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Originally Posted by Bingo
The Flames are 8th for homeplate shots this season.
This isn't a perimeter issue.
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See, to me that doesn't pass the smell test, the eye test, or the outcomes. At some point these counting stats have to align with actual results. This stat is questionable at best.
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They're 18th in home plate danger though, so they're not getting the home plate shots with an event to get the goalie moving.
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This even seems a little high. Do you have the corresponding stat for how many times the Flames hit the end boards from home plate?
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That could be coaching, but the Flames were 11th in home plate danger last year, so it wasn't being coached out.
So I think it's partly a different team with less players that either can or are willing to take the puck into the danger areas and create chaos.
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I think it has a lot more to do with scoring off the rush. The Flames were dangerous because they actually tried to score off the rush. It also doesn't help that the guy Sutter has fed prime time to fill the net crasher role can't take a pass or shoot to save his life. Better utilization of the players available would probably help here.
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I think it's two things ...
1) a roster that doesn't have the one on one skills to create the high danger events
2) a coach that puts shot volume number one, perhaps eliminating the possibility for the high danger too often in exchange for a shot count
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Definitely more of the latter than the former. Sutter's continual forcing of players into slots in the lineup is killing this team.
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That and the randomness of hockey makes me think you could bring back the entire roster and Sutter next year and be 2nd in the division.
But Sutter's stubbornness has worn thin with me. I feel he's coaching to stick it to someone at all times ... the fans? the GM? the ownership?
Getting old.
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It's possible, but unless the GM (whoever that will be) refuses to bring in veterans on their last legs that Sutter will play over guys with some upside (and speed) we're doomed to repeat this season. Something has to give with this team and I think it is all system and lineup decisions.