Sid Seixeiro: Flames are a top team in Canada right now

[Bingo]

To me it's mostly positive, and what isn't positive is being recognized by Peters, discussed and being worked on.

Offensively they look much better (better team up front, shouldn't be a shock), their transition is the biggest improvement (coaching, and also more guys that move the puck quickly in Andersson, Valimaki and Hanifin).

The issue is the 10 bell chances they continue to give up ... that has to stop.

5th in shot attempts
7th in scoring chances

good so far but ...

15th in high danger splits which certainly matches the eye test for me.

Peters after the last game talked about how they have to clean things up defensively in their own zone and the neutral zone and when they do he will really like how they are playing.

So at least its recognized.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Bingo

To me it's mostly positive, and what isn't positive is being recognized by Peters, discussed and being worked on.

Offensively they look much better (better team up front, shouldn't be a shock), their transition is the biggest improvement (coaching, and also more guys that move the puck quickly in Andersson, Valimaki and Hanifin).

The issue is the 10 bell chances they continue to give up ... that has to stop.

5th in shot attempts
7th in scoring chances

good so far but ...

15th in high danger splits which certainly matches the eye test for me.

Peters after the last game talked about how they have to clean things up defensively in their own zone and the neutral zone and when they do he will really like how they are playing.

So at least its recognized.

I think that's in part the youth (especially the two rookie D), in part the lack of a real shut down D aside from Gio (without Hamonic), the emphasis on a fast transition Vegas-style and a heavier forecheck (which, if broken through, can lead to more odd man rushes).

[ricardodw]

Originally Posted by Split98

I had a bunch of optimism last season too, but as the season went on it became more and more clear that Calgary was playing the wrong brand of hockey. This time around, I'm actually seeing the Flames playing much closer to what we saw in the playoffs.

There were no teams in the playoffs with 8 Lady Byng candidates in their line up:

Ryan 1, Gaudreau, Monahan, Czarnik 1 hit in total of 24 games played
Valimaki 2, Gio 1 Andersson 1 Brodie 4 hits in 22 games played.

For contrast the Leafs Lady Byng candidates Matthews 3, Marner 4 Andreas Johnsson 2 9 hits in 21 games.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by ricardodw

There were no teams in the playoffs with 8 Lady Byng candidates in their line up:

Ryan 1, Gaudreau, Monahan, Czarnik 1 hit in total of 24 games played
Valimaki 2, Gio 1 Andersson 1 Brodie 4 hits in 22 games played.

a. Yeah, Gio is a real meek player.
b. Hit are badly measured. You have four D on your list, two of whom are rookies. D get hit by forecheckers. They don't as often hit players so much as position them.
c. I wasn't aware Lady Byngs were determined on hits. But cool trolling.

[Firebot]

The highlight of the year was beating Anaheim in the Pond, and in reality a lot of that had to do with Anaheim playing pretty poorly, and Smith still had to stand on his head.

https://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/...ducks-anaheim/

They were not playing well, Smith made 43 saves for a shutout. Even the Flames when the Flames won 7 straight at the time of the stick throwing incident, they were never in the driver's seat or looked as solid as they did against Boston.

[Bonded]

Originally Posted by ricardodw

There were no teams in the playoffs with 8 Lady Byng candidates in their line up:

Ryan 1, Gaudreau, Monahan, Czarnik 1 hit in total of 24 games played
Valimaki 2, Gio 1 Andersson 1 Brodie 4 hits in 22 games played.

For contrast the Leafs Lady Byng candidates Matthews 3, Marner 4 Andreas Johnsson 2 9 hits in 21 games.

Can we get an updated GRIT index of every Flames player?

[Lanny_McDonald]

Originally Posted by ricardodw

There were no teams in the playoffs with 8 Lady Byng candidates in their line up:

Gotta raise your game ricardodw, this isn't up to your usual level of trolling.

Ryan 1, Gaudreau, Monahan, Czarnik 1 hit in total of 24 games played
Valimaki 2, Gio 1 Andersson 1 Brodie 4 hits in 22 games played.

First, the Flames have played only six games, not 24, and not 22. So your stupid little analysis is garbage. Next, the Flames have carried the vast majority of the play this year, and are playing a speed and transition game. You don't make hits when you have the puck the majority of the time, and you don't record many hits when you play a game that relies more on puck separation more so than pinning a player to the boards.



This goes back to the old comparison of Robyn Regehr and Toni Lydman. Regehr was a hitter, but was responsible for the play being so slow while he was out there because of the game he played to get the puck. Lyman played a much quicker game and was certain to separate the puck from his man and then transition it to a forward moving out of the zone. Different players with different styles that generated much different statistics.


One last thing of note, the game is very much about transition and speed. Hitting is not a major part of the game anymore and is going the way of the dinosaurs. So while you may like caveman hockey, that brand is dying out. Get used to reduced hit counts as that is the nature of the new NHL.

[GioforPM]

Not only are hits stats bad because they are done by the home rinks's people (and Calgary has had only two home games), but this guy makes the point that teams with more puck possession have fewer hits because logic.

https://www.cbssports.com/nhl/news/p...tic-in-hockey/

BTW, this article says that hits are usually overcounted at home but Calgary is not one that does that - they undercount:

https://www.nhlnumbers.com/2012/6/6/...hit-statistics

[SuperMatt18]

Originally Posted by ricardodw

There were no teams in the playoffs with 8 Lady Byng candidates in their line up:

Ryan 1, Gaudreau, Monahan, Czarnik 1 hit in total of 24 games played
Valimaki 2, Gio 1 Andersson 1 Brodie 4 hits in 22 games played.

