2022 Playoffs -Contenders and Pretenders

[CheersMan]

With a grumpy coach masterminding a goal differential of +52 and spring around the corner things are looking real good. Its been far too long since we seen the Pyro charts. Pyro, where are you, we miss you and your beloved charts.

[rocketdoctor]

13 hours ago, CheersMan said:

With a grumpy coach masterminding a goal differential of +52 and spring around the corner things are looking real good. Its been far too long since we seen the Pyro charts. Pyro, where are you, we miss you and your beloved charts.

 

I was thinking the same the other day.  Pyromancer get your hashrate in here!

 

[CheersMan]

Gonna go out on a limb here but I think the Kraken are pretenders.

[The_Tribal Chief]

I Curious to see how well Calgary does in the playoffs with darryl at the bench cause regular season isnt Playoffs and we have a track record of going to sleep come playoffs

[travel_dude]

2 hours ago, The_Snowbear said:

I Curious to see how well Calgary does in the playoffs with darryl at the bench cause regular season isnt Playoffs and we have a track record of going to sleep come playoffs

 

A couple of analysts talked about it (TSN and SN).  So far this season we have watched a team play playoff style hockey.  

We are built that way and play that way every night.

A poor game doesn't define the way we play.

Unlike the teams that only can win by getting a bunch of PP's, we win games in spite of them.

That translates well to playoff hockey.

[The_Tribal Chief]

ohh i  have heard them but i wont beileve it till there in playoffs and there Making progress versus getting hosed and destroyed to many times i have seen this and it comes to playoffs and we collapse

[LouCifer]

10 hours ago, The_Snowbear said:

ohh i  have heard them but i wont beileve it till there in playoffs and there Making progress versus getting hosed and destroyed to many times i have seen this and it comes to playoffs and we collapse

We all get it snowbear. We’ve seen the same movie for years… this year, though, it looks and feels different. We start every game on time. We get a lead and we don’t quit. We go down a goal, or 2 or 3, and we don’t change our game. The chances are coming. Our D zone isn’t the tire fire we’re used to seeing. Our physicality, especially on the backend, is intimidating. The C on the front of the jersey could very easily stand for “consistent”… something this team has never been. Hopefully, by the end of the season, that C will also stand for “Champions”. 
 

GFG

[travel_dude]

10 minutes ago, LouCifer said:

We all get it snowbear. We’ve seen the same movie for years… this year, though, it looks and feels different. We start every game on time. We get a lead and we don’t quit. We go down a goal, or 2 or 3, and we don’t change our game. The chances are coming. Our D zone isn’t the tire fire we’re used to seeing. Our physicality, especially on the backend, is intimidating. The C on the front of the jersey could very easily stand for “consistent”… something this team has never been. Hopefully, but the end of the season, that C will also stand for “Champions”. 

 

And I'm not even that concerned about the losses.  As Sutter points out, you don't throw away the good things to get the goal back.

There have only been a couple that really got away from us.  And the reasons are not concerning.

 

As far as pretenders....

Oilers.

Coaching was to blame?

New coach, 7-3 loss to a real team.

Yeah, I get it.  You tune out the coach when you lose the same way.

Nothing has changed other than a coach calling a timeout after 3 goals in 3 minutes.

Even up the ice a bit...as long as they are winning.

Load it up when down.

[conundrumed]

36 minutes ago, LouCifer said:

We all get it snowbear. We’ve seen the same movie for years… this year, though, it looks and feels different. We start every game on time. We get a lead and we don’t quit. We go down a goal, or 2 or 3, and we don’t change our game. The chances are coming. Our D zone isn’t the tire fire we’re used to seeing. Our physicality, especially on the backend, is intimidating. The C on the front of the jersey could very easily stand for “consistent”… something this team has never been. Hopefully, by the end of the season, that C will also stand for “Champions”.

I concur. This time last year this thing was in the toilet. All of the negatives magnified. Then a stunningly quiet offseason that upset many. And the Eichel crap.

Well, here we are.

Didn't quite see this coming, why worry about 'what used to happen'....this kind of turnaround has never happened in Calgary, except for in the other direction.

Stop asking questions and enjoy the ride.lol

Who knew?

[robrob74]

14 hours ago, The_Snowbear said:

I Curious to see how well Calgary does in the playoffs with darryl at the bench cause regular season isnt Playoffs and we have a track record of going to sleep come playoffs

 

Anyone who reads my posts regularly knows I'm generally posting with a healthy dose of skepticism, but this year I’m now waiting to see how the playoffs go.

