Colorado 3 Colorado 2
Just what, exactly, is the worst lead in hockey?
For the Flames, it seems to be any lead that is amassed in the first period. The Home team roared out to a 2-0 lead within the first two minutes of the game, but would fail to bulge the twine again for the remainder of the game, and in the end would fall 3-2 to an Avalanche club that has the hockey world buzzing of late.
On The Line
The chance to test themselves against the NHL’s new top dog, and test the mettle of Craig Anderson–the NHL’s newest goaltending sensation. In a way, more is at stake here than in any of the prior divisional matchups. The Flames put their 5-0 divisional record to the test tonight, and have a chance to make up some ground on the surprising Avalanche. It may be a rare to hear these three words in October, but I’ll set them down anyway: four point game.
The Flow
Things started well enough–a quick wrister from Jarome Iginla finds five-hole on the much-vaunted Anderson, and then a spin-around shot from a poor angle gets Olli Jokinen on the scoresheet just 15 seconds later. The visitors found themselves staring down the barrel of a 2-0 deficit–but anyone who has watched the Flames this year knows that 58 minutes is plenty of time for the Flames to let a team back into the game. Sure enough, David Koci would respond halfway through the opening frame, and David Jones would tie the game on a diving play from the goal-line–and the teams would head into the dressing room tied, with the Flames maybe shaking their heads just a little bit.
The second was very close to a statement period for Calgary. They controlled the play, drew penalties, fired a ton off rubber at the net–but failed to solve Craig Anderson in spite of outshooting their opponents 12-4. Two Flames’ powerplays generated significant scoring chances–but in the end, the only thing that matters is results, and Calgary would skate to the dressing room tied with an opponent that only had 10 shots on net through two periods.
The third was a period that the Flames needed to dominate early; they didn’t. The shots were even in the early going, and an early Colorado powerplay tipped the momentum in their favour until Wojtek Wolski would score the go-ahead goal. After that, the visitors retreated into a defensive shell, relying on the upstart Anderson to turn away 12 third-period shots and earn his team their tenth victory of the season and solidifying their place atop the Northwest division standings.
Three Stars
- Craig Anderson: Making 30 saves is almost a routine night for Anderson these days, but it’s still worth noting that his team was outshot better than 2-1 and came away with the win. Sometimes you run into a hot goalie–and you just have to shake it off and move on.
- Wojtek Wolski: Scored the game winner in the third, and was dangerous on a number of other occasions.
- Brett Clark: Assisted on the Avs first goal and made several outstanding defensive plays.
Big Save
On a third-period power-play, Rene Bourque tried the quick wrister to the glove side, only to be robbed by the NHL’s newest phenom. Is this guy for real? Only time will tell—but he made some impressive saves in this game, and stole a game for the Avs in which they were outshot by better than a 2-1 margin.
Big Hit
Robyn Regehr caught T.J. Galiardi moving across his own blueline, sending the young forward to the dressing room and ending his evening. You hate to see a guy get hurt, but you also hope that it’s your team that metes out the most punishment.
The Goat
Dion Phaneuf. Late in the game, with your own net empty and your team moving through the neutral zone with speed–this is a situation in which there is but one commandment: do not ice the puck. Phaneuf broke that rule, eating precious seconds off the clock and all but killing any hope of a Flames’ comeback
Mr. Clutch
Not a spectacular play, but once in a while it is the smaller details that merit praise and attention. With the game tied, and the Avs on the PP, Eric Nystrom would fall to block a shot from Kyle Quincey to keep the score knotted at two. It’s one of those little things that Eric Nystrom does very well, and in this case he was instrumental in what turned out to be a strong night on the PK for the boys in red.
Odds and Ends
Due to technical difficulties, I listened to part of this game on the radio, and I have to say that Peter Maher still has it. He calls the game with enthusiasm, and really helps you to “see” the action in your mind. He’s one of the best in the business, though “T.J. Giliardi” may disagree–whoever that is… This was one of those games that makes you say “careful what you wish for.” Think of the Flames’ goals coming out of Edmonton: more scoring from top players? Check. Fewer penalties? Check. Better penalty killing, and more attention to detail in our zone? Check and check. I think that this is a situation where the team needs to think carefully about the positives rather than dwelling on the negatives. They did a lot of things right in this game, and they should build on those in order to have success over the next 71 games… On the other hand, I’m still unconvinced by Calgary’s killer instinct. Good teams find a way to bury their opponents when they’re spotted an early lead, and Calgary doesn’t defend leads well at all. That’s something that will have to change… Is it me or did Kiprusoff not play badly at all, in spite of giving up 3 on 14 shots? Sometimes it’s the quality of the chances that makes all the difference, and it’s hard to fault him on at least two of those.
Next Up
The Detroit Red Wings roll into town Saturday, for the second half of Hockey Night in Canada’s double-header. Detroit’s had a rocky start, but their last game against Vancouver may indicate that they are finally righting the ship.
Lines (To Start):
Bourque – Langkow – Iginla
Dawes – Jokinen – Sjostrom
Glencross – Conroy – Moss
Prust – Nystrom – McGrattan
Phaneuf – Regehr
Sarich – Buowmeester
Giordano – Pardy
