Can we make the Playoffs this year?

[kehatch]

The wild are riding the back of a hot goalie, once he cools down they are finished. I believe the dark horse will Be LA this year. I can't see them missing the play offs this year. They have too much talent, leadership, and experience to miss the play offs

That's funny since that is what people said about the Flames early in the season.

The Wild are playing well AND have a hot goalie. They are out scoring the competition almost 3 to 1. They don't have to maintain that to keep winning. If they can continue to play well and get even average tending they will be a threat.

[kehatch]

On another note, Vancouver is up by 2 with 10 minutes left in the third. Come on Chicago. The puck is also almost ready to drop in the San Jose game.

[travel_dude]

On another note, Vancouver is up by 2 with 10 minutes left in the third. Come on Chicago. The puck is also almost ready to drop in the San Jose game.

CHI ties it up, a la Flames-style come back from 2 goals down.

[travel_dude]

Just to lose in OT....Grrrr

[CheersMan]

I think baring quite the run Colorado is out of it. Just too many teams to jump in the process and 3 points behind (without games in hand) is big hurdle, especially when all but 1 team ahead of you has played the same or fewer. They're kinda like the Flames 5 years ago. Their leading scorers are Iggy and Tanguay, they're still mathematically in the playoff race, but will have to jump multiple teams to catch up, they have a good core, but not enough supporting depth, and lastly players that have the potential to be playing better simply have regressed to more 'average' numbers. (I really feel bad for Igina. He must be having flashbacks).

 

Dallas has a shot, but I don't think they can match the other teams down the stretch. But not impossible.

 

As for the other 6? Its anyone's game for those final 4 spots.

 

The Jets could either improve, stay the same, or collapse following today's trade and only time will tell.

 

Calgary has been consistently achieving their 4/7 wins this year baring that one streak, but our poor play against the east could become a huge issue with the long road-trip coming off. That's our season make-or-break there. We come out of that .500 and I think we can breath.

 

The Sharks are unpredictable. Some nights they're dominant, some nights ts like they forgot to show up. That could hurt them down the stretch.

 

Vancouver has the injury bug and that will probably start hurting them, but other teams have survived that. And they have a few more games to play with than anyone else so can take a bit more of a hit than anyone else.

 

Minnesota is definitely riding hot goaltending currently, but that's gotten other teams into the playoffs in the past. Their fate will be determined by how long that lasts.

 

The King are probably in the worst shape of the group. Something's gone wrong and they're not playing like they have in years past. (I personally am quite enjoying that), and they're going to have a devil of a time getting things moved at the trade deadline with some of those contracts that no one wants to touch (Cough Richards) to improve that.

 

 

 

The Jets have probably made their big move of the season, but no one else has done anything yet with a litte ovver two weeks till the trade deadline, so any or all of these teams could change. What I do like about our situation is that we don't HAVE to change anything. There's no immminent need to change our forward corps, and whie the defence would benefit from an upgrade to the bottom pairing, we've survived with it so far since our top 4 can all handle big minutes with good numbers and could probably last the season as is.

 

We've got good backup at forward coming next year with Poirier and Bennett likely adding to the lineup, so there's no need to shop for rentals or send our future out the door at this point. And I think that's a gigantic advantage to us in this fight. Any trade can have a negative result simply as the players take time to adjust to one another's play style regardless of how good the trade is on paper.

 

 

 

Also worth noting is how CAL and VAN have the most ROW and fewest loser-points in OT padding their stats. That's also a better indicator of success down the stretch IMHO.

 

 

If I had to guess? Pacific will be ANH - CAL - VAN, Wild Cards - WPG, SJS

 

MIN just missing, Kings behind them.

 

I like your assessment.  These teams are aware of the 56 pts still available on the table, and presently only an 11 pt spread between top and bottom.  That spread can be closed quickly, all it takes is a miniature 5-6 game span of winning or losing on either end.  This is wide open still imo.  This is playoff hockey already in the 2nd week of Feb.  

-----

I particularly agree with the bolded.  Nobody gave this team a second look at the start of the season, they all have chipped in in one way or another, maybe they should be given the opportunity to play this out with the same terms and conditions as laid out in game #1?  Always earned, never given!

[kehatch]

Now San Jose is up by 1. Grr.

[kehatch]

San Jose lost. Yay. It was in OT. Boo.

