Is this a playoff team?

[Loyal and True]

I'll be happy with 82+ points this year, as long as the young core continues to develop.

From January 10th thru February and March will be much tougher schedule.

Would be thrilled if they could carry this into a playoff spot, of course.

[DoubleF]

I'm just excited watching games regardless win or lose. I'm also excited to get Bennett back. 2015 draft? Let's finish watching this season first

[shogged]

if we break the curse and beat Anaheim at home on the 25th, this team goes to the playoffs.

[Gaskal]

Originally Posted by shogged

if we break the curse and beat Anaheim at home on the 25th, this team goes to the playoffs.

We'll have to do well vs them at the Dome before that but I think we'll have a decent shot at the mighty Ducks.

Bold predictions:

Hiller will go full forcefield
Gaudreau's finest hour (to date)
Raymond & Colborne with stellar performances
Ducks get into penalty trouble

[Hatter]

I doubt it.

That doesn't take anything away from how much fun these guys are to watch!

[Gaudfather]

Quite frankly no one really knows either way right now. The best way to approach this is just sit back and enjoy this crazy ride. Just enjoying each win is a lot of fun right now!

[debil]

No.

[combustiblefuel]

Originally Posted by dino7c

are we listing the teams they haven't played?

and whats so special about Philly?

Since 1980 Philly has won 31 out of 54 match ups. That is only 23 flames wins 34 years. In the last decade alone they have only won once.

[calgaryred]

Flames arent a playoff team unless they can beat teams in the west, next couple months will show what they are made of.

[robbie111]

If they stay healthy especially our top 4 d men they could make it. Also if the performance of the rookies stays like it has been. We currently have 2 of the top 3 points per game rookies in the NHL (3 game or more qualifiers) and Gaudreau isn't one of them...lol.

Granlund tied for 1st with Forsberg at 1.000, Jooris is 3rd at .714

[Dagger]

Originally Posted by stemit14

While the flames may not drive possession play... Their defensive coverage seems top notch. How many times have we seen teams keep possession in the flames zone for extended periods of time without any quality scoring chance? Or, more importantly, how often have those scoring chances only been a single shot and the rebound is cleared quickly? It speaks to the coaching staff and to the players' commitment to playing the system. It stifles the other teams' offence and frustrates them as the games go on. It also may explain why the flames usually get stronger as the game goes on.

Switch Flames for Leafs and you have what Leafs fans were saying after their hot start 2 years ago.

[dammage79]

I believe these Flames are at the very least, a team that is going to fight tooth and nail for one of those playoff spots. They may or may not make the playoffs but you cannot discount the depth they have to carry momentum through.

They have competent depth in Goaltending, we're witnessing the depth of the forward ranks right now and have yet to see how strong the top two or three D-men on the farm can hold up in the NHL (Wotherspoon not withstanding as I feel he is the Granlund of the D-corps).

I'm sure we're going to go through some rough patches this season but from what we've seen so far they won't be nearly as long or painful to endure as last season.

I think the big tell will be the next few games after TB where there will be games that the Flames should win. Panthers, Canes, Yotes and Sens should get at the very least some loser points. If they take a few games off here and there and allow a little controversy to creep into the room, then maybe the wheels do fall off, but then again there's far too many bodies to toss out there. Still too much competition for a roster spot. I don't think this depth will allow for bad habits to set in.

I get why people are going to sit and wait for the bubble to burst on this beautiful stretch of hockey we have witnessed lately but I truly believe that if it does, it's not going to be nearly as dreadful as some are expecting.

[Split98]

Absolutely.

We talk about them peaking early, various stats that are unsustainable and tougher teams... but we aren't considering that this team has far more room to get better than they do to get worse.

There's no question Monahan has a lot more potential than what he's shown
There's very little question that Gaudreau is just getting started
Jooris has been with us how many games?
Granlund is NHL ready
Backlund, our #1 center is out
Stajan is out
Glencross is... still on the team
Hudler has played no where near what he showed last year
Baertschi has done nothing yet

Not to mention all the players still in Addy that are chomping at the bit. Have you seen our cap space recently? With players like Glencross and Wideman arguably available if they can be swapped for a need, that cap space could be our most valuable asset.

So while the Hiller and Ramo tandem might not be this insane all year, and the Giodie duo may falter... we still have a lot more to draw from, and we're already in 3rd.

[It's a great day 4 hockey]

If we stay in the mix until Feb I'll consider this season a success. The schedule for us in Feb is a kamikazes wet dream. 12 games in 26 nights. Wpg, SJ, Pit, SJ, LA, Van, Bos, Min, Ana, NYR, NJ, and NYI. If they can be 12 games above .500 before this stretch and play .500 hockey in Feb than I think we'll make the playoffs.

Injuries to any key players (Hiller, Gio, T.J. , Johnny Hockey) make this projection next to impossible. Having stated all this the best answer I can give is... wait a second I need to change the batteries in my magic 8-ball.

[FlameZilla]

Currently sitting tied in 3rd place overall. What an insanely good start!

Edit: make that 3rd overall, tied for 2nd in points.

[trackercowe]

I would hold off judgement until the Flames show they can at least go .500 against the other divisional opponents (Ducks, Kings, Sharks, Canucks specifically). If they can at least get a point a game out of those matches they have a good chance, but they can't lose points to them head-to-head and expect to be ahead of them when the race heats up.

They've only played those four once thus far, so the next couple months will be telling when they travel out west.

[MyFlamesFirst]

Had a feeling this would become a thread. As of right now, I am still skeptical. Mostly based on our talent level and inexperience. However, I have to admit that at the start of the season I could of cared less about who won the game. It was all about how the rookies did for me.....and I secretly wanted a good draft position. Lately, I can't help but cheer for the win. They have been playing great and have made it impossible for me not to get behind them. What is most encouraging for me though, is the players seem to genuinely believe that they can make the playoffs with hard work. You listen to post-game interviews and guys like Jooris are saying " If we want to be a playoff team, we have to win these tight one goal games". This is what really matters. The players aren't stupid, they know how they match up skill wise against other teams. If the guys in the room believe that they can make the playoffs with everybody chipping in, then I am going to get behind them and ride this wave out. Playoffs? Maybe not. But it won't be from lack of effort.

[DeluxeMoustache]

I am glad to hear interviews like that of Jooris. Very refreshing after Brent saying stuff like "We are not a team who is going to score off the rush". He was too focused on fixing perceived problems without the eye forward looking and on the real prize. Hartley appears to be a good motivator.

We have seen Edm knock off 4 wins vs the East and this team still has its tough stretches to come, however the irreverence and resiliency we are seeing now is something that showed up down the stretch too late last season, and previously not seen since 03-04

[Itse]

In the division and conference we're in? Nah. Too many great teams out there.

There's nothing unique about where we are right now. Tons of teams, especially young teams, have started seasons great only to slowly and surely fall down to earth once the winter grind really starts kicking in and opponents start paying more attention to them.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by Gaskal

We haven't played vs LA, Anaheim, or San Jose yet.

While I do agree that things get much tougher for the Flames as they start to play within their division, it should be pointed out that this team was respectable in the Pacific last year all things considered, with a record of 11–15–3. They are a much better team this year, so I won't be surprised to see that record also improve.