If there's anything wrong with the bigger defence that the Flames have is that they still have two or even three of the softest D-men that don't hit any bodies in their own zone. Hamilton, being the biggest body the Flames have plays like a Gaudreau FFS! Same with Brodie! The reason why the Flames are having such a hard time with the Ducks is they're just free ranging and no one is pasting any of the Ducks into the boards. So, if you're not pasting any players to the board, all you're doing is chasing them, holding their sticks, grabbing their body parts, or tripping them. Thing with playoffs is that it's a game of attrition. This is why a lot of people say if the Kings make the playoffs, they go far - it's because that team will pound you to the boards every chance they get and it's relentless. That's why they've been successful. Sure, they didn't make the playoffs twice in the last 3 years - it's a fault of a Sutter-system played playoff style for an 82-games/year and it's hard to play that style. But it is successful in the playoffs no doubt.
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