 

not to be a negative Nelly or have low expectations, if the Flames came out with an honest effort and fought tooth and nail to OT in game 7 of round one, I wouldn’t call it a success, but I’d be happy with their effort. 
 

my problem is I can see effort even if they have a lot of puck possession. I don’t equate having the puck longer than the other team as being engaged because I think the other tan can easily just sit back and clog the middle and wait for mistakes. We saw a lot of that up until last year. 
 

what I want to see is checking. Not trapping, but players hard on the puck making it easier to have higher possession numbers. For me, I measure that level of engagement and so far I’ve only ever seen Sutter get that from this core group.

 

don’t get me wrong, I want the flames to win the cup. I am a realist and know that even the best teams almost never win it. One team every year, and going up against Vegas isn’t extremely frightening, but they’re a good team. 
 

i hope we can get out of round one. After that everything else would be bonus. It’s not even that I have low expectations. I just understand how hard it is. 

[travel_dude]

15 minutes ago, robrob74 said:

 

Anyone who reads my posts regularly knows I'm generally posting with a healthy dose of skepticism, but this year I’m now waiting to see how the playoffs go.

 

not to be a negative Nelly or have low expectations, if the Flames came out with an honest effort and fought tooth and nail to OT in game 7 of round one, I wouldn’t call it a success, but I’d be happy with their effort. 
 

my problem is I can see effort even if they have a lot of puck possession. I don’t equate having the puck longer than the other team as being engaged because I think the other tan can easily just sit back and clog the middle and wait for mistakes. We saw a lot of that up until last year. 
 

what I want to see is checking. Not trapping, but players hard on the puck making it easier to have higher possession numbers. For me, I measure that level of engagement and so far I’ve only ever seen Sutter get that from this core group.

 

don’t get me wrong, I want the flames to win the cup. I am a realist and know that even the best teams almost never win it. One team every year, and going up against Vegas isn’t extremely frightening, but they’re a good team. 
 

i hope we can get out of round one. After that everything else would be bonus. It’s not even that I have low expectations. I just understand how hard it is. 

 

Autter's game is preducated on the bolded.

You lose possession, you check to get it back.

Nothing magical, just that it's hard for the other team to score when you have the puck.

What we are seeing is a different team, playing as a unit of 5.

Don't just dump and chase, but use that and get the puck back if needed.

You rarely see us lose possession on a controlled entry.

If the exit is not opening up space, then pass backwards to disrupt.

If the other team is clogging up the neutral zone, then reverse and extend.

 

You know yourself how often we would just make long passes and not get anywhere.

Sure, we are still getting one and done sets, but that happens.

Win the one on one battles to get the puck back.

We normally have 2 or so lines that do it well per game.

When we have all 4, it's a blowout.

[conundrumed]

16 minutes ago, robrob74 said:

 

Anyone who reads my posts regularly knows I'm generally posting with a healthy dose of skepticism, but this year I’m now waiting to see how the playoffs go.

 

not to be a negative Nelly or have low expectations, if the Flames came out with an honest effort and fought tooth and nail to OT in game 7 of round one, I wouldn’t call it a success, but I’d be happy with their effort. 
 

my problem is I can see effort even if they have a lot of puck possession. I don’t equate having the puck longer than the other team as being engaged because I think the other tan can easily just sit back and clog the middle and wait for mistakes. We saw a lot of that up until last year. 
 

what I want to see is checking. Not trapping, but players hard on the puck making it easier to have higher possession numbers. For me, I measure that level of engagement and so far I’ve only ever seen Sutter get that from this core group.

 

don’t get me wrong, I want the flames to win the cup. I am a realist and know that even the best teams almost never win it. One team every year, and going up against Vegas isn’t extremely frightening, but they’re a good team. 
 

i hope we can get out of round one. After that everything else would be bonus. It’s not even that I have low expectations. I just understand how hard it is. 

I'll argue this to the death. How do you pull negatives out of a 9 game win streak? A team that was in question for the home record, the talent level, the weak D, the suspect goaltending, the zero depth? No identity, not good enough. *panting*

This is a good hockey team. Call it what it is.

[The_People1]

We are a two round team right now from what I can tell and we're one piece away from being Cup contenders.  We are easily the best team in the Pacific Division (to be fair the weakest in the NHL).  VGK isn't fully healthy enough to catch us.

 

- We have top 5 goaltending.

- Our #1 line are all point-per-game and arguably a top 1 to 3 in the NHL.

- we've bolstered depth scoring with Toffoli.

- we play playoff hockey and have the sandpaper to go far.