For contrast the Leafs Lady Byng candidates Matthews 3, Marner 4 Andreas Johnsson 2 9 hits in 21 games.

Blackhawks won two cups in years where they had the fewest hits in the league.

Last year the top 5 teams in the league for hits were:

1. Montreal
2. Edmonton
3. LA
4. Arizona
5. Ottawa

So 4 lottery teams and a team that got swept in the first round.

Bottom 5 were:

31. Minnesota
30. Chicago
29. San Jose
28. Carolina
27. Toronto

Kinda looks like to me that having a bunch of big hitters on the team is irrelevant to team success. I’d rather the Flames play fast and have the puck than worry about how many hits they have 6 games into the season.

[cam_wmh]

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

Blackhawks won two cups in years where they had the fewest hits in the league.

Last year the top 5 teams in the league for hits were:

1. Montreal
2. Edmonton
3. LA
4. Arizona
5. Ottawa

So 4 lottery teams and a team that got swept in the first round.

Bottom 5 were:

31. Minnesota
30. Chicago
29. San Jose
28. Carolina
27. Toronto

Kinda looks like to me that having a bunch of big hitters on the team is irrelevant to team success. I’d rather the Flames play fast and have the puck than worry about how many hits they have 6 games into the season.

hahah, just factually ravaged ricardo, like a rabid wolf on a defenseless fawn.

[Scroopy Noopers]

Originally Posted by cam_wmh

hahah, just factually ravaged ricardo, like a rabid wolf on a defenseless fawn.

A defenseless fawn who still tries to kick and bite and you wonder what the hell it’s thinking

[VilleN]

Originally Posted by ricardodw

There were no teams in the playoffs with 8 Lady Byng candidates in their line up:

Ryan 1, Gaudreau, Monahan, Czarnik 1 hit in total of 24 games played
Valimaki 2, Gio 1 Andersson 1 Brodie 4 hits in 22 games played.

For contrast the Leafs Lady Byng candidates Matthews 3, Marner 4 Andreas Johnsson 2 9 hits in 21 games.

Thanks for the obscure, irrelevant stat.

[Split98]

Originally Posted by Bingo

To me it's mostly positive, and what isn't positive is being recognized by Peters, discussed and being worked on.

Offensively they look much better (better team up front, shouldn't be a shock), their transition is the biggest improvement (coaching, and also more guys that move the puck quickly in Andersson, Valimaki and Hanifin).

The issue is the 10 bell chances they continue to give up ... that has to stop.

5th in shot attempts
7th in scoring chances

good so far but ...

15th in high danger splits which certainly matches the eye test for me.

Peters after the last game talked about how they have to clean things up defensively in their own zone and the neutral zone and when they do he will really like how they are playing.

So at least its recognized.

Who knew having a smart coach would make this big a difference.

I mean really, did we know? Seeing last years team vs. this years team is pretty shocking. I know I underrated the impact a coach has on this team.

[Monahan For Mayor]

Also if your team is playing with the puck and has more possession you have less his. Teams that are always chasing the puck will be getting more hits.

[wookster]

Ask Kadri how hard Gio can hit!!

[Bingo]

Originally Posted by ricardodw

There were no teams in the playoffs with 8 Lady Byng candidates in their line up:

Ryan 1, Gaudreau, Monahan, Czarnik 1 hit in total of 24 games played
Valimaki 2, Gio 1 Andersson 1 Brodie 4 hits in 22 games played.

For contrast the Leafs Lady Byng candidates Matthews 3, Marner 4 Andreas Johnsson 2 9 hits in 21 games.

You've actually contributed some interesting thoughts of late.

This isn't one of them.

This was already debunked in another thread.

[goflamesgo18]

Originally Posted by wookster

Ask Kadri how hard Gio can hit!!

Or Dustin Brown

[White Out 403]

All the Canadian teams in the west are currently in playoff spots. It's super early of course but, I think it'd be great to see a few Canadian on Canadian series'.

edit: Spoke too soon Edmonton is just outside with 2 games in hand

[Always Earned Never Given]

Originally Posted by ricardodw

There were no teams in the playoffs with 8 Lady Byng candidates in their line up:

Ryan 1, Gaudreau, Monahan, Czarnik 1 hit in total of 24 games played
Valimaki 2, Gio 1 Andersson 1 Brodie 4 hits in 22 games played.

For contrast the Leafs Lady Byng candidates Matthews 3, Marner 4 Andreas Johnsson 2 9 hits in 21 games.

As I previously stated in another thread, why go for a booming hit and also be out of the play when you can just bump and get into position to make a play if puck is ajar. Today's NHL is about, hi hockey IQ, speed, puck pressure and puck management.

Hockey IQ/ speed >>>> Hits

Honest question. How would you rate the Flame's entertainment value so far this year from 1 to 10?

[Split98]

Originally Posted by White Out 403

All the Canadian teams in the west are currently in playoff spots. It's super early of course but, I think it'd be great to see a few Canadian on Canadian series'.

edit: Spoke too soon Edmonton is just outside with 2 games in hand

I think there's a lot of optimism in Canada right now (hell, even the Sens are 1pt out) but I can really only look at 3 of them as good bets to still be playing in April

Winnipeg Jets are pretty close to a playoff staple team at this point
Toronto Maple Leafs are going to do damage in the regular season
Calgary Flames are looking strong to start the season

Vancouver Canucks will be a big surprise to still be around in December
Montreal Canadiens would be writing their own version of the Vegas story to keep this up
Ottawa Senators should be selling whatever is left by the deadline
Edmonton Oilers will be winning the race they're legendary at