Quote:
Originally Posted by Cali Panthers Fan
3 playoff appearances for most of these players. The first for a lot of key players like Tkachuk, Andersson, Lindholm, Hanifin, Ryan, and others like Mangiapane, Hathaway, Czarnik, Valimaki. I don't know how it escaped everyone that a big chunk of our team saw the playoffs for the first time this year.
The others were a little more experienced, but those previous playoff expectations were to show up and play in the first round, but never to even win a round. And yet, the Flames managed to win a first round matchup where they were the underdog in 2015. In 2017 they were sewered by one of the worst goaltending performances in the playoffs I've ever seen by Elliott, otherwise they likely win a couple games and then who knows?
This is the first time they fell way below expectations, and it was mostly because Gaudreau and Monahan didn't show up. To flatly declare what you did is a HUGE stretch on what these players have shown so far in their career at all levels, and it completely ignores the fact that having so many players new to the playoffs was always going to be a challenge this year.
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As I noted in a previous thread, the experience argument is BS.
Before Game 5 - COL has an average of 18 games of playoff experience (including this series). The Flames average is 17. Take away these last four games and 9 COL players have less than 10 PO games. (CGY has 10) COL hasn't even dressed their most experienced PO player - Brassard with 92 PO games - in the last two games. They have 2 guys with over 50 PO games. Flames have 1. COL has 1 player who has won a cup. So do the Flames.
Grubauer has 41 PO games - but how many of those as a spectator in the best seat in the house?
Experience in the playoffs is not the difference here.A big chunk of COL's players also saw their first playoff games. Seems to me COL - especially Mackinnon (20 playoff games - including this year) did more with their "limited" experience than the Flames.
Perhaps the "Favorite" vs the "Underdog" mentality is a heavy factor.