 

I mean, I like our D but we really are one stud D from joining the likes of TBL, FLA, CAR, COL, etc.  We are one "Giordano in his prime" away from having a legit chance at winning the Cup.  Let's go all in for this player.

[robrob74]

4 hours ago, conundrumed said:

I'll argue this to the death. How do you pull negatives out of a 9 game win streak? A team that was in question for the home record, the talent level, the weak D, the suspect goaltending, the zero depth? No identity, not good enough. *panting*

This is a good hockey team. Call it what it is.

i was just responding to the post. 
 

I was actually complimentary of the team.,I’m saying in other years that puck possession was just that but we are seeing a back check. Other years teams would just let us skate with it and our fans would say we were a great team with puck possession. I was saying that I’m excited for this team and the playoffs and even went as far to say that even if they’re out in the first round but try and give their all I’d be happy with them. My biggest thing is effort. I can tell the difference.

 

that’s the difference between other years and this year. Effort is there mostly. It’s fun to watch. Let us see and be like, oh they made a bad play there, or be like, they didn’t come out to play this period. We are just commenting on what we see. Awesome!!! That They are rectifying it before it gets bad. That’s the difference.. the coach is keeping them honest and playing. 
 

they’ve played great this year and this team has been a good team. 
 

i think they can be a conference final or Stanley cup final team. All I was saying was I would be proud if they gave this effort in the playoffs and still lost. 
 

i read what is said just now and I typed a can’t that looks like was autocorrect to a can…. Anyway. It’s been an amazing ride and I’m proud to have Sutter as a coach. 
 

the team has responded and look great! I’m more than happy with their play. They do bonehead stuff once in awhile. Why can’t we say anything about that? Like Hanifin’s terrible giveaway last game? But anyway, bad plays happen. Some players are favourites and others not. 
 

I defend Backlund when no one else does. So go figure!

[robrob74]

4 hours ago, travel_dude said:

 

Autter's game is preducated on the bolded.

You lose possession, you check to get it back.

Nothing magical, just that it's hard for the other team to score when you have the puck.

What we are seeing is a different team, playing as a unit of 5.

Don't just dump and chase, but use that and get the puck back if needed.

You rarely see us lose possession on a controlled entry.

If the exit is not opening up space, then pass backwards to disrupt.

If the other team is clogging up the neutral zone, then reverse and extend.

 

You know yourself how often we would just make long passes and not get anywhere.

Sure, we are still getting one and done sets, but that happens.

Win the one on one battles to get the puck back.

We normally have 2 or so lines that do it well per game.

When we have all 4, it's a blowout.

 

i think I was referring to previous seasons and not this season. And that was my problem with our puck possession teams back then, but this year is different. I was responding to the message about being worried about playoffs. This streak is great! It’ll end sometime so we gotta enjoy it while we can. I hope we can keep it going the rest of the year. 
 

i just don’t think I explained that message as well as I thought. Typing on my phone is slower than on the computer so some of my thoughts might get missed or I miss an autocorrect that changes the whole meaning. 
 

someine mentioned they were worried the flames would fall back to previous season playoff performances, that we’ve been fooled by a nine game winning streak in the past. And I was mentioning that the puck possession teams we had didn’t always show good efforts just because they had the puck, but I can see how some would think I meant this years team, which I’m proud to see the way they’re playing as a team. It’s the closest to a complete team we’ve had in years. The teams that had streaks in the past I still saw the faults in their game. This team would thrash those ones.

 

we haven’t played down to other teams level of play. We are mostly playing up to our own level. 
 

i was just saying I could see us in the Finals or I can see a first or second round exit. I just think the playoffs are that hard. I’d be proud if they gave an honest effort and still lost. 

[rocketdoctor]

3 hours ago, The_People1 said:

I mean, I like our D but we really are one stud D from joining the likes of TBL, FLA, CAR, COL, etc.  We are one "Giordano in his prime" away from having a legit chance at winning the Cup.  Let's go all in for this player.

 

Interesting article in the Athletic on top line D pairings.

 

They have Calgary 3rd behind Colrado and Carolina in the stats rankings.   They usedHanafin/Andersson as the top line but they noted that we are getting in done by having a top 4 defence. 

 

 

 

I am not convinced we need that Stud dman as we are doing it by committee.   Anderssen is also progressing to be that Stud dman you want.    I am also not willing to lose a player from our current line up and mess with the chemistry. 

 

By the way if you don't subscribe to The Athletic you all should!   Great articles.

[MP5029]

2 hours ago, rocketdoctor said:

 

Interesting article in the Athletic on top line D pairings.

