And the Beat Goes On….
So that’s what a physical presence can do for a hockey club. Last night’s victory against the Avalanche was in large part due to the early scrap between Vandermeer and Laperriere. For a complete break down of the fight, click here.
There is no question that the Flames are one of the toughest teams in the NHL - providing they play that physical style of hockey. Normally I’m the guy who preaches finesse over fisticuffs…style over knuckle sandwiches…heck I even take fighting off completely when I play NHL 08 (best hockey game ever btw). But it would appear that the Flames depend upon that physical style to bring that energy and tempo to the game.
Do the Flames have to play a nasty style of hockey to get ahead? If so, how do we stay out of a man or 2 man disadvantage to accomplish that?
The Flames powerplay received a much needed boost after going 29 games without scoring more than 1 powerplay goal at home….uuggh. Special teams has been a very important component in the NHL but as we get ready for the proverbial second season of this NHL campaign, the Flames need to ensure that their powerplay and penalty-kill are much improved.
So the question remains, can the Flames retain their physical edge without impairing their special teams play?
Go Flames.
March 21st, 2008 at 11:49 pm
I couldn’t agree more… if the Flames don’t show up to a game ready to hit, scrap, and drop the gloves, they aren’t going to win a lot of games. Flames hockey is rough hockey.
The thing I liked in the game against Colorado, was they were able to play a physical game, and not take any stupid penalties while doing so. They played hard, scored key goals, and then played solid defense the rest of the night. Let’s hope they can continue doing this for the rest of the season and into the playoffs.