Quote:
Originally Posted by Bingo
Some thoughts ...
Wow did Treliving have himself a trade deadline. Getting two poor man's second pairing defenders and making them your third pairing has really solidified Calgary's defense corps. Losing Hamonic would have been a much bigger blow if those trades didn't happen.
Plus the two acquired guys have certainly played a role in a huge step forward for Calgary's special teams.
Geoff Ward is moving towards being the guy if this is any indication of what he's capable of. The team is focused, paying attention to details, and playing some of the best defensive hockey we've seen from this team ... well ... ever.
Flames are 2nd in xGA/60 to Vegas, and 2nd in HDCA/60 to Washington. That's battening down the hatches ... and a solid foundation to win in the post season.
That also means it's puzzling to hear Calgary radio guys suggest Talbot was the team's MVP. I get it that we're not used to seeing good goaltending since 34 left, and that he's done his job perfectly, but he hasn't had to stand on his head at all.
The Flames are now a very deep hockey club. They're not getting a lot of five on five love from the top line, but they have four lines that can roll, and an emerging second core that could give opponents fits.
Mangiapane, Dube, Hanifin, Andersson all adding to the main core and making them a tough team to check. And Valimaki is coming ...
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I didn't listen to the radio guys, but I think Talbot as MVP has more to do with the balanced line up in front of him. There wasn't one particular guy that lit it up, so the default is often the goalie.
There was no MVP in that series, which is a good thing. The whole team played well. Very few passengers and they need to keep it going. If Talbot is considered the MVP the next round for the same reasons, it would be a great thing.