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Originally Posted by Corral
96 points looks like it will be the threshold to get in this year with the strength of central teams. So the Flames need to play 0.568 just to get in. Goes to show you - once again - the damage inflicted by a slow start. First place is out of reach - the Flames will inevitably have a soft patch between now and April. I predict we finish 3rd in the division. the nasty bit this year is the 4th place pacific team will likely miss the playoffs...
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I seriously doubt it. The Central teams have all still played only half of their intra-divisional schedule, and these games will govern how many points they can all accumulate. Besides, there does not seem to be a lot of separation between the top five teams in either division. The difference is at the bottom, where all of Edmonton, Arizona, and Vancouver are clearly awful. But if anything, this probably improves the chances of two Pacific Division teams in the WC spots, by virtue of the fact that the other five all have the benefit of playing these terrible teams more often.
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Still a bubble team for a couple years yet. After that, we go on a run of 1st place finishes.
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A couple years? No. There is a very good chance that the Flames finish with a home-ice playoff spot
this season. With how the roster is shaped I see no reason why topping the Division should not be a reasonable expectation next year.