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Canucks, Flames could win the wild West

San Jose, Detroit should be wary of Vancouver and Calgary in playoffs

Vancouver Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo Reuters
Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo can thrive in the playoffs not only due to his talent, but also his physicial and emotional strength, writes Bill Clement of NBCSports.com.

The Flames have their share of positives, but also their share of questions. They could be like a fine engine, but even fine engines have to be tuned properly. If and when all the pistons are hitting with proper timing, Calgary can be a force.

There’s a lot to like about the Flames, but they are inconsistent on so many levels.

Emotionally they seem to be inconsistent, and as a result, tactically they seem to make mistakes. Part of the reason for that is the way they are coached by Mike Keenan, who is an emotion-first coach. When a team bases a lot of what it does on emotion, tactically it can be inconsistent at times. That said, if the Flames catch the right emotional wave in the playoffs, it can take them deep into the postseason.

There are some things obvious to me that support the Flames being an inconsistent and emotional team. At the top of the list is they could finish last in the league in allowing shorthanded goals.

The Flames were really active at the trade deadline. They did the best job of any team in the West of filling their needs. Their big acquisition was Jokinen, who is in his 11th NHL season, but has never played in the postseason.

On the blue line they have Dion Phaneuf, who can change the complexion of a game or a playoff series with just one hit. He’s one of the last open-ice hitters in the game. The bad part of this is Phaneuf is often out of position when going for these hits. The same goes for two other defensemen, Robyn Regehr, and Jim Vandermeer. Phaneuf, Regehr, and Vandermeer are bill collectors because they make opponents pay.

The Flames’ Jarome Iginla is one of the best captains in the NHL, and he’s a fearless and skilled leader. And goalie Miikka Kiprusoff is a big plus. When he is in his zone, there are few better between the pipes. Also, Calgary is one of the best penalty-killing teams in the league.

Calgary has done much talking about where it needs to improve, but few results have followed its words. The Flames haven’t been able to skate the talk, but that could change come the playoffs.

Like Vancouver, Calgary is hoping to have a big say in how the West is won.

© 2012 NBC Sports.com  Reprints


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