Flames March success in playing defence

[Vulcan]

The Flames in their 10 games this March have given up a total of 230 shots on goal. A 23 shots on goal per game. This has to be in our Daryl Sutter coaching era of playing stingy defence.

In that time we've also given up only 22 goals which over a season would put us about 4th in the league for GA/G average. Our goalies have been decent but our team defence is really showing improvement. Something I never expected from Hartley's system and a good boding for our future.

[Five-hole]

Which fortunately or unfortunately, depending on which came you belong in, means that this flash of success is not likely to dry up and go on a prolonged losing streak.

As we saw in the Olympics, team defence is in large part a function of everybody buying in and committing to win, which is a GREAT sign going forward. We just need the talent injection.

But it looks like we'll never be truly awful. I don't see how much could change between now and a year from now to believe that we have any kind of shot at McDavid or Eichel.

[saillias]

^All it takes is for Gio to play like he did in 2012-2013 and say Monahan to have a sophomore slump. Several things have gone very right this season.

[TjRhythmic]

Originally Posted by saillias

^All it takes is for Gio to play like he did in 2012-2013 and say Monahan to have a sophomore slump. Several things have gone very right this season.

That doesn't change how they play defense. Good chance both players may struggle scoring next season, but defense is hard work and systems play. So unless they decide to go all oiler like I don't see how their performance will drop in that area.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by Vulcan

The Flames in their 10 games this March have given up a total of 230 shots on goal. A 23 shots on goal per game. This has to be in our Daryl Sutter coaching era of playing stingy defence.

In that time we've also given up only 22 goals which over a season would put us about 4th in the league for GA/G average. Our goalies have been decent but our team defence is really showing improvement. Something I never expected from Hartley's system and a good boding for our future.

Having Gio, Brodie, Smid and Russell as the top 4 is part of it (when Gio or Smid are hurt, and Widman gets top 4 minutes, the defensive zone coverage suffers)

The goaltending has been better than it was early in the year.

And there a bunch of kids in the lineup, busting their butts to try and impress the coach.

Also, Backlund has been playing great in his own zone.

[Vulcan]

Two games that are really interesting are last nights Sabres and the Canucks game where we only gave up 14 shots each game. I can't remember the Flames ever giving up this few shots ever.

As for Giordano and Monahan having off years next season. It could happen but with players like Bouma blocking shots and showing a team commitment to defence, I see a good future.

[Sylvanfan]

The shots against are skewed by how bad Vancouver and Buffalo were in getting shots to the net!

I believe the teams goals against and shots against have actually been markedly improved since they took the back to back beat downs early in January to Phoenix and St.Louis,

Just looking at it they've allowed 60 goals against in their last 25 games (excluding shootout goals against) which is 2.4 GAA per game and projects to 200+/- total goals allowed over an entire season if you factor in shootout loss goals. I would guess the shots against correlates with that too. Big change from the first couple months where the team was well over 3 goals against on average.

I saw a graphic for the Oilers last night how they have lowered their GAA dramatically since Scrivens was acquired. Their goals per game had been down to about 2.28, but their GAA was about the same....their record was 9-4-3 in that time frame. Unless you are the Sabres...it is tough to lose regularly when you only allow a shade over 2 goals against per game.

[The Fonz]

Don't know where else to put this, somewhat on topic...

Since the Vancouver opening faceoff brawl and Tortorella incident in mid-January, the Flames are 12-8-1 (including the Van game which was the OTL).

It'll be interesting to see how we finish these last 13 games of the season. I always feel that it takes about 30-40 games to judge how good a team is... so the previous 21 + our remaining 13 gives us 34. If it's a strong finish, say 8-5-0 for example, our record in the last 34 games of this season will have been 20-13-1. I'd then set the expectation next season that we should be in the playoff hunt.

Looking at the roster, I'm not sure how we could make the postseason... but they seem to be getting the job done. Wonder if that continues.

[CaptainCrunch]

This is their post season

As well

that's a rock

thats a girl

Thats a tub of rocky road ice cream

[gilligans_off]

Originally Posted by The Fonz

Don't know where else to put this, somewhat on topic...

Since the Vancouver opening faceoff brawl and Tortorella incident in mid-January, the Flames are 12-8-1 (including the Van game which was the OTL).

It'll be interesting to see how we finish these last 13 games of the season. I always feel that it takes about 30-40 games to judge how good a team is... so the previous 21 + our remaining 13 gives us 34. If it's a strong finish, say 8-5-0 for example, our record in the last 34 games of this season will have been 20-13-1. I'd then set the expectation next season that we should be in the playoff hunt.

Looking at the roster, I'm not sure how we could make the postseason... but they seem to be getting the job done. Wonder if that continues.

