was watching the Vancouver-Dallas OT last week and it really stood out to me why the Canucks are so bad in OT: They treat it like it's 5-on-5 with 2 fewer players on the ice, rather than treating it as its own beast.
The Flames have gone to OT 9 times this season, they've won 6 in the five minutes of OT; they've lost once in OT; and 2 have gone to a shootout. Johnny has 5 points in OT, so I don't think you can say that Bob's strategy is holding him back.
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I think 3/4 is coaching, but Hartley is blessed with the personnel on the roster.
Monahan is clutch, and is a very solid 2-way player.
Gaudreau - well, his points in 3 on 3 speaks to that enough.
The HUGE advantage that the Flames have is in their defence.
Brodie - having a guy skate like that and being that good of a 2-way player.
Giordano - tough start to the season, but he has been superb in the 3 on 3 too.
Hamilton - another guy with really good skating ability and passing/shooting skills.
Even Russel and Wideman are both very capable of playing 2-way games. They can both skate with the puck, have good shots, can make good passes and have enough IQ to know what to do out there.
I was expecting Vancouver to be really good at 3 on 3, thinking the Sedins with their best 2-way defencemen. However, that would probably be Tanev (who I do think is decent), but he falls very short of the top 3 options the Flames have, and arguable (at best - I will say worse) than Russel and Wideman as 2-way, puck-carrying defencemen.
Wideman and Russel have both had their struggles this season (as Giordano has), but they are very good options to have on the 3on3.
The top 5 D on this team can all do a decent job of being forwards on the rush, and they are all (for the most part) smart and experienced enough to know when to retreat and play defence. Explains why Vancouver is so terrible at 3on3.
I haven't looked, but I will bet that Ottawa (Karlsson), Arizona (OEL), Nashville (take your pick) etc., are all pretty good at 3on3. Flames just have an embarrassment of riches in having so many puck-movers, and having a clutch Monahan and a clutch Gaudreau to send over the boards when they want. Again, without looking, I would guess Edmonton is terrible at 3on3, not because they don't lack for offensive forwards, but because they lack defencemen. I could be wrong, and everything I wrote may indeed be garbage
Hartley has in my opinion done a very good job of maximizing these assets. Just wait until Bennett starts producing a bit more and maturing his defensive game a bit, and he will be a very deadly option as well.