 

They have Calgary 3rd behind Colrado and Carolina in the stats rankings.   They usedHanafin/Andersson as the top line but they noted that we are getting in done by having a top 4 defence. 

 

 

 

I am not convinced we need that Stud dman as we are doing it by committee.   Anderssen is also progressing to be that Stud dman you want.    I am also not willing to lose a player from our current line up and mess with the chemistry. 

 

By the way if you don't subscribe to The Athletic you all should!   Great articles.

I agree with this…also Kylington is still getting better as is Hanifin…I’m not sure you change that group…obviously Tanev is invaluable, can pair wait anyone…

 

the only issue is, eventually we will need to replace Tanev…and that is gonna be really hard to do…

 

also, Big Z has gotten better but he’s a possibility for upgrading…

 

of those two, maybe Valimaki can develop and slot in over the nest two years but we are in need of some upgrades…I’m a thinking Hann is a good option, young enough, mobile, big and responsible defender…could be the exact upgrade to big z we need…and well Valimaki will not be a Tanev type but could hit his potential over the next few years…would be a different look D but still capable, and I think Hann is probably the exact player we need on the D…especially where any of our younger guys in Anderson, Hanifin, Kylington and Valimaki all could be a break out stud D…if nothing else 3 of 4 are trending into top 4 D on any team.

 

im of the thought Hann is the D we need…more affordable to acquire, resign/extend and is a upgrade on big Z…

[robrob74]

6 hours ago, rocketdoctor said:

 

Interesting article in the Athletic on top line D pairings.

 

They have Calgary 3rd behind Colrado and Carolina in the stats rankings.   They usedHanafin/Andersson as the top line but they noted that we are getting in done by having a top 4 defence. 

 

 

 

I am not convinced we need that Stud dman as we are doing it by committee.   Anderssen is also progressing to be that Stud dman you want.    I am also not willing to lose a player from our current line up and mess with the chemistry. 

 

By the way if you don't subscribe to The Athletic you all should!   Great articles.

 

before the pre-season I thought we’d be fine and thought they’d be good by committee. We have excellent Top4 D. But I thought it’d be Zadorov in the Top4 instead of Kylington. I thought Kylington was going to get the Bennett treatment and then shipped out. Then We would find out he could actually play in the NHL. 
 

last year I thought he was ready from the little bits we saw him. I didn’t know he was going to be Top4 ready. But he has the tools. 

[travel_dude]

8 hours ago, robrob74 said:

 

i think I was referring to previous seasons and not this season. And that was my problem with our puck possession teams back then, but this year is different. I was responding to the message about being worried about playoffs. This streak is great! It’ll end sometime so we gotta enjoy it while we can. I hope we can keep it going the rest of the year. 
 

i just don’t think I explained that message as well as I thought. Typing on my phone is slower than on the computer so some of my thoughts might get missed or I miss an autocorrect that changes the whole meaning. 
 

someine mentioned they were worried the flames would fall back to previous season playoff performances, that we’ve been fooled by a nine game winning streak in the past. And I was mentioning that the puck possession teams we had didn’t always show good efforts just because they had the puck, but I can see how some would think I meant this years team, which I’m proud to see the way they’re playing as a team. It’s the closest to a complete team we’ve had in years. The teams that had streaks in the past I still saw the faults in their game. This team would thrash those ones.

 

we haven’t played down to other teams level of play. We are mostly playing up to our own level. 
 

i was just saying I could see us in the Finals or I can see a first or second round exit. I just think the playoffs are that hard. I’d be proud if they gave an honest effort and still lost. 

 

It's hard to tell sometimes what people are really saying.  All we can hope for is a long and hard fought playoffs.

I just see the team as not having the questions previous Flames teams have had.

Puck possessioon by itself doesn't win a game; Sutter mentioned that we can't pass the puck into the net.

Previous versions didn't have the same things we are seeing; identity, checking, improved passing, playing as a unit....

 

 

[robrob74]

44 minutes ago, travel_dude said:

 

It's hard to tell sometimes what people are really saying.  All we can hope for is a long and hard fought playoffs.

I just see the team as not having the questions previous Flames teams have had.

Puck possessioon by itself doesn't win a game; Sutter mentioned that we can't pass the puck into the net.

Previous versions didn't have the same things we are seeing; identity, checking, improved passing, playing as a unit....

 

 

i was on a date and they went to the washroom and sometimes try to fit in some posts and replies. I didn’t articulate well enough as I was referring to the post where they talked about how we’ve had winning streaks like this but still had poor showing in the playoffs. 
 

i think this is a better built team. It has the size I wanted in those previous seasons. It has the grit and skill, very good team D and Top4 and the bottom pair is probably pretty right up there in comparison to some of the best teams. And that’s on top of what you mention about  this edition of the Flames in comparison to others editions.
 

i can see why the team wants to add depth as an injury could be bad. 
 

let’s hope for a long run and keep kicking Hash Rate!

