Quote:
Originally Posted by Calgary4LIfe
Ward: Yeah, I have no idea. Flames rim that puck around the boards from D-to-D a lot. Such an excruciatingly slow transition. I have argued that shot attempts for and against are not the best way to measure possession. However, I have no doubt that if you were to actually measure possession with a stop watch for the Flames, they would be the #1 team in the NHL for possession. The amount of time they hold onto pucks while doing nothing with it at all - not moving it forward, and just waiting for everyone to get set - is amazing. It will not be repeated for many seasons. Maybe I am exaggerating here, but that's a slow transition! I also don't get how Ward is allowing those dangerous passes from the side boards to the front of the net in the defensive zone. Flames haven't been caught with it (that I can remember), but just funny how his 'safe' hockey allows for that (but would get you benched for a period under Brent Sutter). I don't have a problem with it, but just surprised it is being allowed.
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Here’s the problem with all this coach talk, it’s that we see what the Flames are doing and we just assume that’s how they want to play. They have slow breakouts, must be the coach’s doing.
Well why doesn’t the opponent ever get any credit in all of this? Why is it always on the coach? Ward doesn’t want to break out slow, it’s because he has to. Like, the opponent obviously doesn’t want you to break out fast and score easy goals because that wouldn’t benefit them. So they drop 4 back and now you have to breakout slow because if you just went full steam into a pile of bodies, you’re going to turn it over and that goes right into their game plan.
Therein lies the problem. There’s not a lot of solutions to breaking the trap. If there was, New Jersey wouldn’t have won 3 Stanley Cups. Sadly, it’s extremely effective and even more sadly, it’s especially effective against the Flames. Long stretch pass can beat the trap. Well only Gaudreau is reliable getting behind defenses and even he has had his struggles finishing on breakaways. Most of the time, long stretch passes just result in turnovers, so what’s the alternative? Breakout slow with short passes and support as a 5 man unit...and yes, I can already see some eyes rolling here.
Probably the best way to break the trap is to have your centerman carry the puck out himself. Find the open ice, skate towards it, draw pressure and then find your winger whichever side isn’t flooded. So what’s the problem then? Just do that. Well the problem is the Flames don’t have that big #1 center who can hold onto pucks up the middle, delay, wait for plays to develop and then distribute to his open wingers.
Monahan always defers to Gaudreau and the opposition is ok with that because that’s the side they’ll generally flood and Gaudreau is up against the boards so he’s cornered and has no where to go, so turnover. Lindholm is just developing his skills as a full time center, so even though he’s been formidable, he’s still green and honestly he’s actually better as the retriever because he’s such a puck hound. That’s why he works so well as a winger. Backlund is probably the best on the team at this, but even his vision and puck skills are rather limited in comparison to the elite centers of the league.
So there you have it, the book on the Flames. They can’t beat the trap no matter how hard they try or what new things they do. This team isn’t nearly quick enough to get on to pucks when they do manage to dump it in, so it’s a pretty easy breakout for the opposition. Winnipeg has been very successful this season at beating the Flames by clogging the neutral zone and same goes for the Canucks in their recent mini series. I know the Avalanche killed the Flames in the playoffs with this strategy. The Flames quite simply put, has no answer to this and I’m not sure they ever will with the current personnel.