Quote:
Originally Posted by Street Pharmacist
Also, is it just me, or are the Flames the lowest profile 2nd seed in the NHL in a long time?
When listening to pundits pontificate on the playoffs, I keep reading about how San Jose and Vegas are dangerous. Vegas is supposed to be the team to beat in the west. St Louis is a team "no one wants to face". San Jose was getting all kinds of adulation when they had won 7 straight, and Winnipeg and Nashville are top teams and still favorites despite recent struggles.
Calgary is leading the West by EIGHT points and have goal differential that's THIRTY goals better than second place Winnipeg.
Boston and Toronto apparently are the second and third best teams in the league and it's a shame they're facing each other in the first round.
Only 7 teams in the last ten years have had a better goal differential. That puts Calgary in the top 8 of 302 teams for goal differential (assuming it doesn't drop significantly in the last 3 games).
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I haven't heard anyone talk about them as a favorite to win the West even, nevermind the Cup
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Funny, I was about to post a very similar post, although you looked up the goal differential bit before I looked it up.
Not only is our goal differential elite, as you pointed out, so is our possession game. In our last 22 games we've posted a score-adjusted 5-on-5 Fenwick of 58.06% with three games to go.
What other playoff-qualifying teams have exceeded the 56.5% FF mark over
their final 25 regular season games in the last decade?
2017-18 - No One
2016-17 - No One
2015-16 - L.A. Kings (57.44%) - Lost 1st Round to San Jose Sharks (54.52%, went on to the SCF)
2015-16 - Pittsburgh Penguins (56.66%) - Won Stanley Cup
2014-15 - No One
2013-14 - L.A. Kings (58.39%) - Won Stanley Cup
2012-13 - Chicago Blackhawks(56.53%) - Won Stanley Cup
2011-12 - L.A. Kings (59.31%) - Won Stanley Cup
2010-11 - No One
2009-10 - Chicago Blackhawks (58.83%) - Won Stanley Cup
2008-09 - Washington Capitals (57.01%) - Lost Game 7 of 2nd Round to Pittsburgh (who won the Cup)
That's it. While it's no guarantee of a Cup, it's definitely good company to be in.