Quote:
Originally Posted by Ashasx
In the grand scheme of everything? No, it's not a major reason worth mentioning. It's scary that our coach thinks it's the main reason.
Even if the Flames were an elite team on faceoffs and won 55% of the draws on the PK, they are now playing with a now only slightly loaded dice. Faceoff ranges between good and bad centremen do not range significantly enough for it to be a mitigating or causing factor.
Now consider how many times a goal was scored scored because the Flames lost a faceoff that they would have won if they were a better faceoff team. It is almost completely negligible. Not zero, correct, but not enough to concern oneself with.
I'm not the one with tunnel vision here.
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I don't know about the PK, but faceoffs are absolutely why the PP sucks. Monahan doesn't win the opening draw and it sets everything back. The #1 unit has to make another trip back and forth down the ice, and lets the other team set up along the blue line. Again, it may not be the only thing, but Monahan wins two extra opening PP draws per game, the results will come.
A few weeks ago, (forgive me, I forget who we were playing) but we had three offensive zone faceoffs with the net empty in the last minute. Monahan won all three draws, and the Flames had three scoring chances.
When you win faceoffs is important.
As for the PK. Not having reliable bottom pairing D hurts. Smid can only get in the way by accident, and Engelland isn't great either. Factor in league average at best goaltending and a bunch of players who have no confidence in the man in the mask, and what we're left with are predictable results.
On the Janko matter - Burke said he needs to play with more pace. That's why we have the AHL. As a reminder, the biggest red flag about the kid was his quality of competition playing Canadian High school. He's now a 4year NCAA centre who played a substantial role on a national championship team. He does seem to take a year to acclimate to new leagues, but he's done nothing but trend upward.
I will say this about Jankowski as well - if, after four years of this back and forth horse#### we let him walk away, I will be very irritated. Are we so overflowing with potential NHL centres in Stockton that this kid isn't an asset?
I don't believe for a second Treliving or Burke value a 2017 2nd round pick over Mark Jankowski.