Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community - View Single Post - Flames' system, what's working and what isn't

gvitaly · 01-21-2024, 10:36 AM

I saw JFresh's analytics round up posted on X(twitter) today. I was surprised to find out that the Flames were 8th in the league in Goals Differential Above Expected.

https://twitter.com/user/status/1749094133786955892

That's attributed to both our goaltending(11th), and our finishing(13th) being in the top half of the league.

https://twitter.com/user/status/1749094069865771323

https://twitter.com/user/status/1749093924314988975

It sounds pretty good, but it outlines that both our defense(24th), and our offense(25th) are pretty bad.

https://twitter.com/user/status/1749093750482022647

https://twitter.com/user/status/1749093528464994706

All in all, we're 23rd in the league in xG%. Which is a far cry from the Sutter days when we finished 3rd.

https://twitter.com/user/status/1749093441248641374

Our xGoals differential has been in a free fall ever since the Gilbert injury. Surprisingly, the Bump you see in December is right after the Zadorov trade.

Are the Flames defensive issues as simple as the 3rd pairing being exposed? I think it's a part of the problem, but the team has been over reliant on Markstrom to win it games.

When I look at the shot heat maps(stole them from Cheese's GDT), I see a stark difference in shots right in front of the net. Is it just the unwillingness of our forwards to drive the net? Or the inability to get them the puck in front? The same question applies to our D. Why do our opponents get more point-blank shots against the Flames, on average, compared to the rest of the league.

I'm not trying to take a shot at Huska or the system, because I do like that the Flames are preventing most of the high danger passes, and seem to run around less in their own zone thanks to switching to zone defense. That said, what do you think is the issue? Is it personnel? Do we need better D in the top 4? Is it the bottom pairing sinking the ship? Maybe the centers aren't doing enough? Or are our wingers missing assignments?

Anyway, What do you think the problem is? Aside from simply a lack of skill, and how can it be fixed, both on offense, and D. Also, what things do you like this year compared to last year both in terms of offense and D?

01-21-2024, 10:36 AM	#1
gvitaly Franchise Player Join Date: Jul 2010 Exp:	Flames' system, what's working and what isn't I saw JFresh's analytics round up posted on X(twitter) today. I was surprised to find out that the Flames were 8th in the league in Goals Differential Above Expected. https://twitter.com/user/status/1749094133786955892 That's attributed to both our goaltending(11th), and our finishing(13th) being in the top half of the league. https://twitter.com/user/status/1749094069865771323 https://twitter.com/user/status/1749093924314988975 It sounds pretty good, but it outlines that both our defense(24th), and our offense(25th) are pretty bad. https://twitter.com/user/status/1749093750482022647 https://twitter.com/user/status/1749093528464994706 All in all, we're 23rd in the league in xG%. Which is a far cry from the Sutter days when we finished 3rd. https://twitter.com/user/status/1749093441248641374 Our xGoals differential has been in a free fall ever since the Gilbert injury. Surprisingly, the Bump you see in December is right after the Zadorov trade. Are the Flames defensive issues as simple as the 3rd pairing being exposed? I think it's a part of the problem, but the team has been over reliant on Markstrom to win it games. When I look at the shot heat maps(stole them from Cheese's GDT), I see a stark difference in shots right in front of the net. Is it just the unwillingness of our forwards to drive the net? Or the inability to get them the puck in front? The same question applies to our D. Why do our opponents get more point-blank shots against the Flames, on average, compared to the rest of the league. I'm not trying to take a shot at Huska or the system, because I do like that the Flames are preventing most of the high danger passes, and seem to run around less in their own zone thanks to switching to zone defense. That said, what do you think is the issue? Is it personnel? Do we need better D in the top 4? Is it the bottom pairing sinking the ship? Maybe the centers aren't doing enough? Or are our wingers missing assignments? Anyway, What do you think the problem is? Aside from simply a lack of skill, and how can it be fixed, both on offense, and D. Also, what things do you like this year compared to last year both in terms of offense and D?