Preferred Playoff Opponent *NEW POLL! (Updated 29 March)

[djsFlames]

Its likely that the flames and avs will be the two hottest playoff teams entering the post season.

That said, we got this. I don't imagine us opening on home ice and not rolling 4 hungry, relentless lines on these guys like we have on our opponents of late. The winningest home team in the West and we've outscored that team just about every time we've needed to.

[Duffalufagus]

I'm not all that jazzed about playing Colorado right now. They look really good and Grubauer is playing out of his mind (.955% last ten games). Hottest goalie in the league heading into the playoffs. I have been watching them lately and they are a good club with top end talent.

Also, they have 14 loser points. That is bananas. That is 14 games that go into 5v5 OT in the playoffs. They are not as bad as their record makes them look.

Still think we beat them, but this series is going to be a war.

[flamesfan55]

Originally Posted by Duffalufagus

I'm not all that jazzed about playing Colorado right now. They look really good and Grubauer is playing out of his mind (.955% last ten games). Hottest goalie in the league heading into the playoffs. I have been watching them lately and they are a good club with top end talent.

Also, they have 14 loser points. That is bananas. That is 14 games that go into 5v5 OT in the playoffs. They are not as bad as their record makes them look.

Still think we beat them, but this series is going to be a war.

There top end talent is very high end. But they are not a deep team at all. If the Flames are going to take this its going to be the bottom lines that will need to chip in. Also the Flames defense is MUCH stronger.

[Duffalufagus]

Originally Posted by flamesfan55

There top end talent is very high end. But they are not a deep team at all. If the Flames are going to take this its going to be the bottom lines that will need to chip in. Also the Flames defense is MUCH stronger.

they have been getting a lot of secondary scoring lately.

[Cali Panthers Fan]

Originally Posted by Duffalufagus

they have been getting a lot of secondary scoring lately.

So have we.


Why so fearful? The Avs are still not a fundamentally great team, and their elevated play of late is because they are fighting tooth and nail to get in the playoffs despite a very mediocre season. How mediocre? They only have a couple more points that the Arizona Coyotes and Florida Panthers. That doesn't scream "scary" to me.

Even if they're playing well right now, we've been playing at maybe 85% capacity in the last few weeks and have just as good a record in that time frame. Also, we're relatively rested, and the Avs are probably exhausted after playing so hard to win a playoff berth. We see this every year, and rarely does that team that just squeaked in figure it out all of a sudden in the playoffs.

Out of all the playoff opponents this spring, the Avs are probably the easiest mark for a series victory. No series is a cake walk, but I very much like the Flames chances against them.

[RyZ]

Originally Posted by Duffalufagus

I'm not all that jazzed about playing Colorado right now. They look really good and Grubauer is playing out of his mind (.955% last ten games). Hottest goalie in the league heading into the playoffs. I have been watching them lately and they are a good club with top end talent.

Also, they have 14 loser points. That is bananas. That is 14 games that go into 5v5 OT in the playoffs. They are not as bad as their record makes them look.

Still think we beat them, but this series is going to be a war.

Flames have a +42 goal differential since Jan 1 to the Avs +3.

If the top lines saw each other off, the Flames have a pretty substantial advantage through the rest of the rosters until you get to the goalies and despite the Avs goalies having better stats than ours, the Flames have allowed 18 less GA on the season.

The Avs are a pretty favorable match up for the Flames in round 1 no matter how you slice it.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by Duffalufagus

I'm not all that jazzed about playing Colorado right now. They look really good and Grubauer is playing out of his mind (.955% last ten games). Hottest goalie in the league heading into the playoffs. I have been watching them lately and they are a good club with top end talent.

As pointed out already this doesn't seem to be especially meaningful. Grubauer was among the hottest goalies heading into the playoffs last year as well, and while he has played sparingly against Calgary he has never won a game against them.

Also, they have 14 loser points. That is bananas. That is 14 games that go into 5v5 OT in the playoffs. They are not as bad as their record makes them look.

Still think we beat them, but this series is going to be a war.

But for all those games in extra time Colorado has still won only 33 in regulation time. The Flames have won 45. This remains probably the best matchup for the Flames—not because Colorado is not good, but because they are a team that the Flames play consistently well against. The Avalanche have an average blue line and a pedestrian bottom six that allows the Flames to play with speed and possession. This sort of game really favours Calgary.

[Frequitude]

Tampa

[Jiggy_12]

Its possible to draw up a worst case scenario against any possible opponent. They're all playoff teams, none of them are trash - they all have areas of strength. There's zero doubt in my mind that Colorado is about as desirable an opponent that we can ask for. There's no such thing as a gimmie, they're all going to be hard series.

Dallas would just be far, far worse as we have recent evidence to show that we don't match up well with them at all.

Anyone spinning Colorado as a bad draw for us is honestly grasping at straws and looking for reasons to be negative.

[djsFlames]

Agreed.

