It’s well-known that this year’s team has under-performed to a huge degree; that or we’re finally seeing the true state of the team and not the one that seemed to ride its luck for long stretches last season.
Whether last season was luck or not is somewhat redundant now, with a quarter of the NHL season having already passed.
The current situation is that the Calgary Flames are (or aren’t, depending on your thinking) living up to expectations and are more likely to feature in the draft lottery for Auston Matthews than the Stanley Cup play-offs come post-season.