|
Flames Steal a Big Win in the Big D
Flames 3 Stars 2
Gunnar Benediktsson
February 20, 2008
Losers of 2 of their last 3 games, the Flames are trying to shake off the late season doldrums before they find themselves on the outside looking in. Throughout this slump, a question has hung over the Flames' heads, and has perhaps provided something of a distraction: are we buyers or sellers at this trade deadline? Should players be packing their bags or settling in for a stretch run in the Flaming C? The answer may have come early, with Darryl Sutter dealing a third-round pick in 2009 for Philadelphia pointman Jim Vandermeer--exactly the sort of "extra warm body" trade Sutter loves to make when gearing up for a run in the playoffs. Would this settle the team down and get them back to business? This game might be as good an acid test as any.
In the end, the Flames were outshot 28-18, but didn't look nearly as bad as the statistics would indicate. It was in many ways the perfect road game: keep the game close, and ride a pair of goals from Alex Tanguay, a solid performance from their backup goaltender and a clutch game winner from Jarome Iginla to a much needed two points. More importantly, their second consecutive win may be helping Darryl Sutter decide what he wants to do with this roster in the next 6 days.
On The Line
Is it too soon to say "everything"? There are still a couple of dozen games left, but the standings are still tighter than ... A loss could literally mean finding themselves on the outside looking in. A long slump can easily mean a tumble in the standings; just ask the San Jose Sharks, who after a five game slide find themselves just 4 points ahead of the surging Phoenix Coyotes. As the trade deadline approaches, the standings seem if anything tighter than a few weeks ago, with several teams fighting tooth and nail for those last few playoff spots.
The Flow
This one started, like many of Calgary's recent outings, with a fight. Jarome Iginla sought to settle an old score with agitator Steve Ott, and it was a good bout until Ott decided to ruin it with a few cheap shots after Iginla had tripped to the ice. After that, Calgary played a cautious, but steady road game, finding ways to penetrate the Dallas trap and although they only had 4 shots on net had two good scoring chances, one of which was Alex Tanguay's power-play backhand that found the back of the net. Dallas would tie the game sixteen seconds into the next period, and after that the Flames looked ripe for a second period shellacking not seen since... well since Anaheim a few days ago. Instead, when the smoke cleared Calgary found themselves inexplicably in a tie game headed into the third, with a crucial opportunity to steal a game in the big D.
And steal a game they did. First Alex Tanguay's shorthanded marker put them up 2-1, and then Jarome Iginla's late goal put the visiting squad ahead for good, leaving Dallas to shake their heads and wonder just what it would have taken to win this game. They're not all pretty--and this one was pretty ugly. But when the buzzer sounded, Calgary had been outshot and outchanced, but had never trailed in this game, quite an achievement against one of the NHL's hottest teams.
Three Stars
1 - Alex Tanguay: It's hard to argue with 2 goals, but Tanguay added to that perhaps his best game away from the puck all year long. He may or may not be on his way to Montreal, but if he is it won't be because of his performance on this evening.
2 - Niklas Hagman: In the dictionary next to "Flame Killer" there's probably a picture of a smiling Nik Hagman, who always seems to find the back of the net against the Flames. In this one he had the all important equalizer in the second and played an otherwise very strong game at both ends of the ice.
3 - Curtis Joseph: This might have seemed like a game without many chances at either end, but let's call a spade a spade. Calgary wasn't embarrassed, but they were outshot and outchanced by a wide margin, and but for some early and late heroics by the 40-year old netminder, this one could have been a laugher. Instead, Cujo gets his first win as a Flame--and perhaps just as importantly, the third-star nod on CalgaryPuck. Hang it on your mantel, Curtis!
Big Save
This one goes to the warrior of the game, Cory Sarich. The recently-much-maligned defenceman scooped a sure goal off the goal line early in the third. On the resulting rush up ice, Alex Tanguay gave the Flames the lead on a laser beam over the shoulder of Turco, so anyone who doubts that good defense leads to good offense should put that sequence on their TiVo. The fact that Sarich did it wearing a full face shield and missing several teeth after taking a puck in the face early just makes him all that much tougher.
Big Hit
In the dying seconds of the second period, Owan Nolan absolutely buried Jere Lehtinen. Was the hit high? A little—but it was a hit designed to send a message to the Flames' bench: “we're in a 1-1 game, boys. It's time to start playing." And when the puck dropped on the third period, they did just that. Honourable mention should probably go to Robyn Regehr depositing Stephane Robidas into the Calgary bench with under 8 minutes to go in regulation. Did I mention I like Robyn Regehr?
The Goat
This was a well played game on the defensive end, but the nod for this has to go to Nicklas Grossman, who was caught flat-footed on the icing touch-up and got beat to the puck by Daymond Langkow, who fed the puck into the slot to a hungry Jarome Iginla.
Mr. Clutch
During a second-period penalty kill, after a failed rush up ice, who should race back to break up the odd-man rush but the much-maligned Alex Tanguay. This guy really has been working on adding that other dimension to his game, and judging by the early returns it seems to be working. Er… that is to say, ”trade him! Trade him now!”
Odds and Ends
Note to Steve Ott: throwing a flurry of extra punches after your opponent has fallen to the ice doesn't earn you the win. You lost the fight: deal with it. The extra shots just make you look like a dirty player and a poor sport... What game was Glenn Healey watching? In the first, with Calgary playing a cautious but competent road period, Healey went on and on about how they "weren't sharp." Later, he berated the Flames for taking two many penalties; at that time, the Flames had taken only two. That's called "writing the story before the game starts." TSN should expect better from its commentators.... The win is nice, but what is it with the second period lately? By far the Flames' worst period both in this game and against Anaheim. Whatever it is, the Flames need to figure it out fast. According to the play-by-play team on TSN, Wayne Primeau is playing with a broken finger, making him the second toughest Flame right now behind Cory Sarich. Speaking of Sarich, he deserves a lot of credit for returning to the game after a nasty facial injury and playing a great game.... Matthew Lombardi looked better than usual, I thought, though he's still not managing to drive the net the way he used to... Mark Smith and Eric Godard rode the pine for most of this game, with 1:41 and 2:13 of ice time respectively. Alex Tanguay on the other hand led all Flames' forwards in ice time with 22:30.
Next up
The NHL's best team rolls into town on Friday, providing yet another good test for this enigmatic squad. Game time is 7:00, and Sportsnet West will provide local television coverage, while Peter Maher remains the voice of the Flames on the Fan 960.
Lines(variations of):
Huselius/Tanguay - Langkow - Iginla
Tanguay - Conroy/Lombardi - Nolan
Nilson - Yelle/Lombardi - Primeau
Smith - Yelle - Godard
Regehr- Sarich
Hale - Phaneuf
Aucoin - Warrener
|
|
