Quote:
Originally Posted by New Era
For comparison sake, what are the Oilers' high danger chances? They have to be worse than the Flames. How do those compare?
The real issue here is Mike Smith is not a goaltender that can survive in this system. He needs a system that is extremely structured that builds a massive shell around him and allows him to make the easy save, then have the rebounds cleared. In the Flames' system, he has to play strong positionally, which is a weakness, has to control his rebounds, which is a weakness, and has to be able to cover ice post-to-post, which is a weakness. The one area he is really strong is puck handling, and that is not a requirement of this system. Smith is a goaltender that doesn't fit in our system, and in reality has watch the game pass him by.
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There is a happy medium though. You don’t have to build a wall around him, but maybe you don’t have to give up more ridiculous scoring chances than almost every team in the league. Improving there should be a little more practical than finding a long term #1 at this point in the season. Bingo is right, the top line needs to get better fast. They were a minus again last night.
Isn’t it more relevant how the Flames compare against the entire league than just Edmonton?