Fancy stats are bull####. This last game was just more proof of that. The Flames didn't push and generate all those fancy stats until the game was over. Oh, but the fancy stats said the Flames dominated the game and got beat by a hot goaltender! A refrain we hear all too often, which tells me the system doesn't work worth a damn.
This was another game where the team came out unprepared to deal with what the opposition were going to throw at them. Again, a common refrain under Gulutzan. The Flames were not prepared for the game the Islanders were going to play, and the Islanders looked well schooled in what would work against the Flames. That is preparation. That is having a game plan and working it. That is the biggest problem with the Gulutzan lead Flames. They don't appear to have anything but one game plan, and the opposition knows it. Get an early jump on the Flames and show them something different, and you're in for a win.
I get the crowd that likes to say that it is up to the players to be ready to play. I agree, it is. But it is also up to the coaching staff to give the players a game plan and some insight as to what should work against the opposition. All that money the team spends on professional scouting is a waste, because the information is obviously not being put into game plans and shared with the players prior to the games. That is firmly on the heads of the coaches. The players come out and don't look like they have any idea what the other team is going to do or what their tendencies are. That is nothing but preparation work provided by the coaching staff. This is the biggest failing of this team, and it is obvious. The coaching staff needs to go, and because of this blindspot, Treliving may have to go with them.
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