Changing my tune a bit....

[dhsux]

...griping about the gaps in "games played".

I've been annoyed being games behind the other contending teams but the more I think about it...as the Blues win and pile up some breathing room.....it's likely grating on the teams with fewer games knowing they HAVE to go on the ice to win just to keep up.

These players might well be immune to the psych of it all but maybe the Blues are in a good spot with more games played....certainly so if they keep winning.

[ZouMiz2424]

Same, I have been annoyed with how the Flames never play but thinking about it now, they have to go 3-0 in their 3 games in hand to jump in front of the Blues. Even if they go 2-1, the Blues would own the ROW tie breaker

[netboy65]

...griping about the gaps in "games played".

I've been annoyed being games behind the other contending teams but the more I think about it...as the Blues win and pile up some breathing room.....it's likely grating on the teams with fewer games knowing they HAVE to go on the ice to win just to keep up.

These players might well be immune to the psych of it all but maybe the Blues are in a good spot with more games played....certainly so if they keep winning.

In the past I’ve enjoyed keeping pace with teams and still having games in hand on them, but there is definitely something to be said for posting those wins on the wall and forcing other teams to match.
Same thing as in the shootouts. That’s why most home teams choose to shoot first, post that goal, and make the other guy match

[TheJackBurton]

...griping about the gaps in "games played".

I've been annoyed being games behind the other contending teams but the more I think about it...as the Blues win and pile up some breathing room.....it's likely grating on the teams with fewer games knowing they HAVE to go on the ice to win just to keep up.

These players might well be immune to the psych of it all but maybe the Blues are in a good spot with more games played....certainly so if they keep winning.

This quite frankly is an excellent take

[mph6689new]

I’ll add, the Blues remaining schedule has a lot of games in a short time. Then realize Calgary has to fit more games into the same span.

[callitwhatyouwant]

...griping about the gaps in "games played".

I've been annoyed being games behind the other contending teams but the more I think about it...as the Blues win and pile up some breathing room.....it's likely grating on the teams with fewer games knowing they HAVE to go on the ice to win just to keep up.

These players might well be immune to the psych of it all but maybe the Blues are in a good spot with more games played....certainly so if they keep winning.

I think as an athlete it's always easier to know what your target is and to go get it. It's why there are pace runners on a team, or why you train a horse and have them compete against another one knowing the goal is for the stronger horse to beat the other horse, but they needed something there to get their juices flowing and focus. Athletes are the same, so it's natural to want to control your destiny and know the target at which you have to get in by. Having games in hand allows that control as long as the point differential isn't out of whack.

It's a coaches job and it's the leadership and ultimately full teams commitment to whatever the narrative you have is to buy into that. The Blues can't control how their schedule is, or how the flames no pun intended had flames derail their typical schedule. What the Blues can do is try and make it as uncomfortable as possible and give the teams behind them no room for error. That's the best situation that the Blues can CONTROL. So that's the narrative they have to sell and buy into.

The inverse of having games in hand but a large point differential is that for an athlete (really all forms of life), if that gap is too wide, you naturally start to give up because even if it is attainable, the chances at getting there are so low. It's why there is science behind setting goals that can be achieved, but the bar can't be too low or too high. Complacency happens on both sides of the spectrum. If the goals are too high, you will start to convince yourself why you can't get there. If the goals are too low, you will be satisfied and not have much of a need to do more. Pulled a lot of that last paragraph from "Do Hard Things".