[darth_henning]

I like your assessment.  These teams are aware of the 56 pts still available on the table, and presently only an 11 pt spread between top and bottom.  That spread can be closed quickly, all it takes is a miniature 5-6 game span of winning or losing on either end.  This is wide open still imo.  This is playoff hockey already in the 2nd week of Feb.  

-----

I particularly agree with the bolded.  Nobody gave this team a second look at the start of the season, they all have chipped in in one way or another, maybe they should be given the opportunity to play this out with the same terms and conditions as laid out in game #1?  Always earned, never given!

No one's out that's for sure. But assuming that the play of all the teams stays similar to what its been throughout the season (which by this point is probably a fair yardstick), I expect the standings will look much similar to how they are at this exact moment before SJS's outcome is known (because they'll have played 2 more games than the rest) But any team pulling a 5 game losing streak or 8 game win streak? Standings shake up a LOT with a couple weeks of activity.

------------------

That's the thing. I mean who do we trade? Everyone's played a role. And really there's no player who falls solidly into the "no way we keep him next year" camp other than maybe Bollig or Engellend. In a way it would be a nice tribute to how hard everyone pitched in to prove "we're not as bad as everyone thought" than letting them take the ball and run it as far as they could. Could you imagine if we managed to get deep in the playoffs with this team? And that's not impossible. As long as we don't draw Anaheim as an opponent and the dead hole of that rink, every team we've played who is in or likely to be in the playoffs is someone we've shown we can beat.

 

Now San Jose is up by 1. Grr.

 

Well at least they only got one point in the end.

 

And we (for once) have game in hand

[robrob1974]

Something else to consider is that IF Glencross can get healthy enough to add what he has in the past, we've basically added our rental without having to risk what they've built this year by adding someone who could disrupt it. 

 

We all know what Glencross is capable of. I hope he can get to that point again. It has been a tough year, so I don't know if he can this year. 

 

Even if a Poirier or Bennett do not make it next year, it's still a year each and every player can learn from and grow with. So in theory, they should be a bit better. 

[SheriforPM]

Cautiously Optimistic? Or wildly enthusiastic.

 

Either way works at this point. I think we will be in. Barring another 8 game skid of course but...

Even if the Hockey Gods take a dump on this team, we somehow manage to fall short...

 

This has been the best season of hockey I have watched as of the 12th of Feb. EVER!

 

We didn't have this much heart in '04. I never watched before probably around '98 or so. 

The guts and drive shown by these guys is amazing to me. Wins or losses, we never seem to mail it in, never seem to give up. 

I can say I have never been prouder to be a Flames fan than I am this year. Yes, even the Cinderella run of '04 doesn't quite make it compared to what this group has accomplished this year.

 

So while I am cautiously optimistic about our playoff chances, I am wildly enthusiastic about the future and this team.

[Pucksage]

Before the season started Calgary wasn't supposed to be in this position according to most of the "experts" we were supposed to be in the Connor McDavid sweepstakes.

 

This is all bonus guys and gals! We are playing with house money! No matter what happens at the end of the regular season this has already become a successful 2nd rebuild year for us. So wether or not we make the playoffs, although I will be very very dissapointed if we didn't, I for one am very excited for rebuild year #3 next year.

 

I hope BT isn't too busy on trade deadline. Keep your eye on the finish line BT!

[Pyromancer]

I know there are still 28 games to play & a lot can happen until then but I thought I would aggregate a few prognostications from pre-season to illustrate the Flames are not who they originally appeared to be:

 

26th - Calgary Flames Power Rankings - 2014-15 - espn.go.com
Johnny Hockey, Jonas Hiller, Mark Giordano and Bob Hartley riding herd behind the bench? The Flames may not be a playoff team, but they won't be a soft touch, and we're guessing they're going to be fun to watch.

27th - 2014-15 NHL Power Rankings: Inaugural Edition - bleacherreport.com
Calgary comes in at the same No. 27 position where it finished last season. A number of offseason moves were made, most notably the addition of goalie Jonas Hiller, but the forward group is still largely a no-name cast that lacks any legitimate top-line players.

12th-14th West - NHL: Fearless picks and predictions - calgaryherald.com

28th - THW’s NHL Preseason Power Rankings - thehockeywriters.com
Breakdown: The Flames simply do not have the offensive firepower or the defense they once did to be considered contenders. They went out of their way to sign Jonas Hiller, who’s starting job was stolen from him by John Gibson. They have budding young talent in Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan, and Sven Baertschi, but they lack the experience and overall depth to make the playoffs.

