St. Louis 3 Calgary 2
If you thought “the slump” was over, then you may want to stay tuned…
There were silver linings a-plenty in this game, as the Flames dominated for long stretches, including an epic second period that saw the home team pepper visiting goaltender Chris Mason with 20 shots. On the other hand, a broken play, a weird wrap-around goal, and the Flames found themselves staring into the abyss of their first regulation loss this season when leading after 2 periods. Is it possible to lose a game in just 8 minutes? The evidence shows that it is–and the capriciousness of the hockey gods struck Calgary tonight, as an ill-timed meltdown sent the tired and battered St. Louis Blues home to the music city with at least one win under their belts in their three-game Western swing.
On The Line
Do I need to spell it out? St. Louis were losers to Vancouver last night, so win this game and retain the 5-point bulge over the surging Canucks. Lose, and Vancouver is just three points back with a game in hand, and we have a real race for the division down the stretch.
The Flow
The first period was almost a familiar story. Things looked pretty good; a cautious, workmanlike start, and then the bad news hit: Calgary got a powerplay. With David Perron in the box, T.J. Oshie would open the scoring shorthanded, on a nice second-effort backhand that threaded the needle overtop of Kiprusoff’s shoulder and lodged itself behind the centre-bar of the back of the net. After that, the momentum was all Blues for the next few minutes, leading this writer to wonder just which team it was that played last night. As the period finally ended, a rest and a reset seemed to be just what the doctor ordered.
And the doctor was in, as the Flames came out flying in the second period, firing 13 shots on Chris Mason in the first 5 minutes of the period. Mike Cammalleri would tie the game on a one-timer from the point, and a short time later Dustin Boyd would convert a rebound off a soft Iginla backhand toward the front of the Blues’ net. The Flames, after a weak-ish start, found themselves up one goal when the Blues finally found their legs and turned the tide for a while in the final minutes of the middle frame. In the end, the shot-clock would read 20-11 for Calgary, but Chris Mason held the Flames to a one-goal lead with a number of great saves–a fact that would prove crucial later in the game.
In the third, turnabout was fair play. St. Louis came out with their legs moving, and it took the Flames over 8 minutes to record a single shot on the Blues’ net. Andy McDonald would tie the game midway through the period, and then just moments later a weird Jay McLement wraparound would fool Kiprusoff, and suddenly the heroes of the second period were the goats of the third. St. Louis proceeded to show the Flames how to sit on a lead–dump the puck in and pin it up against the boards in the offensive zone while the clock ticks away. Calgary never really looked dangerous in looking for the tie, and a game they desperately needed slipped through their fingers while they fought the puck in the waning seconds.
Three Stars
- Chris Mason: 18 saves in the second period alone, gave his team a chance to win.
- Andy McDonald: Scored the game-tying goal and was the most dangerous Blues’ forward all game long.
- Olli Jokinen: It’s not Jokinen’s fault that the team isn’t winning, and the newest Flame showed it with another multi-point night.
Big Save
Just before Cammalleri would tie the game, Chris Mason would rob Jarome Iginla on a close-in chance. It was one of a number of great second-period saves, and even though the Flames would go on to score anyway, saves like that one can get into a shooter’s head, and this one may well have been pivotal as the Flames needed a goal down the stretch.
Big Hit
David Perron and Jamie Lundmark collided in the second period, with the Blues’ forward getting the better end of the deal. Otherwise, a less physical game than you’d think, given the stakes.
The Goat
Plenty of goat-horns to go around in this game, but the biggest pair goes to Jordan Leopold, who handled the puck like it was a grenade in the final minute of the third period. With the net empty, and the Flames finally mounting a little pressure, that one bobbled puck drove the final nail into the Flames’ coffin in this game.
Mr. Clutch
I like Warren Peters. I like him a lot. So I really wanted to give this one to Peters for a well-timed block in the second period that kept the score 2-1. However, given the outcome, Brad Winchester’s sliding block on Jim Vandermeer’s third-period point shot, which kept the visitors ahead, probably deserves the honours.
Odds and Ends
Adam Pardy drew into the lineup here, this time as a forward. Ordinarily this is Jim Vandermer’s role, but Pardy acquitted himself well with limited ice time in this one… This is one loss that probably can’t be pinned on Miikka Kiprusoff, as the third-period meltdown is really one to be laid at the feet of the big line, who stayed out a bit too long and then got pinned in their own end… Speaking of the big line, it seemed as though Keenan was trying out different wingers on that unit, with Glencross, Boyd and Cammalleri all getting a chance to play with the big boys… Iginla and Jokinen recorded two assists each, and one silver lining is that it seems clear that this team really does have a unit that can be counted on for goals in the clutch, regardless of who that final winger turns out to be.
Next Up
The league-leading Red Wings roll into town on Monday night. It doesn’t get any easier, does it? TSN has the call in this one.
Lines (To Start):
Glencross – Jokinen – Iginla
Cammalleri – Langkow – Lundmark
Boyd – Conroy – Moss
Nystrom – Peters – Pardy
Phaneuf – Leopold
Vandermeer – Sarich
Aucoin – Regehr