Gaudreau's line outscoring MacKinnon's isn't what will win them the series, it's Doc's line and Neal + Bennett going playoff beast mode that will win it for them.

That is where our advantage is. Their top guys will have 15-20 minutes to do their damage, whereas our 2-4 lines will have a much larger window to do their work on the Avs underwhelming depth.

That said, take nothing for granted, and don't look past these guys.

[Duffalufagus]

Originally Posted by Cali Panthers Fan

So have we.


Why so fearful? The Avs are still not a fundamentally great team, and their elevated play of late is because they are fighting tooth and nail to get in the playoffs despite a very mediocre season. How mediocre? They only have a couple more points that the Arizona Coyotes and Florida Panthers. That doesn't scream "scary" to me.

Even if they're playing well right now, we've been playing at maybe 85% capacity in the last few weeks and have just as good a record in that time frame. Also, we're relatively rested, and the Avs are probably exhausted after playing so hard to win a playoff berth. We see this every year, and rarely does that team that just squeaked in figure it out all of a sudden in the playoffs.

Out of all the playoff opponents this spring, the Avs are probably the easiest mark for a series victory. No series is a cake walk, but I very much like the Flames chances against them.

I hear you. It's the ridiculously hot goaltending that makes me a bit nervous. we are a way better team for sure. And, Grubauer shat the bed last year in Wash, so he could do that again.

Also, pretty safe to just make the Flames vs. Avalanche Round 1 thread. It is 95% after yesterday.

[Mathgod]

Originally Posted by Duffalufagus

I hear you. It's the ridiculously hot goaltending that makes me a bit nervous. we are a way better team for sure. And, Grubauer shat the bed last year in Wash, so he could do that again.

Also, pretty safe to just make the Flames vs. Avalanche Round 1 thread. It is 95% after yesterday.

You have to wonder if Dallas would consider tanking their final 2 games to try to fall to the 2nd WC spot. They have the Flames' number and they know it.

[dieHARDflameZ]

Originally Posted by Mathgod

You have to wonder if Dallas would consider tanking their final 2 games to try to fall to the 2nd WC spot. They have the Flames' number and they know it.

The same thought crossed my mind yesterday but Colorado would still need to win out.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by Mathgod

You have to wonder if Dallas would consider tanking their final 2 games to try to fall to the 2nd WC spot. They have the Flames' number and they know it.

Teams do not do this. Athletes do not do this. They no doubt believe that they can beat anyone.

Also, karma.

[CGY12]

Originally Posted by Mathgod

You have to wonder if Dallas would consider tanking their final 2 games to try to fall to the 2nd WC spot. They have the Flames' number and they know it.

Flames 3 vs Stars 4 OT
Flames 0 @ Stars 2
Flames 1 vs Stars 2

Jets 1 @ Stars 5
Jets 5 vs Stars 1
Jets 2 @ Stars 4
Jets 2 vs Stars 5

They've been pretty dominant against the Jets too. Don't see them losing intentionally to match up against the Flames over the Jets.

[Firebot]

The 2018-19 Colorado Avalanche have 4 more points at 88 points than the juggernaut Gulutzan led Flames of 2017-18. Stop pretending like they are remotely dangerous, any other year they would be sitting 6-10 out of a playoff spot

[Mathgod]

Originally Posted by CGY12

Flames 3 vs Stars 4 OT
Flames 0 @ Stars 2
Flames 1 vs Stars 2

Jets 1 @ Stars 5
Jets 5 vs Stars 1
Jets 2 @ Stars 4
Jets 2 vs Stars 5

They've been pretty dominant against the Jets too. Don't see them losing intentionally to match up against the Flames over the Jets.

Point taken.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

Teams do not do this. Athletes do not do this. They no doubt believe that they can beat anyone.

Also, karma.

Besides that, the playoffs are an entirely new season in which whatever happened before becomes almost entirely meaningless. Teams that are hot down the stretch sometimes begin the playoffs and continue to play great. Sometimes teams that are playing great suddenly struggle. Some teams who have historically dominated their playoff opponent in the regular season will continue to do so, while some teams will not.

All teams think they can beat anyone, and no one is scared of the team they are facing.

[The Cobra]

Originally Posted by Textcritic

Besides that, the playoffs are an entirely new season in which whatever happened before becomes almost entirely meaningless. Teams that are hot down the stretch sometimes begin the playoffs and continue to play great. Sometimes teams that are playing great suddenly struggle. Some teams who have historically dominated their playoff opponent in the regular season will continue to do so, while some teams will not.



All teams think they can beat anyone, and no one is scared of the team they are facing.

All very true.

Parity and the randomness of hockey ensures that.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[simonsays]

Originally Posted by Textcritic

All teams think they can beat anyone, and no one is scared of the team they are facing.

It's like that time in 04 when Little Mac (CGY) punched out Glass Joe (VCR) and went on to face Piston Hurricane (DET). Nothing is sacred in the playoffs and crazy stuff can happen.



All told this is the Flames best chance in 30 years. The Av's will get crushed.