This team appears to be unable to hold swagger for long stretches. The one exception was the first 2/3rds of the 2018-2019 season, when the top line was dominant and Gio was playing the hockey that got him the Norris.
That faded, and became more inconsistent in the last 1/3rd of that season. They had it in Game 1 vs the Avs, got rattled by the OT loss in Game 2 and we all know what happened. The team was hanging on for dear life after that.
While the team was still in a playoff position much of this year, they rarely had that confidence. Particularly the top line.
They had it vs the Jets, and arguably game 1 vs the Stars. It hasn't been back since the Stars stepped up their game in Game 2.
Not sure if you can peg that all on leadership or if the sum total of the guys in the room just aren't those kinds of players. The 03-04 Flames would lose playoff games, and some of them were stinkers (game 2 Detroit, game 3 and 4 SJ come to mind). Others were total heartbreakers (game 6 Van). But they always came back the next game and played their hearts out. (At least until the Game That Shall Not Be Named.)
Where is that resilience with this group? The resolve? The leadership? The coaching?
If the Flames bow out of this series, it's something Treliving had better address, or this team will never have any playoff success. Every team in the playoffs is talented. It's not about talent at that point, it's about grit and determination, and we just don't seem to have it.
|