How do we fix our putrid 3 on 3 OT play?

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Originally Posted by dammage79

I believe the simplest answer is the correct answer, get better players? That's probably the simplest answer.

It's that or just win in regulation instead.

I feel the team gets to OT and just feels they can't win. No jump in their step in OT, playing like they know the L's coming.

[Bonded]

3 on 3 is where the Flames lack of skill really shows. Can’t grind out a defensive win in OT

[heep223]

Kadri was terrible in OT. Controller disconnect. He’s such an infuriating player because he was one of the team’s only good players in regulation. Then just completely and I mean completely mails it in in OT

[Inferno]

Originally Posted by heep223

Kadri was terrible in OT.

I think everyone but Wolf was terrible in OT. That was embarrassing to watch.

When Weegar came in and lost possession right away in OT it reminded me of that time I think Hanifin came in and took an unnessessary dinky little shot on net in OT when the other players were changing and then the other team came right back and scored.

[Hot_Flatus]

Fix it? There is no fixing it with the group rostered this year. It's a miracle they are where they are with elite goaltending and pretty good coaching this season.

It's effectively a team with a second line and a bunch of third liners right now and the expectation is to what, compete with players like Quinn Hughes in an OT skill fest? You can't coach around not having a single player with more than 50 points yet or having any forward that will eclipse 70 when the season is done.

[TheIronMaiden]

Good thing there isn't 3 on 3 in the playoffs.

[Bingo]

A big part of it is managing line changes.

The Weegar/Huberdeau/Kadri trio took the puck up the ice 35 seconds into the overtime period and none of them changed.

Turned the puck over, hemmed in, and then a monster shift and the team never recovered.

At 30-35 seconds you need to make decisions on the down side of what if, not the lets score a goal side of what if.

[Bandwagon Surfer]

I think of we can get our 3v3 to be pretty strong if we can pull off 2-3 more drafts with similar returns as 2024 and have the patience to develop our prospects property.

[Monahammer]

Originally Posted by Bandwagon Surfer

I think of we can get our 3v3 to be pretty strong if we can pull off 2-3 more drafts with similar returns as 2024 and have the patience to develop our prospects property.

Absolutely agree. Would have been very helpful if management didn't get so starry eyed about sneaking into the playoffs this season to trade and optimize some assets heading into the next draft. Alas.

[drewtastic]

To preface my post: I am not making a comment on Huska, negatively or positively.

At the STH event prior to the season's start (can't remember if it was this season or last), Huska described the way the team wanted to play as being "defensively structured" but to allow some degree of creativity on offence.

Two questions:
(1) What actually *is* the Flames' "defensive structure"? I honestly don't know what I'm supposed to be watching for. I compare it to Sutter's structure where (regardless of what one might think of it) I understood where players were supposed to be in the D-Zone. I am hoping the younger people on here / smart analytics-types can explain it to me.

(2) I wonder if the "creativity" allowance is a bridge too far for some players, given (a) the current talent level and (b) the youth. Perhaps some more deliberate structure offensively would improve scoring and also help the OT woes...(?)

[Goriders]

Need some faster players or don’t put the slower guys like Weegar out in OT. Too much space for slow guys.

[Bingo]

Originally Posted by Monahammer

Absolutely agree. Would have been very helpful if management didn't get so starry eyed about sneaking into the playoffs this season to trade and optimize some assets heading into the next draft. Alas.

How starry eyed do you need to be when you're in an actual playoff position on March 13th?

I remember when the Oilers, out of the playoffs, went crazy at the 2006 deadline and it worked.

But I would advise against that line of thinking. That was starry eyed.

[Igottago]

We don't have the horses. Look how much possession Quinn Hughes had. The Flames don't have players with that level of skill right now. It will hopefully improve in the coming years, but the Flames just don't have the players to dominate that format yet.

[Burning Beard]

Originally Posted by Igottago

We don't have the horses. Look how much possession Quinn Hughes had. The Flames don't have players with that level of skill right now. It will hopefully improve in the coming years, but the Flames just don't have the players to dominate that format yet.

I just posted similar in the PGT, but this team would look a whole lot different if Parekh lives up to his potential. A puck moving Dman is something they are sorely missing and Conroy has seemingly gone to great lengths to address.

[kyuss275]

Originally Posted by Goriders

Need some faster players or don’t put the slower guys like Weegar out in OT. Too much space for slow guys.

Then What d man are you putting out? Anderson is just as slow if not slower . The other d man don’t have the skill to play 3 on 3. The truth of the matter is flames don’t have the personnel for 3 on 3. Look at Hughes last night . He played almost the entire OT without missing a beat. Flames don’t have anybody on roster even close to that this year. Next year hopefully will be a different story with a certain dman that was drafted number 9.

[Macindoc]

Practice? Start each faceoff with 2 centres then swap one off after winning the draw? Don't play players who are fighting the puck? Tell players to not try to stickhandle through the other team when 1 on 3, and circle back instead? Don't take low percentage shots or try to pass through someone? Make line changes after 30 seconds when you have the puck rather than waiting until you are dog tired and just lost possession? Have the goaltender more active in passing?

Mostly, it's lack of practice and lack of talent.

[MacDaddy77]

Originally Posted by Tbull8

Parekh and Mews are going to be animals in 3 on 3

Paired with McKenna

[Goriders]

Originally Posted by kyuss275

Then What d man are you putting out? Anderson is just as slow if not slower . The other d man don’t have the skill to play 3 on 3. The truth of the matter is flames don’t have the personnel for 3 on 3. Look at Hughes last night . He played almost the entire OT without missing a beat. Flames don’t have anybody on roster even close to that this year. Next year hopefully will be a different story with a certain dman that was drafted number 9.

I came to the same conclusion last night. So my answer is I don’t know.

I’m just a critic.

[Goriders]

Originally Posted by Macindoc

Practice? Start each faceoff with 2 centres then swap one off after winning the draw? Don't play players who are fighting the puck? Tell players to not try to stickhandle through the other team when 1 on 3, and circle back instead? Don't take low percentage shots or try to pass through someone? Make line changes after 30 seconds when you have the puck rather than waiting until you are dog tired and just lost possession? Have the goaltender more active in passing?

Mostly, it's lack of practice and lack of talent.

Add in hit the net when you take a shot so it’s not an automatic 2 on 1 the other way.

[camm13]

Originally Posted by gvitaly

Who is that someone?

Here is the face-off win percentage for our Cs:
Backlund 48.2%
Kadri 47.5%
Frost 48.5% (in 12 games with the Flames)
Rooney 47.4%
Sharangovich 49.6%
Zary 36.6%
Pospisil 41.0%

Can also chose the guy based on percentages in the game played. In the Carolina game, Frost was the only guy at 50% vs one of the best faceoff teams where all 4 of their main centermen are above 50%. Kadri was 2/7 and took the draw in OT.