Quote:
Originally Posted by Erick Estrada
The system hasn't changed. The execution has. Not sure what happened but ever since the 2nd round playoff loss against the Oilers, the goaltender has been lost and the team has struggled defensively with breakdowns as it's like their play against the Oilers in that series has carried over into this season.
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In my view, the Oilers have always been a bad opponent for the Flames because of how the players approach 97 when he's on the ice. Yeah, he's good but part of me thinks the Flames hype themselves up too much and forget their fundamentals. As for your question around not being sure what happened last year to this year, in my view, every line is a new combination with the exception of the current Backlund line, and players are still thinking about where they should be on the ice vs. being at the comfort level where they can just play without thinking. Same goes for the defensive pairings with the exception of the Hanifin-Andersson pair.
And then add the worse goaltending this year and that's why the Flames are experiencing so many breakdowns still. The system works, it's proven. Just taking a lot longer than I thought!