Felt like there were forces at play on Monday given how great Rittich was but how poor Toronto's finish was at the same time. Second shutout in two years in that rink kind of anomaly. That said, credit where it is due as the Flames also played well overall, particularly in the 1st.
I think the Oilers are vastly overachieving of late with high conversion rates against the grain of the game just like they did last season until those last few weeks before hiatus and then were exposed at the most important time when they had to execute a strong team game.
It's weird when one player's efforts affect the outcome so significantly. The rest of what happens gets lost and buried.
It's criminal that they ever let a game changer like Connor get into the clutches of the team that should've been at the back of the line for generational offensive talents.
I've been thinking lately that the league has really gone towards "star power" as a differentiater.
It's not all of it. You need a supporting cast.
But I wonder if the 20-25 teams that don't have that guy are pretty much doomed until they do.
I've been thinking lately that the league has really gone towards "star power" as a differentiater.
It's not all of it. You need a supporting cast.
But I wonder if the 20-25 teams that don't have that guy are pretty much doomed until they do.
There is a lot of merit to this, I think. And that is frustrating since it really amps up how much luck is involved in winning. Teams acquire "star power" at the top-end of the Draft, and even then so much is contingent on being in the right place at the right time.
A cogent argument could be made that the single most tangible difference between Calgary and Edmonton right now comes down to the 2014 Draft. Edmonton got lucky. Calgary did not.
__________________
Dealing with Everything from Dead Sea Scrolls to Red C Trolls
Quote:
Originally Posted by woob
"...harem warfare? like all your wives dressup and go paintballing?"
Not hard to understand the win against TO, Flames started on time for a change.
And yeah, the Leafs had lots of chances from midway on and Rittich was great, but the lead has at least something to do with it. I thought the Flames dominated off the bat. Monahan actually drove the play.
The Flames probably played a better game in a lot of areas in the 7-1 loss to the Oilers than they did against the Leafs, but they got the goaltending and the bounces, and a superstar didn't go off on an epic night.
The 7-1 loss featured the Flames
Highest shot attempts on the season
Highest shots on the season
2nd Highest expected goals for 5 on 5
Highest scoring chances / 60
Highest high danger / 60
Highest CF%
Highest shot split
4th highest xGF split
3rd highest HD split
Worst PDO
Worst SV%
They lost 7-1.
Good point, and I saw the game that way as well.
I may be not be remembering it well, but didn't the Flames play better against the first 2 versus Toronto in which they lost, as opposed to the game they won?
As for tonight, I am looking forward to this one. I do think that coaches this year are going to be a bit more 'exposed' as there are a lot of play-off type of sets this season (though strangely, little in the way of playoff-type of emotions). Play 4 games against someone, you better be good at making adjustments both between games and in-games.
I have always felt that regular seasons and playoffs are completely different animals for coaches to handle.
This season is going to exacerbate some coaching staffs trying to manage these adjustments, while also trying to keep their players motivated and on task. Motivating players through the playoffs is probably not something that ever needs to be considered I would say, but it is in the season.
This season must really be hard on the coaches. Maybe I am looking at the season with the wrong glasses on, but this season is going to separate the wheat from the chaff in the coaching fraternity more so than in other years IMO.
I've been thinking lately that the league has really gone towards "star power" as a differentiater.
It's not all of it. You need a supporting cast.
But I wonder if the 20-25 teams that don't have that guy are pretty much doomed until they do.
The outlier there is Vegas. They are the team I keep coming back to. They have stars but not elite talents, but can overwhelm teams that have those differences makers and perennially are challengers in the post season.
But yes, the league does appear to be trending the way of the 80s in some aspects where single players determine outcomes more frequently than they have in recent times. Not great for those of us that grew up believing "there's no I in team" to see things move in that direction.
I always thought the nightly McDavid segments on Sportsnet were a joke, idolizing a player that just plays half of the game really effectively, but if the Oilers can win with essentially two players carrying the entire offense then I guess what do I know about the current state of the game.
I guess it's both exciting and flawed from an objective standpoint.
It's just always felt better from a moral perspective to praise group work over individual achievements in a team sport. That's part of what always drew me to it. The '04 Flames epitomized teamwork in every aspect, even though it was Jarome that was leading the way. He wasn't playing 30 minutes a night eating up other guys time. Every one had their shifts and roles that contributed to the end result.
Mark Stone wasn't even a member of the Golden Knights' deepest playoff run
There was some smoke-and-mirrors in that run, no?
Yes, they played an airtight and really effective system, but it sure felt like they also caught lightning in a bucket. The Knights have followed it up with some very astute decisions that they have had the unique luxury to make, but that run felt like a once-in-a-lifetime event.
__________________
Dealing with Everything from Dead Sea Scrolls to Red C Trolls
Quote:
Originally Posted by woob
"...harem warfare? like all your wives dressup and go paintballing?"
The Flames probably played a better game in a lot of areas in the 7-1 loss to the Oilers than they did against the Leafs, but they got the goaltending and the bounces, and a superstar didn't go off on an epic night.
The 7-1 loss featured the Flames
Highest shot attempts on the season
Highest shots on the season
2nd Highest expected goals for 5 on 5
Highest scoring chances / 60
Highest high danger / 60
Highest CF%
Highest shot split
4th highest xGF split
3rd highest HD split
Worst PDO
Worst SV%
They lost 7-1.
But those shots weren’t all that dangerous. Lots in the bread basket, from all locations including many ‘high danger’
Stats don’t reflect what happened with the eye test
But that’s in the rear view
Go Flames! Johnny is going to put one over the goalie’s shoulder
I think they win this one and the Ottawa games and crawl back into the PO race. They should be a 2nd round team if they can get all their ducks in a row.
I may be not be remembering it well, but didn't the Flames play better against the first 2 versus Toronto in which they lost, as opposed to the game they won?
You're memory is solid.
Calgary's 3rd and 4th best games of the season for 5 on 5 xGF% despite losing both.
