I don’t have a lot of beefs with the rules of hockey these days. I could stand to see the instigator rule disappear, and I think the trapezoid behind each net is unnecessary, but these are minor quibbles that I can live with. There is, however, one big issue that really gets under my skin: overtime/shootout losses. The issue to me isn’t so much that a point is awarded for overtime/shootout losses, but that it causes some games to be worth three points, while others are worth two. I’ve taken enough finance and accounting classes to be sufficiently bugged by that imbalance.

And so, after fretting over this for the past several seasons, I decided to run the numbers and see what the impact of the single point OT/SO loss. Perhaps there are teams who are really getting shafted by the current standings, or perhaps it is just the nerds like me who are bothered by this. Let’s take a look, shall we?

In the chart below, you will find the NHL standings through the end of March 16, and comparison standings for two other alternatives:

1. The ‘3-Point Game’
   In this format, a regulation time winner would be awarded three points, while overtime/shootout winners would earn two points. Overtime/shootout losses would continue to be worth a single point, and regulation losses worth none.
2. Straight Win-Loss
   The points system could be eliminated entirely and, much like MLB and the NBA, base the standings solely on number of wins, regulation or not.

NHL Standings (through March 16/08)

Big picture: Only in one place do we see a difference in who makes the playoffs (Nashville bumping Vancouver in one instance). We see a bit of bouncing amongst the tighter divisions (Ottawa/Montreal, Minnesota/Colorado/Calgary), but not much that’s really significant. The seedings would get stirred up a fair bit in both conferences if we applied the 3-point game. In fact, only two teams would retain their seeding in the Eastern Conference. The one big move that we notice is pretty predictable: those pesky Oilers. Edmonton is the one team in the NHL who has won more games in overtime/shootout than in regulation this year, and the 3-point game would not be friendly to them, bumping them to 14th in the conference.

Theory debunked? Is my taste for stats just being fueled by my hatred of the Oilers? Before we settle on any conclusions, let’s apply the theory to another league: the WHL.

2007-2008 WHL Final Standings

Again, if we look at the big picture of who makes the playoffs, there is no difference between who falls on either side of the cut-off. In this instance, though, there’s a pretty big mix-up in the Eastern Conference seeding when using the 3-point games: Brandon up from sixth to second (by virtue of winning their division), Regina down from second to fifth, and Kootenay down from fifth to seventh. Only a single playoff match-up (Calgary vs. Moose Jaw) would remain in-tact. In the Western Conference, Spokane would be the only major benefactor, leapfrogging Tri-City and Vancouver to win the top seed.

So what sort of conclusions can be drawn from this comparison? Here’s what I’ve boiled it down to:

• Straight win-loss records don’t vary too much from the existing 2-point win format.
• The 3-point win format is more likely to have an impact on the standings.
• The line between playoff and non-playoff teams doesn’t shift much, if at all, regardless of the format applied, but the 3-point game can re-arrange the seedings noticeably.
• I still hate the Oilers.

As we had mentioned in our previous blog, we were confident in a win against a bunch of snot-nose kids from the windy city of Chicago. It started out in our favor with a rocket from Aucoin. From there, the Flames seemed to be in total control. So we thought. Jonathon Toews (He says it’s pronounced ‘Taves’, how the hell do you get ‘Taves’ from Toews? So if I have a last name of ‘Smith’ do I pronounce it ‘Peterson’?) gets a weak goal on Mikka and my hands started sweating.

Like a bad scene from the 90’s, the New Kids on the Block were Hangin’ Tough and wreckin havoc on us. Boys versus Men, and the boys were taking to us. We weathered the storm and a former Lethbridge Hurricane (Brent Seabrook) gift wraps a pass to the one person you don’t want. Iggy goes down and shots it past Lalime’s 5 hole (which was wide open for business like the $1000/hr prostitute ring in New York).

Then Huselius rifles a shot that was labeled for the top corner. Lalime had as much chance to stop it as Mayor Eliot Spitzer trying to be faithful to his wife. Phaneuf decides to join the party and scores a weak one past Lalime!

