GDT: Carolina @ Calgary: 25th Olympic Anniversary; Cool Runnings Edition

What the Faulk

You'll know when you go
May 30, 2005
42,121
3,851
North Carolina
Don't really agree

So far this season how many guys would you say are having a good season? Maybe I had higher expectations for a lot of our players but I would say a lot of our team is under performing and we're still in the race.

And most of those players are bound to bounce back. They're in a playoff spot given how poorly a lot of players have played, and are trending upwards as players begin to break out of their slumps. We knew that Staal, Skinner and Semin wouldn't stay on pace for what they were this year. Staal and Skinner have already broken out a bit. Semin surely will soon.
 

DaveG

Noted Jerk
Apr 7, 2003
51,273
48,856
Winston-Salem NC
Yes, they're in a playoff spot now. Having a 2 point lead over three different teams (two with a game on hand) with 50 games left doesnt inspire a lot of confidence that they'll keep it though.

Wasn't it not too long ago that they had a solid grip on the division lead in early Feb, won 13 of their last 22 games and still managed to miss the playoffs?

I remember that year. I still like to call the officiating down the stretch that year "Operation Ovechkin" if you know what I mean.
 

Oenatzu

Chad-in-the-Box
Mar 7, 2010
1,067
2
Don't really agree

So far this season how many guys would you say are having a good season? Maybe I had higher expectations for a lot of our players but I would say a lot of our team is under performing and we're still in the race.

True. The team still has a lot of undelivered potential scoring in players like Semin and Tlusty. Currently we have four players who are producing at more than .5 points per game (compared to for example divisional rival Blue Jackets' 8 players on pace for more than .5 points per game) and one of them is Boychuk with one game played. While some of the players have been trending up lately I'd like to see even more production from them and especially from the rest of the team.
 

What the Faulk

You'll know when you go
May 30, 2005
42,121
3,851
North Carolina
There's also a difference in saying "we need to do better than this" and "let's panic".

Which do you think has been more common here? A rational discussion about what could be better while acknowledging everything I've said in this thread, or

More points left on the table. This team WILL miss the playoffs.

It's always panic after every losing streak and pure elation after every winning streak. We all know it, most of us have acknowledged it. I get that that's basically sports and being a fan, and the last few years haven't been kind (to put it lightly), but we still need to look at the big picture.

They're sitting in a playoff position. They're tending upwards. The first Western Conference swing is almost over. And they're doing it all with nearly every top 6 forward on pace for a career-worst year and unsustainably low shooting percentages. They're doing it with a third string goalie, and Cam struggling. There's no guarantee everyone will bounce back, but not that long ago Eric was on pace for 42 points as the leading scorer. They've got 3 rookies taking regular shifts, and they're all improving, however slowly.

There's room for improvement, no doubt. There's always room for improvement, and I hope JR is looking for the next big addition. But we're not even halfway through the season yet. Literally anything could happen over the last 50 games.
 

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