Quote:
Originally Posted by TheScorpion
Does Winnipeg have an advantage in skill up front?
Gaudreau and Scheifele are similarly skilled.
Tkachuk and Laine are similarly skilled.
Lindholm and Wheeler are similarly skilled.
Monahan and Connor are similarly skilled.
Backlund and Ehlers are similarly skilled.
And after that I think the Flames have the advantage all the way. The disparity isn't in skill... it's in past playoff execution. But a lot of evidence points to the roots of Flames' recent playoff struggles lying more in unfortunate samples of play than total ineptitude.
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It's also surprising to me to see how the skill between both teams's forward groups is distributed: Winnipeg looks stacked on the wings, but very shallow down the middle. Scheifele is a terrific centre, but after him the Jets have Eakin, Lowry and Shore. Not one of those players would supplant Ryan on the Flames's third line, and that is to say nothing for Backlund.
Overall Calgary just looks like a much more balanced team.