"The most important thing this time of year is winning," said the Flames skipper. "That's the bottom line."
- Jim Playfair, Calgary Herald
You said it, Jim. Winning - that's the bottom line.
And your team isn't winning.
It's dropping the ball at a critical point in the season. Falling further and further from the NW Division title and deeper and deeper into the bottom of the Western Conference play-off race.
It hasn't won on the road all year. How does a roster armed with a Vezina winning goaltender and probably the strongest line-up of the past decade manage the second-worst road record in the league?
Baffling roster decisions (Lombardi benching, continued use of Amonte, playing an ineffective and injured Rhett Warrener), continued garbage efforts on the road, poor decision making (why is Amonte the player of choice when the Flames are trying to come from behind late in the 3rd period?) not to mention the overall and undeniable under-achievement of this club...guess what that spells?
Look Jim. I'm glad you got the team scoring. That's great. But really, in the process, you've managed to convert many our of our biggest strengths into our most glaring weaknesses. The defensive coverage is bordering on farcical. The PK has been an eyesore all year. We haven't beaten a quality opponent on the road since November. On the offense side, you've had the benefit of bounce-back seasons from Jarome and Lombo, as well as the arrival of Tanguay and the emergence of Huselius and Langkow. I therefore don't honestly know how much of the scoring increase you can actually take credit for. Some of it may be your coaching. But I'm starting to suspect there's a "confluence of circumstances" type thing going on here that may well have happened under just about anyone...
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It's not just that the Flames continue to lose on the road. It's not just that this is a critical point in the year and Calgary's coming up empty. It's the manner in which it's occurring that is perhaps most distressing. It wasn't unfortunate bounces or a ridiculously hot goalie that beat them in Denver recently - it was the fact that they were vastly and thoroughly outplayed. Outplayed by a division opponent 10 points back amidst a fight for vital play-off position. While their closest rivals kick ass and take names, the Flames put up a limp-wristed 19-42 shot performance. Directly on the heels of pitiful showing against the Blues at home, I might add. Yeah, they won that game - by the skin of their teeth against a gutted team playing for pride. In fact, the victory over the Blues actually reinforced many of my misgivings regarding this club. That St. Louis seemed to be both the hungrier and smarter team was perhaps the greatest indictment of all.
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Of course, it's too early to definitively declare Playfair's regime officially over. He has the tail-end of the regular season and the play-offs to prove himself capable of captaining a winner. But, boy oh boy, have my expectations of that actually happening ever hit rock bottom. The team's penchant for baffling defensive zone gaffes has been building since late January without much sign of abatement. Despite boasting an embarrassment of riches on the blueline, Calgary has the worst GA stat of any WC team in play-off position. And now, during perhaps the most important portion of the regular season, while Vancouver and Minnesota continue to gather points in the extra frame, the Flames are laying eggs left and right. Passionless, mistake-filled eggs. The road record, the dwindling chance at the NW division title, the continued mediocrity despite the roster...
At some point, the blame has to fall to the guy behind the bench. Winning is the bottom line. And you can't fire the whole team.