[travel_dude]

21 minutes ago, robrob74 said:

i was on a date and they went to the washroom and sometimes try to fit in some posts and replies. I didn’t articulate well enough as I was referring to the post where they talked about how we’ve had winning streaks like this but still had poor showing in the playoffs. 
 

i think this is a better built team. It has the size I wanted in those previous seasons. It has the grit and skill, very good team D and Top4 and the bottom pair is probably pretty right up there in comparison to some of the best teams. And that’s on top of what you mention about  this edition of the Flames in comparison to others editions.
 

i can see why the team wants to add depth as an injury could be bad. 
 

let’s hope for a long run and keep kicking Hash Rate!

 

You were on a date?  Man, get your priorities straight.

Personally, I can't follow threads on amobile device.

I'm old school and look at the entire thread's recent posts and ones that I missed.

 

We don't have an unlimited cap.

We can only really add a depth piece.

That doesn't really help.

To get a decent piece, we have to send out salary.

If you want to trade Monahan and/or Dube, fine.

As long as we get the replacement to top 9, not a depth piece.

[conundrumed]

9 hours ago, rocketdoctor said:

 

Interesting article in the Athletic on top line D pairings.

 

They have Calgary 3rd behind Colrado and Carolina in the stats rankings.   They usedHanafin/Andersson as the top line but they noted that we are getting in done by having a top 4 defence. 

 

 

 

I am not convinced we need that Stud dman as we are doing it by committee.   Anderssen is also progressing to be that Stud dman you want.    I am also not willing to lose a player from our current line up and mess with the chemistry. 

 

By the way if you don't subscribe to The Athletic you all should!   Great articles.

Yup. Great stuff here too rd:

https://www.theplayerstribune.com/sports/hockey

[The_People1]

13 hours ago, rocketdoctor said:

 

Interesting article in the Athletic on top line D pairings.

 

They have Calgary 3rd behind Colrado and Carolina in the stats rankings.   They usedHanafin/Andersson as the top line but they noted that we are getting in done by having a top 4 defence. 

 

 

 

I am not convinced we need that Stud dman as we are doing it by committee.   Anderssen is also progressing to be that Stud dman you want.    I am also not willing to lose a player from our current line up and mess with the chemistry. 

 

By the way if you don't subscribe to The Athletic you all should!   Great articles.

 

Chemistry is a good argument.  Our pairings have really come together and Hanifin-Andersson really started to do well together going back a year ago.  Just saying though, if one of our D could be elite, then I think that's the difference.  The biggest thing is we have no true #1 Center and so to offset that, it takes a #1 elite Dman.  When it comes to match ups in the playoffs, we're going to be facing McDavid, Eichel, Mackinnon, etc so if we don't have a #1 Center to match up then having a #1 D really helps.

[travel_dude]

40 minutes ago, The_People1 said:

 

Chemistry is a good argument.  Our pairings have really come together and Hanifin-Andersson really started to do well together going back a year ago.  Just saying though, if one of our D could be elite, then I think that's the difference.  The biggest thing is we have no true #1 Center and so to offset that, it takes a #1 elite Dman.  When it comes to match ups in the playoffs, we're going to be facing McDavid, Eichel, Mackinnon, etc so if we don't have a #1 Center to match up then having a #1 D really helps.

 

I am really starting to wonder what a #1 C even looks like now.

Is Bergeron one?

Lindholm is 11th in scoring from C, 8th in goals and #1 at +39.

Selke?  For sure.

#2C by some arbitrary standards?

 

Yes, he's not elite.

There are maybe 8 in the entire league.

[Sarasti]

27 minutes ago, travel_dude said:

 

I am really starting to wonder what a #1 C even looks like now.

Is Bergeron one?

Lindholm is 11th in scoring from C, 8th in goals and #1 at +39.

Selke?  For sure.

#2C by some arbitrary standards?

 

Yes, he's not elite.

There are maybe 8 in the entire league.

 

As far as an all-around game is concerned he's elite in my mind.

Bergeron is an elite center too.

 

As a matter of fact out top line reminds me a lot of Boston's 

All around center: Bergeron-Lindholm

Pesky high-scoring winger: Marchand-Tkachuk

Elite offensive play-driver on the other wing: Pastrnak-Gaudreau.

 

May not be identical in all facets, but its fairly close.