No, squeaking out two overtime wins, on the back of the best goaltending this club has had in years, does not tell me that the team is playoff-bound.
Especially when it follows hard on the heels of an extended 8-game losing skid that saw them fall to teams like Buffalo and Toronto. Remember that? It was like a couple of weeks ago.
But yes, if they can take a road win against the best team in the NHL right now, hot goaltending or not, that tells me something.
How are these 2 things any different?
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No, squeaking out two overtime wins, on the back of the best goaltending this club has had in years, does not tell me that the team is playoff-bound.
Especially when it follows hard on the heels of an extended 8-game losing skid that saw them fall to teams like Buffalo and Toronto. Remember that? It was like a couple of weeks ago.
But yes, if they can take a road win against the best team in the NHL right now, hot goaltending or not, that tells me something.
Again, it's one game.
The Yotes have beaten 'the best team in the NHL right now' twice. Ottawa smoked them. So they're playoff teams?
Also, the Flames didn't win those games solely because of the 'best goaltending they've had in years'. The shots in LA were totally bogus - I actually counted them out-shooting LA, but forget that and listen to both coaches who thought the chances in that game were pretty even.
No, squeaking out two overtime wins, on the back of the best goaltending this club has had in years, does not tell me that the team is playoff-bound.
Especially when it follows hard on the heels of an extended 8-game losing skid that saw them fall to teams like Buffalo and Toronto. Remember that? It was like a couple of weeks ago.
But yes, if they can take a road win against the best team in the NHL right now, hot goaltending or not, that tells me something.
You're confusing "elite" or "contender" for "playoff team". Eight out of the fourteen teams in the west make the playoffs. You can be slightly worse than average and still make the playoffs.
I don't mean to diminish the accomplishment of making the playoffs at this stage in the rebuild, I'm just saying you don't need to be a "great" team to make the playoffs, merely good or ok.
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I sort of wish Granlund was staying in ahead of Raymond, but different positions.
Unsure of Jooris coming in off of injury playing on the top line, but if he doesn't look right they'll shuffle the lines. Really happy to have Juju back though.
Just play hard and that's all we can ask for agains a team like Anaheim. Abnormally long streaks often end in very strange fashion though. Probably the two hottest teams in the west, it's gonna be a heck of a game.
Location: F*** me. We're so f***ing good, you check the f***ing standings? Lets f***ing go! F***ing practice!
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Originally Posted by djsFlames
I sort of wish Granlund was staying in ahead of Raymond, but different positions.
Unsure of Jooris coming in off of injury playing on the top line, but if he doesn't look right they'll shuffle the lines. Really happy to have Juju back though.
Just play hard and that's all we can ask for agains a team like Anaheim. Abnormally long streaks often end in very strange fashion though. Probably the two hottest teams in the west, it's gonna be a heck of a game.
Who is Juju?
__________________ Backlund for Selke 2017 2018
Oilers suck.
Just what I call Jooris. Fitting for tonight because it also happens to mean good luck, or an object with magical powers. Ya know, curse-breaking stuff.
I think it's more a matter that Jooris plays well with Gaudreau and Hudler, but Backlund can seemingly play with anoyone, as opposed to taking Backlund off the 1st line or not meshing with the other two guys.
Ortio has played really well, but I think Hiller can make a case for the "best goaltending performance" this year back in Chicago. Or maybe Ramo's 32 save SO against SJ, followed by another bagel against the Yotes.
It's a big game against a top team. And there's the Honda Centre business. But the Flames have Ws against Anaheim, Chicago, and Nashville already this year.
No, squeaking out two overtime wins, on the back of the best goaltending this club has had in years, does not tell me that the team is playoff-bound.
Especially when it follows hard on the heels of an extended 8-game losing skid that saw them fall to teams like Buffalo and Toronto. Remember that? It was like a couple of weeks ago.
But yes, if they can take a road win against the best team in the NHL right now, hot goaltending or not, that tells me something.
