This Week's Column Up

[calgARI '07]

[quote RatushnyFan][quote calgARI '07]
Huge Flames fan here........watch every game, including the four games the Flames have owned the Canucks.  I agree that the Northwest Division is "the shizzle" though.[/quote]
You do own us this year ...... but you're still having problems with Brendan Morrison in OT.  Did my graduate work at Michigan and got to see him win a national championship and a Hobey.  Didn't suck.  Calgary is very, very, very good.  The difference is goaltending.[/quote]

My first every game in Calgary was the triple OT Game 6 where the Flames came back from 4-0 before Morrison won it in the third OT.  Part of the difference is goaltending, but the Flames have a much stronger blueline top-to-bottom as well.  I'd still say Vancouver has a stronger group up front though.

[Lauren '06]

[quote RatushnyFan]The difference is goaltending.[/quote]
The difference seems to be goaltending all over the place for Vancouver.  I'm nobody's GM, but I would take any one of goalies-in-decline Roloson, Theodore, or Biron over Alex Auld at this point in the season, no question.  And whose bright idea was Maxime Ouellet?  I blame Philly for drafting him in the first place.

(This thread drift is totally not my fault, all I did were some twin comparisons.)

[calgARI '07]

One has to think that if Fontas could play, Schafer would put the Abbotts together and let them do their thing and put Fontas in the checking center role which is likely where he'll be next year.  I still don't buy the Abbott's not utilizing their other linemate as a reason for them not being together because Cam has underachieved as a whole this season playing with Pegoraro.  I think it's because Schafer needs Chris in that checking role and doesn't want him distracted with offense and creating with Cam.

[KeithK]

OK. You have a right to think that Schafer is hiding his true reasons.  wouldn't be the first time a coach has done that.

[Cactus12]

Yeh, well, that may be hoping for too much considering how many passes have skipped over sticks in front of wide open nets...

[Josh '99]

[quote Cactus12]Pegoraro is a great passer. I'd like to see him on a line with someone who could bury the puck consistently given an open one-timer. Cam doesn't seem to find his passes.[/quote]I've only been saying that for, like, two years.  :-}

[RatushnyFan]

[quote calgARI '07]My first every game in Calgary was the triple OT Game 6 where the Flames came back from 4-0 before Morrison won it in the third OT.  Part of the difference is goaltending, but the Flames have a much stronger blueline top-to-bottom as well.  I'd still say Vancouver has a stronger group up front though.[/quote]
Good to see some Northwest fans on this board.  Goaltending is massive Calgary advantage but I'll take our blueliners as on par with yours.  JoVo (sporadic but can take over critical games, strong on power play, very physical), Salo (consistent, has a WICKED SLAPPAHHHH) and Ohlund (great, well rounded defensemen, very physical) are all among the best defensemen in the league in my view.  Bryan Allen is developing into an above average defenseman, again very physical, but more of a stay at home type.  Nolan Baumgartner is relatively unknown but has 25 points and is +9 - he has really turned it on.  Our 6th d-man, Steve McCarthy, is below average but improving and doesn't get much ice time.  Kevin Bieksa is a rookie who's getting some ice time due to injuries.  Our defensemen have 33 goals and 88 assists and are a combined +19.  They're very good on the power play so I wouldn't focus just on the plus/minus.  When the Canucks have been inconsistent, it has sometimes been due to sloppy play by Jovo but also a lot of times it has been ATROCIUS defensive effort by Naslund and Bertuzzi.

Phaneuf is the real deal and I do think that Leopold will turn around his scoring.  Different, more tight defensive responsibility in Calgary that is very effective.  Regehr is a big body and a great player.  I'm not sold on Hamrlick, at least given his contract.  Calgary's defensemen have 24 goals, 76 assists and are a combined +28.

I think that Vancouver's d-men fit their style of play pretty well and Calgary fits theirs and have come on very strong off a slow start to the season.  I think they're equal.  I give Calgary the edge in the playoffs due to much stronger goaltending.  Even if Cloutier was back I'd say that (I think he's on par with Auld).

Sorry for the thread divergence.

[Mr. Time Keeper]

Just for the heck of it (maybe in a game in which we were comfortably ahead), I'd try both Abbotts with three D.  Let Chris and Cam go nuts down low, with an offensive-minded defenseman playing a middle-to-high slot and two stay-at-home guys playing defense.  Why not??