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A few notes on the Calgary Flames and their play of late:
1) This Flames team...it's legitimately good. They have gone 8-2-1 in their last 11 games and are comfortably sitting in a Wild Card spot as a result.
If the Flames get any sort of goaltending -- and they have been more frequently of late -- they have the potential to pull off an upset in the first round regardless of their opponent.
They have star power up front, the Matthew Tkachuk - Mikael Backlund - Michael Frolik continues to get it done on a nightly basis, and Sam Bennett, Kris Versteeg, etc. are extremely nice pieces to have in the bottom-6. Their defense is more stable, too, and they have three stars they can ride on the back end if the depth doesn't hold up.
I think this team is landslides better than the one that made the playoffs a couple years ago under Bob Hartley.
2) You know things are going well when Troy Brouwer has a multi-point game. I'm not going to pretend he's void of talent -- if not anything else, he can shoot the puck -- but giving up two points to a guy who had just two in 16 games prior isn't exactly ideal.
If the Flames keep him the bottom-6, limit his minutes at full-strength, and give him some PP time I think he can be more effective (and also not leave the Flames vulnerable). Don't play him based on how much he's paid, play him based on how much time he earns. Right now, it's not much.
3) Sit back for a second and think about how fun it'll be watching Matthew Tkachuk in a playoff series. If you think he's a pain in the ass for opposing teams now, wait until the intensity picks up. I can tell you first hand -- I saw Tkachuk play playoff games with London -- he's an extreme annoyance for opposing teams almost every time he touches the ice. Refs officiate games a little looser come playoff time, too, so Tkachuk should be able to live on the edge and get away with a little more than usual.
4) I wasn't a huge fan of the Michael Stone trade, and I still don't think he is the answer in the top-4, but he has held his own thus far. His possession numbers haven't been great, however, the Flames have out-chanced their opponents by four with Stone on the ice at 5v5. If he can hold his own with Brodie the Flames should be well off because we know the Mark Giordano - Dougie Hamilton pairing, which plays a lot, will do some damage.
Recent posts:
Revamped top line powers Flames past Predators
Examining the Michael Stone trade
On the Bartkowski signing, Bennett's usage, a PP change and more
Pacific Division bold predictions
Pacific Division breakout players
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