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Calgary4LIfe · 03-28-2018, 01:11 PM

Flames have no confidence any longer. Score against them, and they will respond with panic it seems.

How many comebacks have the Flames made this season when down in the 1st? How about the 2nd? How about the 3rd? Not many. Though you don't want to ALWAYS have to make a comeback, the fact of the matter is that sometimes the other team does score first. Flames show little resiliency.

Why?

1) Leadership - I also maintain that the real leader of any team is the coach. He is the one that allocates ice-time, line-up changes, line combinations, player usage/opportunity, system implemented, etc.,.

2) I think the low shooting percentages and lower scoring games overall is playing with their heads a bit. Now, of course all things being equal, a system that gets more shots on net is better than a system that gets less shots on net. However, not all things are equal, and not all shots and opportunities are equal, even if labeled as such (i.e. High Danger chances). There is contested shots, shots that force the goalie to move, shots that have more time and space, etc. I don't think that the Flames get as many of those as the advanced metrics make you believe they do. I think that is why there is a low shooting percentage, and it gets compounded when players start to lose confidence in themselves.

3) Defence defence defence. This is not a team full of Robyn Regehrs that will play air-tight defence. This is a team full of thoroughbreds out there that can skate, transition the puck well and generate a heck of a lot of offence. Being in the bottom 3rd of the league in points by defencemen is a complete travesty. With the exception of Hamilton, ALL the other defencemen have had down years under Gulutzan. Hamonic and Stone are having their worst statistical seasons ever. Sure, they don't provide THAT much offence, but an extra 10 points from them each goes a heck of a long way in the win/loss column.

4) Defence - the goalies have been upgraded (yet again) and the results are not significantly different. The Flames are not able to play sound defence. I don't know why people think they play better defence now than under Hartley's tenure, but they don't even though the defence is SIGNIFICANTLY upgraded. They allow more shots/game than under Hartley, and FFS do they allow a lot of breakaways and other 'cringe worthy' moments out there.

What does this team have going for it? That's the question I have to ask myself.

I look at the roster and I see a good young core. I see a decent supporting cast around them, but one that needs a couple of upgrades as well. I see a WONDERFUL defensive corps. I see good goalies - goalies that not only 'not lose' a game for you routinely, but goalies that can actually steal games. The back-ups have done fairly well all things considered, especially when you look at the historical out-put that this team has had from back-ups.

This team is simply not a 'dangerous' team - they don't get enough breakaways, 2on1's, 3on2s, etc. This team does not generate enough high quality uncontested shots. This team doesn't seem to make the opposing goalies work that hard even in 40+ shot games. Meanwhile, this team gives up too much the other way.

There are moments where this team looks absolutely dominant out there. Other moments where they allow teams like Buffalo, Arizona and most of all, Edmonton (which is so inept this year) to dominate them.

In it inconsistency, and I believe it is derived from the above. A rather poor system. Poor leadership (coach). It has bred a lack of confidence. I look at a team that down the stretch, generally worked hard, but caved-in during games and became a somewhat panicked bunch. Under Hartley for the most part, this team had a certain swagger about them. They had confidence. I don't see any confidence in this team, and I think it then makes them look like a team without resolve, or a team lacking in effort. This is not to say that the Flames have had games in which they lacked effort - they most certainly appeared that way to me as well, and that to me is a lack of preparedness, and a lack of accountability.

03-28-2018, 01:11 PM	#53
Calgary4LIfe Franchise Player Join Date: Jun 2010 Exp:	Flames have no confidence any longer. Score against them, and they will respond with panic it seems. How many comebacks have the Flames made this season when down in the 1st? How about the 2nd? How about the 3rd? Not many. Though you don't want to ALWAYS have to make a comeback, the fact of the matter is that sometimes the other team does score first. Flames show little resiliency. Why? 1) Leadership - I also maintain that the real leader of any team is the coach. He is the one that allocates ice-time, line-up changes, line combinations, player usage/opportunity, system implemented, etc.,. 2) I think the low shooting percentages and lower scoring games overall is playing with their heads a bit. Now, of course all things being equal, a system that gets more shots on net is better than a system that gets less shots on net. However, not all things are equal, and not all shots and opportunities are equal, even if labeled as such (i.e. High Danger chances). There is contested shots, shots that force the goalie to move, shots that have more time and space, etc. I don't think that the Flames get as many of those as the advanced metrics make you believe they do. I think that is why there is a low shooting percentage, and it gets compounded when players start to lose confidence in themselves. 3) Defence defence defence. This is not a team full of Robyn Regehrs that will play air-tight defence. This is a team full of thoroughbreds out there that can skate, transition the puck well and generate a heck of a lot of offence. Being in the bottom 3rd of the league in points by defencemen is a complete travesty. With the exception of Hamilton, ALL the other defencemen have had down years under Gulutzan. Hamonic and Stone are having their worst statistical seasons ever. Sure, they don't provide THAT much offence, but an extra 10 points from them each goes a heck of a long way in the win/loss column. 4) Defence - the goalies have been upgraded (yet again) and the results are not significantly different. The Flames are not able to play sound defence. I don't know why people think they play better defence now than under Hartley's tenure, but they don't even though the defence is SIGNIFICANTLY upgraded. They allow more shots/game than under Hartley, and FFS do they allow a lot of breakaways and other 'cringe worthy' moments out there. What does this team have going for it? That's the question I have to ask myself. I look at the roster and I see a good young core. I see a decent supporting cast around them, but one that needs a couple of upgrades as well. I see a WONDERFUL defensive corps. I see good goalies - goalies that not only 'not lose' a game for you routinely, but goalies that can actually steal games. The back-ups have done fairly well all things considered, especially when you look at the historical out-put that this team has had from back-ups. This team is simply not a 'dangerous' team - they don't get enough breakaways, 2on1's, 3on2s, etc. This team does not generate enough high quality uncontested shots. This team doesn't seem to make the opposing goalies work that hard even in 40+ shot games. Meanwhile, this team gives up too much the other way. There are moments where this team looks absolutely dominant out there. Other moments where they allow teams like Buffalo, Arizona and most of all, Edmonton (which is so inept this year) to dominate them. In it inconsistency, and I believe it is derived from the above. A rather poor system. Poor leadership (coach). It has bred a lack of confidence. I look at a team that down the stretch, generally worked hard, but caved-in during games and became a somewhat panicked bunch. Under Hartley for the most part, this team had a certain swagger about them. They had confidence. I don't see any confidence in this team, and I think it then makes them look like a team without resolve, or a team lacking in effort. This is not to say that the Flames have had games in which they lacked effort - they most certainly appeared that way to me as well, and that to me is a lack of preparedness, and a lack of accountability.