7th Pacific - NHL Expert Picks: Forecasting the 2014-15 NHL season - cbssports.com
The Flames could get a boost from youth this year, but there's not enough there to keep them competitive with this division.

 

7th Pacific - THN’s 2014-15 NHL season preview: Calgary Flames - thehockeynews.com
The Flames are still outmatched by most teams in all areas, but expectations are realistic. The fans know there will be another top-five pick in the pipeline a year from now.
What if small-man Gaudreau just can’t handle the size of the NHL?
What if the career seasons for Mark Giordano and Backlund in 2013-14 were aberrations?
Expect Calgary to grind out a lot of close games under well-liked coach Bob Hartley, keeping in mind that most of those matches will be losses.

 

28-30th - Breaking down the NHL's Western Conference - calgarysun.com
 The skinny: Year 1 of the Flames rebuild was a resounding success. They were competitive nightly and earned a high draft choice in Sam Bennett. The Flames will integrate more youth, but likely will be in the bottom three of the league and nab another elite up-and-comer at the 2015 NHL Draft.

29th - NHL 2014-15 preview: Calgary Flames - sportsnet.ca
2014-15 prediction: Calgary is deep into the start of a rebuild here. They’ll try like heck, but their solace will be in having a nice spot in the Connor McDavid lottery, not in any playoff aspirations this season.
 

[darth_henning]

Thank you for finding all those and rounding them up.

 

 

That's pretty much what I remembered.

 

I do find it amusing how many commented that there were a bunch of "no name" players in the forward corps with no scoring depth.

 

No we probably won't have any 30 goal players this year sadly, but there are 11 who will have 10+ and the top line wil all break 20. There may not be a real elite scorer on the team yet, but that's a hard depth to argue with when all is said and done.

[The_People1]

I know there are still 28 games to play & a lot can happen until then but I thought I would aggregate a few prognostications from pre-season to illustrate the Flames are not who they originally appeared to be:

 

26th - Calgary Flames Power Rankings - 2014-15 - espn.go.com

Johnny Hockey, Jonas Hiller, Mark Giordano and Bob Hartley riding herd behind the bench? The Flames may not be a playoff team, but they won't be a soft touch, and we're guessing they're going to be fun to watch.

27th - 2014-15 NHL Power Rankings: Inaugural Edition - bleacherreport.com

Calgary comes in at the same No. 27 position where it finished last season. A number of offseason moves were made, most notably the addition of goalie Jonas Hiller, but the forward group is still largely a no-name cast that lacks any legitimate top-line players.

12th-14th West - NHL: Fearless picks and predictions - calgaryherald.com

28th - THW’s NHL Preseason Power Rankings - thehockeywriters.com

Breakdown: The Flames simply do not have the offensive firepower or the defense they once did to be considered contenders. They went out of their way to sign Jonas Hiller, who’s starting job was stolen from him by John Gibson. They have budding young talent in Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan, and Sven Baertschi, but they lack the experience and overall depth to make the playoffs.

7th Pacific - NHL Expert Picks: Forecasting the 2014-15 NHL season - cbssports.com

The Flames could get a boost from youth this year, but there's not enough there to keep them competitive with this division.

 

29-30th - THN’s 2014-15 NHL season preview: Calgary Flames - thehockeynews.com

The Flames are still outmatched by most teams in all areas, but expectations are realistic. The fans know there will be another top-five pick in the pipeline a year from now.

What if small-man Gaudreau just can’t handle the size of the NHL?

What if the career seasons for Mark Giordano and Backlund in 2013-14 were aberrations?

Expect Calgary to grind out a lot of close games under well-liked coach Bob Hartley, keeping in mind that most of those matches will be losses.

 

28-30th - Breaking down the NHL's Western Conference - calgarysun.com

 The skinny: Year 1 of the Flames rebuild was a resounding success. They were competitive nightly and earned a high draft choice in Sam Bennett. The Flames will integrate more youth, but likely will be in the bottom three of the league and nab another elite up-and-comer at the 2015 NHL Draft.