Lalime did not start the third since his performance was as good as Britney Spears at the Grammy’s (but hey, she’s still looks dang good!).

All I have to say is I am glad that the Flames decided to keep the bubbly on ice until the final horn sounded…I hope that another win is in store tomorrow night against the Jackets.

I will let the pessimist in me come out one final time, everyone remembers what happened to the flames last year. Four straight losses to end the year barely sneaking into a playoff position, well this year if they try to pull that stunt they won’t be so lucky. We need to finish strong for 2 reasons; 1 so that we seed high (home ice adv. obviously would be nice) and 2 to gain some momentum into the first round. The Flames need 13 of their possible 20 points (6-3-1) to make the playoffs, 15 of the 20 points gets us the Division title. Like true performers, we need to keep a good pace and finish of with the jack hammer (cause if you don’t, we all know what happens)! We do this and good things are going to happen!

Till next time, this is Hose & Shooter!

Sunday’s win against the Blackhawks was obviously a big one for the Flames. A loss in Chicago and there would have been some serious panicking in the Flames camp. The win places them in a 3-way tie for first place in the tight Northwest Division with Colorado and Minnesota. With only 10 games left in the season, every win is critical and every loss is painful.

Now, a win is a win, and I really shouldn’t complain but this team just doesn’t seem hungry enough. They don’t seem like a team that is ready for the playoffs. Like an unfocused sixth grader in science class, the Flames just can’t pay attention for the full 60 minutes. It’s either a strong start, and a lazy finish (as we witnessed on Sunday) OR they don’t start playing until halfway through the game (in which most games they are too far behind and can’t catch up).

Is it too much to ask to see a full 3 periods of quality hockey? Other teams can do it! With the caliber of players that are on the roster, the Flames should be considered an “elite” team, however, other elite teams seem to be able to play strong for the entire game.

Watch out - if the Flames can figure this out, they will be deadly!

Before we sound the alarms and start preparing for playoffs without the Flames lets remember how good this team is. We can’t forget that the Flames scored four goals last game, easily enough to win the game…so why didn’t they, because our d-core were still in Washington looking for their jock straps…which were later found in Ovechkins locker.

Last night the team was celebrating a huge win over the lowly Thrashers on the bench during the second period. Hand shakes, high-fives, and good game taps where going around when the Flames realized that a player wearing the #17 had other plans (by the way that player got me 4 points in my draft :)…back to business). Like an unwanted guest, he ate our food, drank our booze and ravaged the women. By the time the Flames realized what had just happened it was too late. Their skates were already off and most of them were already making their way to the airport with two points in their pockets, including Iron Mike.

What’s the moral of the story? Work hard for 60 minutes and the rest will take care of itself (and the women will come back!).

So do we panic? Big fat NO! Lets just play some solid D (like the Flames have a rep of doing), the forwards need to keep scoring, and don’t let Huselius try to defend Iggy with his stick, and we’ll be fine. But I can’t stress enough how much we need the next 4 points (against Chicago and Columbus)…which we WILL get. And the only way to do this is to bring your lunch pale, boots and your hard hats (this includes you Lombardi…if you jump over one more shot Iron Mike will shoot you). If not, the button will be pressed!

Hoser & Shooter

I’ve always been a stats guy. In fact, when I was 10 I used to goto Jr. A. games in Olds and take stats on a notepad. Some things never change.

After Jarome Iginla broke Theoren Fleury’s goals record, I took a look at the stats and made note of the fact that Fleury reached his record in a bunch fewer games than Iginla had (791 vs. 847). It made me wonder what the impact of NHL goal scoring trends might’ve had on these two players’ statistics.

So off to the magical internets I went to find some statistics. Using the 1988-89 number of 7.37 goals/game, I standardized Fleury and Iginla’s goals per season to level the playing field, statistically. This is pretty simple and unscientific, but bear with me, it’s just for fun anyways.

