Quote:
Originally Posted by Major Major
If a team were to start the season 10 games behind everyone else and just sat home and practiced for a month, no travel, hang out with the family, just a little daily skate with the boys, then they started playing games against teams that had played all month, how do you feel that would go?
Now imagine that team's core was replaced in the off season and the critical pieces are all new.
If you have any experience playing or coaching, you'd know habits are instilled during game play and reinforced during practice. You cannot fully form an in game habit from practice, scrimmage or even exhibition.
The home game part of the narrative may be a red herring, but the deficit in games compared to the rest of the league is not. Team needs to play some games.
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Ironically the Flames were doing better when they were getting more time off in October. They have struggled recently when playing every second night.
The difference between the Flames and majority of the rest of the league is 2 games. Not really comparable to your example.
They haven't had 3 games in 4 nights yet. That's the difference.
So if you are telling me that the Flames are at a disadvantage because they haven't had the chance play a game, and then sit on a plane and arrive at a new city at 2 am, then play the next night and then fly to another city and have a half day off and then play versus having 1 game and two practices, not sure I buy it.
I'm not a pro player but seems like a game and two practices in a steady routine is better than flying all over the continent playing three games in four nights.
If the Flames had been scheduled 2 sets of 3 games in 4 nights in October and had a similar record as they do now, what do you think would be the fan reaction?
If you are being honest with yourself I think you would say that fans would be complaining about the opposite scheduling as well.