Quote:
Originally Posted by transplant99
No kidding.
The Canucks are a pretty good team with a nice blend of youth and vets...not to mention a G situation that is stable for the first time in a couple years.
Still hate them with a passion mind you.
|
There are still differences.
The Flames aren't using a first-year coach with parlour tricks that work short-term. They are doing nothing risky or special like rushing 4 every time. It's just outworking the opposition and so far outside of Jooris there aren't really any players that are having unsustainable years statistically.
Teams understood how to play against Desjardins' Tigers in the WHL and theres a reason that his teams hadn't accomplished anything since 2007. Remember the 2010 World Juniors? Awful Canadian tactics that the Americans exploited especially on the game winning goal in OT.
The Sedins are back to being PPG players and that's reasonable but there's no way Nick Bonino is a perennial 75-point guy or Brad Richardson is a 45-point players all of the sudden.
The goaltending is only league-average and you can already tell from the (lack of) goal differential that the canucks are higher up in the standings than they should be.
With the Avalanche and Stars taking a step back this year there's 2 playoff spots up for grabs and there's a good chance the canucks grab one of them. Not a top team though and a team like the Hawks or Kings will have their way with them in the playoffs like always.