Best goaltending in years? Hiller and to a lesser extent Ramo played just as good for sections of this season. Goaltending is a huge reason this team was strong out of the gate. This team is playing its 13th game since the 8 game losing streak (2 4 game winning streaks with a 3 game slide in the middle)
The fact they went out and won 4 in a row on the road in the division certainly tells me something. A win tonight would be massive as it could vault the team out of a wild card spot in the division and a loss pit equally has them outside looking
Hartley feels tonight's match-up will be a lot like Monday's game against the LA Kings: a tightly contested, physical affair that has the atmosphere of a playoff game. And like on Monday, the Flames will need to rely on their skating to come away with two points.
"Our speed and our play in their zone. That’s the most important thing," Hartley said. "Our forechecking game, to be on the puck, to try to prevent their [defence] from getting the puck to their forwards, that’s going to be a huge key. Taking them away from our zone will obviously give us an advantage in tonight’s game, that’s for sure."
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Anaheim Ducks head coach Bruce Boudreau has kept a close eye on the Flames throughout the season and he has been extremely impressed with the gumption the team shows on a nightly basis.
"What I notice is that they don't quit and they believe they can win every game, not matter what the situation is," he said after the Ducks pre-game skate. "If they're down a goal or two in the third period, it doesn't matter. They just press on.
"When you've got a lot of young guys like they do and they just believe that they can do it all the time - they've been on teams like that - and no one puts fear into you? Those are the toughest teams to beat and that's why they're going to be a tough opponent for us and everybody else for the rest of the year."
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Joni Ortio will get his fifth consecutive start tonight and the rookie netminder is hoping to spark the Flames to their first win in Anaheim since 2004.
"I’ve never set foot in this building before so I hope I don’t have the curse on me," he grinned. "We know it’s going to be a hard fought battle, similar to the game we played in LA, kind of have that playoff feel to it. They’re a big team. They’re tough. We’ve got to step up to the plate and match their intensity."
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"Spooner has played well for us but at the same time Raphael Diaz has played well for us as well," Hartley explained. "There’s always a respect factor that comes in especially when Raffi has been good on the ice, unbelievable in practice, his work habits, his attitude.
"As a coaching staff I think those are values we have to respect and that’s why he’s in the lineup."
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"I thought that we got great chemistry between Jooris, Gaudreau and Huds," Hartley said of his lines. "We’ll reunite them. I really like Mason Raymond’s game last game in LA with Backs and Colby. I think that there’s good match-ups and skills between those three. I like it. Boums, Monny and Jonesy, they’re the up-and-down line and they’ve done good and I thought Bols, Bysy and Staj gave us a pretty solid game in LA."
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"He wants the net and now he’s getting the chance and taking advantage of it. He’s shown us he’s not a morning glory." - Bob Hartley on Joni Ortio
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The Quest stands upon the edge of a knife. Stray but a little, and it will fail, to the ruin of all. Yet hope remains while the Company is true. Go Flames Go!
No, squeaking out two overtime wins, on the back of the best goaltending this club has had in years, does not tell me that the team is playoff-bound.
Especially when it follows hard on the heels of an extended 8-game losing skid that saw them fall to teams like Buffalo and Toronto. Remember that? It was like a couple of weeks ago.
But yes, if they can take a road win against the best team in the NHL right now, hot goaltending or not, that tells me something.
I get what you are saying but how is beating Anaheim any more important then beating Vancouver, San Jose, and L.A.
The 8 game losing streak was just as unsustainable (and unlucky) based on advanced stats as some of the good play has been.
Hard to say who the "real" Flames are.
The team that went 0-7-1 on the back of a low shooting percentage and a bad save percentage (also unsustainable due to advanced stats)
Or the team that is 25-11-2 the rest of the season, when they have gotten strong goaltending and been able to score at a decent pace.
I think we might see how much we would miss Glencross tonight if he were traded or not re-signed. I thought he was a big absence against a physical, grinding LA team, in particular they owned the point on our LW seemingly all night.
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must show all Flames games nationally when they play on Saturdays, Mondays, and Wednesdays !!!
