I think the question can be answered by asking yourself why Darryl would change anything after winning 50 games last season? It makes no sense for him to change anything when the Flames were one of the best teams in the league last season and bringing back the majority of the same group.
The problem is more so the about the execution of Darryl's system than anything. The individual skaters on this team just aren't checking and defending the same way they did last season. Team isn't winning the same number of puck battles and 50/50's especially in the offensive zone and it's leading to more counter attacks against.
The biggest difference without a doubt has to be the loss of Tkachuk and Gaudreau. The top line last season played Darryl Sutter's system to perfection and didn't just drive play for themselves, they drove the bus for the entire team. They checked like I've never seen a line check before in the game of hockey. They spent the entire game in the offensive zone, tired out the opposition defense, swung momentum forward and set up the next line up for success.
The current line up can't mimic that top line's dominance. The current group works hard, but they don't score easy goals. They almost have to score through attrition, chipping away slowly at the opposition. So you're ultimately left with a team that can't get that extra goal to make it 3-1 or 4-1 to salt away the game, so they're perpetually stuck up one or down one. It's the same story every game with any opponent, rinse and repeat.
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