Here are the numbers that I came up with (statistics up-to-date through March 12th game):

Based on these stats, if NHL goal scoring were on a consistent pace, Iginla would’ve broken the goal scoring record in the first half of last season, and he would’ve accomplished a noticeably higher goals per game average than Fleury. Not that I want to read too deeply into this or anything. Both Fleury and Iginla have made great contributions to the Flames organization, and will forever be a part of the Flames legacy. Of course, those NHL scoring trends don’t necessarily indicate that individual player scoring would all inflate proportionally, so we can throw the science right out the window.

But hey, that doesn’t make crunching these numbers any less fun, right?

With 15  games remaining in the season, the Calgary Flames look poised to make another run for Lord Stanley’s Holy Grail.  The question is, which team will show up? Last night’s victory against the St. Louis Blues was certainly a memorable one: Iggy’s career goal #365 brings him to the top of the all-time goal scoring chart for the Flames, Lombardi ended his lengthy scoring drought and last but not least, Huselius  finally found the back of the net after 20+ games.  While any victory is important at this time of the year, we should not get too complacent and suggest that the Flames are “back on their winning ways” or “looks like we are back on track” and other forms of self-congratulatory praises just yet. Last night’s victory illustrated what many Flames fans have long known - we should be putting more pucks in the net.

Its no secret that the Flames need all of  their goal-scoring forwards to show up for the playoffs so perhaps having 2 key players end their scoring drought at this point is a certainly a good omen. The Flames need to carry this intensity to each and every single game and maintain a consistent effort across the board. While having more victories than losses at this time of the year will certainly help the Flames make it into the post season, it is the way in which these wins are accomplished will signify which hockey club will show up and exactly how far we can go into the playoffs.

Go Flames. 

Tonight is the night that Theoren Fleury’s franchise record for goals has fallen. A power play goal from the slot — not an uncommon play for Jarome Iginla — moved the captain to the top of the all-time Flames goal scoring list.  Sure, we knew the record would fall eventually, and we knew Iginla would be the one to break it.

There’s not too much to say on this topic: the greatest Flame of all time, now solidifying that claim with his statistics. Congratulations Jarome. I’m glad to have witnessed this goal, along with so many of the prior 364. Keep them coming!

Back in January, when the announcement was made that Curtis Joseph had been signed, I must admit, I was somewhat worried about the deal. A 40 year-old goaltender was not my idea of a great pickup. I had heard rumours that Joseph was looking to make a return to the NHL and Calgary was an option for him, but I didn’t think that the rumours would ever come to fruition.

Jump ahead 2 months… I think this is one of the best deals Darryl Sutter made this season. Why? Let me explain:

1. He has proven he is still a great goaltender. So far, Joseph has played 3 full games in a Flames uniform. His first (unfortunately) was against the Oilers in which the rest of the team forgot to show up. All 5 goals allowed were directly related to poor coverage in the defensive zone. I don’t think the score would have been any different had Kipper been between the pipes. The next 2 games vs. Dallas and Phoenix, Joseph has been superb and, in the case of the Dallas game, stole 2 points for the Flames.
2. He puts pressure on Kipper. Until the signing in Joseph, it really didn’t matter how poorly Kiprusoff played, he was still going to get ice time… and a lot of it. The other 2-3 backup goalies in the Flames system had such little NHL experience that Miikka was going to play no matter what. Now that Joseph is here, Kiprusoff knows that he is not an automatic starter. If his play degrades, Mike Keenan will have no problems letting him ride the pine for a few games while Joseph takes over.
3. He’s had tons of experience. This guy knows what it takes to win. He’s fourth on the NHL all time win list - which is an amazing accomplishment when you think of the talented goaltenders that have passed through the league. He’s also had a tremendous amount of experience in the playoffs and can pass this on to the younger players on the team.
4. He’s a leader in the locker room. Curtis Joseph has been around for a long time and has a tremendous amount of knowledge when it comes to playing in the NHL. He’s a leader for the young players on the team and has the ability to keep players calm in stressful situations. I predict we will Curtis Joseph in some sort of leadership role in the NHL after his playing career is over.