[PGT] Flames 5 Kings 2 - 11th in a row for Moose

[GreenLantern2814]

Originally Posted by Benched

I'm a dreamer too....but lets pump the brakes a bit here...

The playoffs are all about riding your top three forward lines and your top 4 D into the ground. Your depth needs to hold the fort for those shifts where your top guys need a rest.

Gio/Dougie and Brodie/Stone can both play 25 minutes a night. Have fun chasing those four for seven games.

The two $6M players on the top line are playing like $6M players. The 2nd line is one of the five best lines in the league.

The bottom six has a nice mixture of grit, size, and skill. The bottom defense pair won't hurt you if you shelter them.

The goaltending needs to be stable, and you wish they hand a better option to play with Bennett and Versteeg, but every team has holes in a cap world.

This team can do damage.

[Duffalufagus]

The key for us now that L.A. has mailed in their season with that embarrassing effort against the McDavid's, is to win in California. I know it has been said a million times, but we need to beat Anaheim in their rink. Just so the boys know they can do it.

If we get that done I really only fear Chicago in a 7 game series.

[getbak]

Originally Posted by Benched

I'm a dreamer too....but lets pump the brakes a bit here...

Since the All-Star break, the Flames have the third-best record in the league, only one point behind both Chicago and Pittsburgh (with fewer games played than both).

Here's the thing, though, it's not just since the All-Star break. Since November 15, the Flames are tied with Chicago for the 4th-best record in the League (both have the same 36-17-3 record in that time), only two points behind Pittsburgh.

[Har-Calgary]

Originally Posted by getbak

Since the All-Star break, the Flames have the third-best record in the league, only one point behind both Chicago and Pittsburgh (with fewer games played than both).

Here's the thing, though, it's not just since the All-Star break. Since November 15, the Flames are tied with Chicago for the 4th-best record in the League (both have the same 36-17-3 record in that time), only two points behind Pittsburgh.

This is great info and makes me very confident that the Flames can be a deep team. Which other teams are ahead of them since that mark? I'm guessin Caps and Blue Jackets? Man that Met division is too much, I love how two of those teams have to play each other in the first round even though it's complete BS for those teams involved.

[getbak]

Originally Posted by Har-Calgary

This is great info and makes me very confident that the Flames can be a deep team. Which other teams are ahead of them since that mark? I'm guessin Caps and Blue Jackets? Man that Met division is too much, I love how two of those teams have to play each other in the first round even though it's complete BS for those teams involved.

Good guess.

Since November 15:

• Columbus: 84 points
• Washington: 81 points
• Pittsburgh: 77 points
• Calgary: 75 points
• Chicago: 75 points
• Minnesota: 75 points
• San Jose: 73 points
• Anaheim: 70 points
• NY Rangers: 69 points
• Edmonton: 68 points

[Jay Random]

Originally Posted by Har-Calgary

I love how two of those teams have to play each other in the first round even though it's complete BS for those teams involved.

It's always been that way, and often on purpose.

In 1967-68, the Leafs finished 5th in the East Division (Original Six teams) and missed the playoffs. They had more points than the 1st-place team in the West (expansion teams).

In 1987-88, every single team in the Patrick Division finished with a winning record – and this was before loser points! The Rangers and Penguins missed the playoffs with 82 and 81 points respectively. Meanwhile, in the Norris division, every team except Detroit had a losing record. The Leafs made the playoffs with 52 points.

The previous year, every team in the Norris had a losing record, but four of them still qualified for the playoffs.

Ever since the divisions were realigned by geography in 1981, the Norris had always been weak; that's why Harold Ballard insisted that the Leafs be put in the Norris, and not in the Adams with their traditional rival, Montreal. Since the Leafs sold out every game, more games against the Habs would not increase their profits. But making the playoffs with a bad team meant increased profits and decreased payroll. Because the Toronto market was so valuable, Ballard had the clout to rig the divisional setup the way he wanted it.

Even with the conference-wide playoff setup, this sort of thing still happened on a smaller scale. For years, the Western Conference was tougher than the East by a significant margin – inter-conference games were won by the Western team roughly 5 times out of 9. In 2009-10, Calgary (90 points), St. Louis (90), and Anaheim (89) all missed the playoffs. Philadelphia and Montreal not only made the playoffs with 88 points, those were the two teams that advanced to the Eastern Conference finals.

This year's Metropolitan Division is just one of those things. And it's worth noting that Columbus demanded to be put in that division, because they wanted the easier travel schedule of the Eastern Conference. They asked to have Crosby and Ovechkin as divisional opponents. If they get bounced in the first round as a result, let them enjoy the fruits of their labours.