Calgary 2 Los Angeles 1
It was a day of disappointment for three Calgary blueliners. Jay Buowmeester, Dion Phaneuf and Robyn Regehr were all snubbed by Team Canada, the afternoon before taking to the ice to face the Kings and the upstart Drew Doughty, who arguably took a roster spot from at least one of those men. How would they respond?
Dion Phaneuf responded in the only language that he knows: pain. Phaneuf earned himself a game misconduct for a questionable hit early in the game, perhaps heralding the return of his trademark mean streak; Flames fans can only hope. Robyn Regehr had a quiet, but solid night, absorbing some extra minutes along with the other Flames defensemen after Phaneuf’s departure. Jay Buowmeester, on the other hand, played the sort of game that songs are written about–on the stats sheet it was nothing special, an assist, two shots an +1. But in reality, Buowmeester was the steady backend presence that the Flames needed, stymieing the Kings’ offense all night long, and doing all the heavy lifting on Rene Bourque’s tap-in goal. In the end, a 2-1 victory, with a score that probably flattered the visitors, who frankly looked a little tired and rattled in what was a very weird, ornery affair in the early going.
On The Line
Every point matters. But in this game, the eyes were all on four potential Olympians, one that was headed to Vancouver, and three that were snubbed by Yzerman and his staff earlier this afternoon.
The Flow
The story of this game was Jay Buowmeester, and it was the rangy defender who set up the game-opener from Renee Bourque. However, the first period had some dramatics of the physical variety as well, with Dion Phaneuf being ejected for a devastating hit on Anze Kopitar, leading to a fracas that earned Sean O’Donnell a 4-minute penalty for roughing. Three more misconduct penalties ensued, including a 2-4 +10 penalty to Raitis Ivanans for an elbow to the head of David Moss.
Scott Parse would tie the game 15 seconds into the second frame, finding the back of the net from a bad angle, and raising the hairs on the backs of some anxious necks around the Dome. However, the Flames would respond quickly, as Craig Conroy–yes, that Craig Conroy–finally scored his first of the season, tapping a loose puck into the open net after Erik Ersberg failed to play the puck cleanly behind the net. After that, things got really weird. Dustin Brown was awarded a penalty shot on a Mark Giordano slash, even though the Kings forward was at his own blueline, didn’t have the puck yet and was nowhere close to being in the clear. Brown’s shootout attempt was even stranger than the original call. Let’s be charitable and just say that it was… embarrassing.
After a strange affair in the early going, the third period had a sleepy feel to it, as the Flames were content to play defense, and the Kings looked like they were already planning the trip home. Things almost got interesting late in the third, when Olli Jokinen took an ill-advised cross-checking penalty. The Kings were thwarted by a solid PK and some better goaltending from Miikka Kiprusoff, and in the end the outcome of this game never seemed in doubt, whatever the score sheet may say to the contrary.
Three Stars
- Jay Buowmeester: This win belongs to Buowmeester. Simple as that. He was solid from start to finish, and far outshone the other three potential Olympians in this game, including the one that was selected to the team.
- Mark Giordano: Giordano seemed to absorb almost all of the minutes made available by the early departure of Phaneuf, and was both solid defensively and dangerous offensively all night long.
- Rene Bourque: Followed up his three-goal performance with a goal and an assist, and was physical, fast and dangerous around the net.
Big Save
Surprisingly, not very many big saves at either end in this affair–but the honour has to go to Miikka Kiprusoff’s late flurry in the third, stopping Anze Kopitar’s shot from the point and then thwarting Ryan Smyth’s in close attempt on the rebound to preserve Calgary’s 2-1 lead late in the game.
Big Hit
Can we give this honour to a questionable hit? Dion Phaneuf might argue that 5-and-a-game is unwarranted for his absolute annihilation of Anze Kopitar–but the fact is, Phaneuf made no attempt to play the puck, opting instead to go for the big hit four feet from the end boards. The hit left Kopitar dazed and discombobulated, and gave a hint of nastiness to a game that might otherwise have looked like two teams already counting down 2009.
The Goat
I hate to do this, but…. the officiating. The penalty shot awarded to Brown was among the worst calls I’ve ever seen. The misconducts to Glencross and Richardson were unduly harsh. The ejection of Phaneuf was a knee-jerk reaction to a big hit and a player looking woozy. Add to that a hooking call to Robyn Regehr on an obvious dive from Ryan Smyth, and it’s a tough night for the zebras. The officials have to be better than they were tonight, and in fairness they almost always are.
Mr. Clutch
At the risk of repetition: Jay Buowmeester. Having just learned that he was left off Team Canada, and that his replacement would be the upstart Drew Doughty, Buowmeester responded in a way that must have turned some heads at Hockey Canada. He started by absolutely victimizing Drew Doughty with a magnificent saucer pass to Rene Bourque, who tapped in his 14th. The message to the youngster couldn’t have been clearer: Jay Bouwmeester owns you. He followed that up with a solid game at both ends of the ice, highlighted by his breaking up a 3-on-1 in the second when his partner Giordano was caught deep.
Odds and Ends
It may reek a bit of sour grapes, but I thought Drew Doughty looked decidedly average tonight. A solid palyer to be sure, but an underwhelming game on the evening after his selection to team Canada…. A very good game from Eric Nystrom tonight, and a good game from the all-American trio of Conroy, Nystrom and Moss… It’s easy to see that though they have a great deal of potential, the Kings aren’t quite there yet–they looked a bit flat and tired, and perhaps a bit rattled by the coaches’ screaming match that happened behind them… Overall, a physical affair, and I think the pundits are right when they say that this is how Calgary must play–grinding out one-goal wins down the stretch. If the Flames remember that, they’ll be fine–if they start to feel good about themselves and get fancy, this team could easily find themselves in some trouble come April.
Next Up
The Edmonton Oilers, in a New Years’ Eve rivalry revival (say that 10 times fast). Game time is 7:00 PM on Sportsnet West and the Fan 960.
Lines (To Start):
Dawes – Jokinen – Bourque
Glencross – Langkow – Iginla
Moss – Conroy- Nystrom
Prust – Boyd – Sjostrom
Phaneuf – Regehr
Buowmeester – Giordano
Pardy – Johnson
