Western Conf Playoffs - Round 1: Flames vs. Hughson's Canucks (Flames lead 3-2)

[skudr248]

[N-E-B]

This one's going the distance I think. Can't pick the Flames to lose, so I'll say Flames in 7.

Any updates on the Miller injury front? Haven't heard anything for a while. Could be a factor in the series.

[saXon]

[Street Pharmacist]

Flames in 5.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by Daradon

These teams matchup pretty well, I bet it goes 7 again, as all our series against Vancouver seem too.

Cept the very first one?

We are 3-1 against Vancouver in playoff matchups.

4-1 after this year.

That can't be right. The won a playoff series against the Flames in the 80's and 90's.

[MissTeeks]

[SHOGUN]

I feel like this series will be decided on goal tending.

[dino7c]

of course we can beat them, teams are tied in the standings and we won the season series

won't be easy though

[CaptainCrunch]

This is probably the last chance for the Canucks aging lineup, the pressure is firmly on them.

I honestly don't think either team is going to be all that physical, but the Flames speed and transition game might be the difference.

The Sedins are still good players, and Vrbata is dangerous that line is built around the cycle, the Flames are pretty happy with letting teams work the outside.

But nobody on that line is especially fast.

If the Flames can start making the slower Canucks defense turn it might be a tough series for the Canucks.

[skudr248]

Cant wait to see Canuck loser fan's bitch and moan when the Flames win the series about how our corsi pdo blah blah blah is inferior lol. I honestly don't want to hear advanced stats come out of anyone's mouth ever again, I may just punch some canuck fan if they start talking about it

[CaptainCrunch]

Funny thing is that possession Stats, or Corsi or whatever don't mean much. The Flames aren't the Wings or the Kings, they don't play that lumbering dump in possession game.

Personally, this year, the complaints about things like shooting percentages etc don't mean a whole hell of a lot in the face of a team that made the playoffs, run 10 out of 11 series in the season, finished with at least 95 points and was over .500 at home and on the road.

They don't award a trophy for best possession numbers, or Corsi numbers, they don't award playoff positions for those stats either. They do award them for wins, and the Flames had 45 of them and made the playoffs.

So put that in an equation and smoke it.

[stemit14]

Going to start with some predictions... Canucks will dive. Burrows will wine. Ferland will destroy burrows. Johnny will take it to a whole new level of awesomeness. Monahan will be even more clutch than ever. Flames in six games. Giordano will heal faster than thought possible and will be practising with the team by the end of round two.


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[AcGold]

I actually think the Flames win round 1 because Vancouver are not incredibly imposing, they are kind of slow and Calgary will have better conditioning. By the 4th game Calgary should be able to tire them out with fast paced games, the more they can turn it into a track meet the better they'll do.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by calumniate

We've had trouble against the canucks lately but playoffs are different. And given the other options for a first round I ain't scared one bit!

Yeah, not really.

If anything, that tide has turned this season. The Canucks won Game #1—the Flames season opener, but since then they have only an OT win to show for the remaining three. The Flames picked up a point in their second meeting and won the final two in regulation—one in Vancouver, and the other in Calgary.

[Itse]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

This is probably the last chance for the Canucks aging lineup, the pressure is firmly on them.

I think the Canucks are dangerous right now exactly because nobody expects anything from them. Their bandwagon is empty, the analysts just pass them by as has-beens. Even post-apex they're still a very good team, and they have shown during the spring that they have a surprising amount of fight in them compared to some of the Canucks teams of the past. And the experience is so much on their side that it's not even funny.

The pressure I think is firmly on the Flames. We're the feelgood bunch that everybody likes to cheer for, our fans are getting crazy excited, analysts love to talk about us.

We can absolutely win this series, but it will take a big show of leadership from guys like Bollig, Hudler, Raymond and Wideman. The guys that have been there. The coaches will also have their hands full in trying to keep the emotional level right.

One of the things that gives me confidence is that we have so many young players that have shown maturity way beyond their experience. Not just Monahan, but depth guys like Jooris and Ferland.

[calgaryred]

Best chance to beat the Nucks in a series is by playing them without home ice advantage, so im happy Flames don't get home ice for this series. Im hoping for Vancouver will be a repeat of 2012 and 2013, but something tells me this series won't end well.

[calgarygeologist]

Originally Posted by N-E-B

This one's going the distance I think. Can't pick the Flames to lose, so I'll say Flames in 7.

Any updates on the Miller injury front? Haven't heard anything for a while. Could be a factor in the series.

Apparently Miller will be in net tonight.

[Enoch Root]

I think the goaltending is pretty even, the defense (though different) is pretty even overall, and the forward depth is pretty even overall.

I think the series will swing on the PP. Five on five, the Flames are better. If they can stay out of the box (not have the refs bite on all the diving), and contain the Nucks PP, the Flames will win the series.

If they continue to stay out of the box like they have in the last 3 games, they could win it in 5.

If the Nucks get 5 PPs a game, and the PP gets on a roll, they take the series.

[Locke]

This Calgary Flames team with Bob Hartley behind them are absolutely relentless. Their forecheck comes in seemingly endless waves, they're going to grind the Canucks down.

I think it goes at least 6, probably 7, but I have to like our chances. This is a really even series but in the end I think youth and discipline combined with solid goaltending will win out.

[d_phaneuf]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

That can't be right. The won a playoff series against the Flames in the 80's and 90's.

its 4-2 Flames

82 and 94 vs 83, 84, 89 and 04