Quote:
Originally Posted by SuperMatt18
I don't think anybody is disputing the team doesn't have top end talent but when a team looks as tired as the Flames did tonight it's easy to look at the schedule and say "that's a rough stretch".
This was the Avs 9th game in the last 18 games, compared to the Flames who played 9 in 15. That's 3 extra days of rest / break in that stretch.
Against the Leafs it was 3 in 4 for the Flames, and 8 games in 13 days, and the Leafs were waiting in town with 2 days rest while the Flames headed to Seattle. That was the Leafs 8th game in 20 games at that point. Huge difference.
Over the course of the season it's the same for everyone, but in these last two games the tired Flames were playing teams that had much more rest. And elite talent.
Which is a rough combination when you're tired playing against more skilled players that are rested.
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100% true.
But then the same argument gets made at the start of the season where the schedule makers had the Flames overly rested, and they responded with a strong start.
I think this is how it is for teams without that top-end game-changing talent - they don't need to play 60 minute games. They can turn it on and take the game over, and win games they didn't deserve to win. Flames lose games that they deserve to win, and then when they are too tired to out-work the opposition, they are almost seemingly 'automatic losses'.
I still have confidence that the Flames find a way to sneak into the playoffs, but I am less sure about it than I was last week. I think LA falls out of the picture given Vancouver's easier schedule.
Flames need some bounces to go their way again too. Lucky the 4 Nations break is here - that's a grueling schedule to go through playing every other day with a back-to-back, all against top teams. They will need to outwork everyone on that road trip, or they may find themselves far back from the playoff picture.