The fact of the matter is that the Oilers execute much better than the Flames. That Oilers' D is nothing to write home about, but they have been consistently out-performing Calgary's D all of last season and then again last night.
Flames are constructed to be a defensively sound hockey club that can transition the puck quickly. I still see a tonne of defensive zone breakdowns, and stretches of getting hemmed-in. I see a tonne of poor passes to nowhere, or passes that seemed to me like terrible decisions that kept getting picked-off.
I don't know why this team can't play defence properly. Remember all the "This guy scored" pics that gave us hearty laughs for a few seasons from the Oilers? They managed to fix it completely last season, and have quickly become one of the better defensive teams in the league. How is Calgary not able to play solid defence yet?
I really haven't seen much of an improvement on D, even though on paper the Flames have without a doubt one of the best defense corps in the NHL.
That needs to change for this team to ever take that next step into becoming a contender.
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