Via TSN.ca’s Travis Yost:
No idea what you’re looking at?
Yost explains:
The playoff teams that controlled 5-on-5 play in their respective years sit on the right side of our dividing line; the playoff teams that were out-possessed sit on the left side of our dividing line.
There’s an obvious concentration of playoff teams to the right of our dividing line, indicating that they were on the favorable end of even-strength possession. Our big black circles are, of course, Stanley Cup winners – this gives us an idea as to how dominant a team generally is to win a championship in today’s NHL. Other than Crosby’s Penguins, every team was a plus-possession one, and most of them were just otherworldly dominant.
Calgary, on the other hand, is just a bit ahead of Randy Carlyle Maple Leafs territory.
And yet the Flames have managed to hang around. Since an eight-game losing streak that many figured would spell the end of their postseason hopes, they’ve gone 13-6-0, including last night’s 4-1 victory in San Jose.
It’s a great story. Just like the Colorado Avalanche were a great story last season. Teams that beat the odds usually are.
Can the Flames hang on and actually make the playoffs? It won’t be easy with the Wild, Kings and Stars in hot pursuit, not to mention the following stretch of games...
...but no matter what, it’s been a fun, unexpected ride for a fan base that hasn’t had much to cheer about in quite some time.
Related: The Calgary Flames just keep winning and winning, Part 2