Since the Van game our points per game works out to 138 points over 82 games.... I dont think we could pull that total off with this group. They played well, but not at a sustainable pace.

[Sylvanfan]

Another thing is that I feel like T.J. Brodie has really been playing solid since about that same time frame. Over those 25 games, I believe he's +13 in that time frame. Him and Giordano have given the Flames a pretty solid top pair on the back end. The play of Giordano and Brodie along with Monahan is probably the biggest positive for the season for me.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by gilligans_off

Since the Van game our points per game works out to 138 points over 82 games.... I dont think we could pull that total off with this group. They played well, but not at a sustainable pace.

I think your math is a bit off: 12-8-1 is a 98 pt pace

[Vulcan]

One thing is, we don't seem to be missing Wideman as Wotherspoon is more than a reasonable replacement.

[FBI]

Oh yeah, forgot about Wideman heh..

[stemit14]

I look at the flames entire season and, aside from that stretch in December... The flames have been in every game and, on most nights, they have out-chanced and outplayed their opponents.

It feels like it's been a while but we have to remember that during the first half of the season, both ramo and Berra gave up a least one bad goal per game. Many times it was a deciding goal or momentum changing goal.

I believe the difference right now between where the flames are right now in the standings and where teams like Winnipeg and Vancouver are in the standings is the poor goaltending the flames had during the first half of the season. I don't blame ramo or Berra for it.. They are both young goalies trying to learn how to be a starter in the NHL so we all new there would be an adjustment period.

But I truly believe the flames would be battling with those teams for the wild card spot in the west if they had average goaltending for the first half of the season. I know we're in a rebuild so that's not the ideal spot to be but it's interesting to consider since this team is so early on in this rebuild and yet every player seems to have a strong commitment to team defence that usually takes years to develop.

[saillias]

Give credit to moon, I think he was right with his analysis of Wideman. He's managed to play himself out of the top 4 on a bad team.

[Bingo]

the thing the eastern media (TSN/HNIC) keeps missing is the emerging skill on the backend. Someone above alluded to the Flames top four, but three guys are really doing a job at all ends of the ice.

When you have three guys that don't panic in their own zone, and consistently out "wait" the forecheck to open up better and quicker paths up the ice the team's game changes on a dime.

We've been seeing this for awhile now. Game in and game out.

[IamNotKenKing]

Originally Posted by Sylvanfan

The shots against are skewed by how bad Vancouver and Buffalo were in getting shots to the net!

I believe the teams goals against and shots against have actually been markedly improved since they took the back to back beat downs early in January to Phoenix and St.Louis,

Just looking at it they've allowed 60 goals against in their last 25 games (excluding shootout goals against) which is 2.4 GAA per game and projects to 200+/- total goals allowed over an entire season if you factor in shootout loss goals. I would guess the shots against correlates with that too. Big change from the first couple months where the team was well over 3 goals against on average.

I saw a graphic for the Oilers last night how they have lowered their GAA dramatically since Scrivens was acquired. Their goals per game had been down to about 2.28, but their GAA was about the same....their record was 9-4-3 in that time frame. Unless you are the Sabres...it is tough to lose regularly when you only allow a shade over 2 goals against per game.

Taking out those two games, it is 202 shots against in 8 games, which is 25.25 shots against per game. Not that big a skew.

[Red Ice Player]

Originally Posted by Bingo

the thing the eastern media (TSN/HNIC) keeps missing is the emerging skill on the backend. Someone above alluded to the Flames top four, but three guys are really doing a job at all ends of the ice.

When you have three guys that don't panic in their own zone, and consistently out "wait" the forecheck to open up better and quicker paths up the ice the team's game changes on a dime.

We've been seeing this for awhile now. Game in and game out.

I'm getting sick of hearing that Calgary has the least talent in the league, the weakest defence on paper..etc...ad nauseam. Nine teams in the league have given up more goals than the Flames, including the Leafs. An extra twenty goals, and we're a middle of the pack team. Not what our goal should be, but not bad for a team that was just blown up.

[Major Major]

Originally Posted by saillias

^All it takes is for Gio to play like he did in 2012-2013 and say Monahan to have a sophomore slump. Several things have gone very right this season.

Not saying that is impossible, but I think that Gio has taken a step and will not regress for a few years. I see his 2012-2013 year as a massive developmental year where he was learning to be a top defender. The step between being a good overall top 4 Dman and playing top pairing minutes against the best competition on a nightly basis is huge, and during that kind of transition, it is inevitable that a backwards step is taken. Last year was a small step back, this is a huge leap forward, and now he is the CREAM. Dolla Dolla bill y'all