Quote:
Originally Posted by Erick Estrada
Prior to the all star break these were the dominant CP discussions;
- The team's pace to eclipse the 1989 team's 117 points. Now it appears they aren't even going to break 110 points.
- Gaudreau in the Hart trophy discussion. He's now on pace to finish outside the NHL top 10 scoring.
- Monahan on pace for 45 goals. Still sitting at 31 goals which he's achieved a few times already in his career. Highly unlikely to get even 33 goals.
- Lindholm on pace for 90+ points. Unlikely to break 80 points.
The team hasn't only hit the wall, they have fallen off a cliff. Right now the only reason they are going to make the playoffs is because of the points they banked during the first 2/3 of the season as they are limping in the playoffs playing as poorly as any team that will make the dance.
There was an Athletic article on how a team is playing going into the playoffs matters. Well it's not a perfect indication of playoff success or disappointment it does appear that teams that play better down the stretch have a considerably higher chance of playoff success than teams that banked a lot of points in the first half of the season.
https://theathletic.com/881096/2019/...he-postseason/
The playoffs is a new season so the Flames will get a fresh start but history is not on their side here especially when you factor the past failures of this organization with home ice advantage in the playoffs. |
Pretty disappointing that some of those trends just stopped completely. It does give you pause since absolute top players in the league are able to put together full seasons, and it’s their performance over 82 games that is the measuring stick. Gaudreau is a tremendous talent but there are a few players in the league that can consistently out produce him.
As for Lindholm and Monahan, this is two years in a row each player has limped to the finish line in the regular season. Certainly there could be a multitude of factors, but ultimately results are what they are.
No doubt the team can right the ship for the playoffs but it is a little troubling given the lack of playoff history here. Entering the playoffs brimming with confidence would really be nice.