QOTD: Slump Buster

[Bingo]

Hockey or I guess sports can be funny. A fluke goal by a rookie and suddenly a game goes to OT, and 2 points are yours.

With that a sure 9 game losing streak instantly turns into a 3 of a possible 4 points road trip and a positive streak.

Where do the Flames go from here?

[Chingas]

I think that they get back on track. I don't think we see an 8 game win streak, but i have the feeling that we hang around a wildcard spot right until the end. We are in for a fun ride.

The last few games haven't been great performances but i have to believe it was just the weight of the streak holding them down. We could have just as easily won the majority of the first 5 losses IMO. I believe that we can hang with the best and will be suprised if we continue to slump.

[Gaudfather]

Hopefully we see the same consistent effort and results that the team posted last year after the Olympic break. Let's hope our rough patch for the year is over.

[ForeverFlameFan]

Our mojo is back. This come-from behind win couldn't come at a better time, we play the Oilers twice and the Kings once in our next 3 games.

[Coach]

Had to go with the last one because it made me laugh.

I still think this team is in the playoffs.

[SofaProfessor]

That losing streak never should have been that long. You could argue the only reason they lost in Toronto was a good goalie. They played like crap in Buffalo but Buffalo played even worse and somehow still won. The Vancouver game started in the worst way imaginable with the Flames literally gifting them the lead. Of all those games, there were only a few that felt like the Flames deserved to lose. I don't think this team is a shoe in for the playoffs but they will battle for a wild card spot until the end.

[FlamesAddiction]

I don't expect to necessarily go back to where we were before the slump, but I am hoping that it at least gets them back respectability and having fun out there. That losing streak must have been weighing on them heavily.

[Locke]

I thought it was going to take the Oilers to get us out of this slump.

[Igster]

Originally Posted by Locke

I thought it was going to take the Oilers to get us out of this slump.

Nope.

Oilers are there to keep the winning streak going.

[Huntingwhale]

I think this could possibly be the turning point in the season. From the players' perspective, imagine going into the Xmas break on a 9 game losing streak. Everyone during the holiday festivities knows about the losses and its nonstop questions and comments about the team and your game. It can't feel good.

Instead, your team pulls off the most amazing comeback in years against the defending Stanley Cup champions in their own arena in the most dramatic fashion possible with the game on the stick of their 21 year old star in the making, and the winning goal scored in OT from your fearless captain. You can't script it any better. Now you go into the break on a high, your confidence back, and you can't wait to get back on the ice against your provincial rival.

The Flames might not make it back to the very top of the West, but I think they hang around the wildcard spot and their days of losing 8 in a row are gone.

[Hemi-Cuda]

For the past few games you could see Gaudreau on another level than the rest of the team, so many great setups wasted because no one had any finish. Tonight was much the same, though thankfully he decided to just finish the plays himself. Unless this causes Gaudreau to find yet another gear and completely tear the league up, I can't see much changing overall with the team unless he finally starts getting some help. So many plays dying on the sticks of Raymond, Glencross, Stajan, Colborne, Byron, etc. No team can win with that much dead weight up front

[Vinny01]

I think this will be a slump buster with the home games coming up with a couple against Edmonton we should win more than we lose. Will they get back to 9 games above .500? Not convinced about that but I don't see them crashing and losing 8 in a row again. This team likely finishes 5-7 games over .500 by the end of the year and I think they fall short of the playoffs but games 75-80 will still have meaning

[Mony]

They'll probably follow some kind of win-loss-win-lossish pattern and be .500, but the last wild card isn't far. We'll definitely chase it, but the question is whether we catch up.

[pgsieve]

2 out of the next 5 games will be against the Oilers. I think we will be okay.

[GioforPM]

I say they settle in somewhere between the slump and where they were. Better than .500 but not world beaters.

[The Professor]

"Back in tack"?

[Gaskal]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

I say they settle in somewhere between the slump and where they were. Better than .500 but not world beaters.

Well, we did out Kings the Kings last night.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Mony

They'll probably follow some kind of win-loss-win-lossish pattern and be .500, but the last wild card isn't far. We'll definitely chase it, but the question is whether we catch up.

Really though, the question actually is whether or not we get passed.

We're in the mix with some good teams that have underperformed.

[Rick M.]

I'm not sure how to vote. I'd be more confident if some forwards other than Johnny start to pot some goals. Gio is the only hot defenceman at present, too.

[Mony]

Originally Posted by Locke

Really though, the question actually is whether or not we get passed.

We're in the mix with some good teams that have underperformed.

True, Minnesota is rapidly coming up. I've said this before and the only teams below us who have no chance of catching up are Edmonton and Arizona. If Dallas and Colorado can go on a tear, it means trouble for our playoff dreams.