29th - NHL 2014-15 preview: Calgary Flames - sportsnet.ca

2014-15 prediction: Calgary is deep into the start of a rebuild here. They’ll try like heck, but their solace will be in having a nice spot in the Connor McDavid lottery, not in any playoff aspirations this season.

 

 

I thought the Flames would be in the 25th to 28th range when the season began.  I read up on the Hanofins to Stromes of the draft class as much as I could back in September.  Then, when November came around, it was the Zachas and Kylingtons.  But by mid-December, i've stopped scouting completely.  We're playoff bound.

 

I don't particularly like it as most know because I feel the Flames aren't ready to spike up the standings without one more bluechip prospect.  That said, I would love to be wrong and the Flames draft 30th this year.  Let's hope it happens.

[Wreckening]

I figured somewhere between 12th-14th. The reason I ranked them this high was we had already seen the buy-in to the coaching staff and the Flames were already playing entertaining, competitive hockey last season. Coupled with the acquisitions of Hiller and Raymond and yes Bollig had me thinking we were going to be a bit speedier and grittier and have quality goaltending. I always figured they would improve over last year's showing but not this much.

 

There's still a ways to go and I really don't want to jinx anything, but man the potential for a playoff birth are looking really sweet right now. I don't think there is anyone here who could have predicted this.

[Pyromancer]

17125

[kehatch]

Yikes. Last night couldn't have went much worse. We let LA back into the race. Minnesota is 2 points behind us with a game in hand. At least Winnipeg lost.

It's going to be a race to the finish.

[travel_dude]

17125

 

Thanks for the (depressing) update Pyro.

 

Actually it is not that bad.  We will no doubt be battling it out with SJ for the 2nd or 3rd in the Pacific.  I like our chances.  LA still has to win more than 3/5 games all the way to the end.  We just need to make sure we are no worse than 3rd in the Pacific, because the Central has more teams that will be fighting for the Wild Card spots.

[CheersMan]

I think we can now reduce this race to 7 teams.  

 

[travel_dude]

I think we can now reduce this race to 7 teams.  

 

 

Unless they pull off a miracle, DAL is effectively out.  .643 is awfully hard to maintain.

[darth_henning]

The loss hurt, but we're still one point out of 2nd in the division (with one game in hand on SJS). Its not like we just screwed ourselves or anything.

 

The two interesting factorsin this will be: 1) WPG post-trade - I have no idea what way they're going and 2) LAK - have they just woken up and improved? or just had a good few games?

 

7 teams for 4 spots. We still have the second most ROW, and though teams behind us have a game in hand, we're not in horrible shape. There are 2 spots that we have a chance at (pacific) that 3 of the teams competing (WPG, MIN, DAL) don't have access to. And that's what we should be aiming for.

[CheersMan]

Unless they pull off a miracle, DAL is effectively out.  .643 is awfully hard to maintain.

 

Hypothetically, in the next 3 games we could have the following outcome;

DAL, 3-0-0, 64 pts

LA, 2-1-0, 64 pts

MIN, 2-0-1, 64 pts

CGY, 0-2-1, 64 pts

Would you consider this to be a miracle for DAL?  It would be a brand new race with 25 games remaining.

[travel_dude]

Hypothetically, in the next 3 games we could have the following outcome;

DAL, 3-0-0, 64 pts

LA, 2-1-0, 64 pts

MIN, 2-0-1, 64 pts

CGY, 0-2-1, 64 pts

Would you consider this to be a miracle for DAL?  It would be a brand new race with 25 games remaining.

DAL point% was .537

Would it be possible for them to go on a 18-10-0 run? Possible yes, likely no.

DAL is also in the Central division, so they have to either be top 3 there or win a wild card spot.

Hypothetically ARI could still get in the playoffs.

[CheersMan]

DAL point% was .537

Would it be possible for them to go on a 18-10-0 run? Possible yes, likely no.

DAL is also in the Central division, so they have to either be top 3 there or win a wild card spot.

Hypothetically ARI could still get in the playoffs.

 

Not likely.

[darth_henning]

Hypothetically, in the next 3 games we could have the following outcome;

DAL, 3-0-0, 64 pts

LA, 2-1-0, 64 pts

MIN, 2-0-1, 64 pts

CGY, 0-2-1, 64 pts

Would you consider this to be a miracle for DAL?  It would be a brand new race with 25 games remaining.

 

I don't like that hypothetical. Nt one little bit.