Quote:
Originally Posted by PepsiFree
Flames didn’t have a particularly great start to the year last year.
Here’s the breakdown of 10 game stretches:
5-4-1
6-2-2
3-5-2
5-3-2
6-4-0
3-5-2
6-2-2
7-2-3 (last 12)
Frost and Farabee, while below average offensively, clearly helped the mix. If they get back to average we’re looking at a boost. That last 22 games where the Flames went 12-4-5 also includes a 10 game stretch where Wolf was playing below average (his own and for NHL starters in general) for 8 games (7 where he failed to crack .900).
Wolf had a great rookie season, but it was also the worst full season he’s had in any league since his first in the CHL. So I think the chances of him improving on it are very, very high.
I think there’s huge reason for optimism. Add in what could be with Parekh along with the possibility of adding another top 4 D and possibly a guy like Rossi, and the gains could be big. Not to mention the benefits it might add to a guy like Huberdeau or a full season of Zary.
Anything could derail it, but the Flames do not need anything close to a miracle to make big gains.
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Didn’t the Flames have their best start in a considerable amount of time if you cut the sample size down to 5 games? It felt like the flames were always 4-7 games over .500 and that hot start was key. Obviously they went on a tear after the deadline that allowed them to really push but their first 5 games and ultimately 1st and last quarter of the season is why they were in the race all year.