Quote:
Originally Posted by Textcritic
I think the Flames have more adaptation to deal with than most teams, yes. Similarly so, the St. Louis Blues and the Carolina Hurricanes have also undertaken a higher-than-average turnover, and both these teams also appear to have been making adjustments
So, I did not see the Montreal and Pittsburgh games, but I did watch the game against NYR. Based on my viewing of this and reports of the other two the defensive zone breakdowns (the biggest problem with the team during this stretch) strike me as the product of struggling to adjust. And yes, I agree that a significant change in performance is required from several players, but I was encouraged by what I saw on Saturday. This does not look like an insurmountable hole to me by any measure.
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We agree on your final point. I don't think the hole is insurmountable, with the caveat that below average goaltending will almost certainly doom this team.
But we disagree on the notion that lack of familiarity is the single biggest reason for some of this atrocious play. Consistency in effort and commitment to playing a complete game, every night, are skills in their own right IMO. We have yet to see this group of players be able to bring it for 60 minutes.
Frankly I thought the lack of familiarity at the start of the season would have been more than overcome by youthful enthusiasm, the positive impact of change and the desire to wipe away the memories of last year. The fact that it hasn't, or that it wore off so quickly, is concerning to me.