The Flames have fallen on hard times of late. With the offense drying up, the defensive game has started to slip through the cracks in the foundation as the Flames, hot off the heals of a loss in which the they were lucky to get a point, headed into Colorado, a team that has had their way with them all season long.
Well, things didn’t get any better on Sunday night as the Flames fell once again to the Avalanche by a 3-2 margin…the third time this season.
On The Line
With both teams tied atop the North West division, though with the Flames having games in hand, the victor would end the evening with sole possession of the North West lead.
The Flow
Calgary wasn’t in this game from the moment the puck dropped. Starting the game outshot 6-1, they then got into major penalty trouble. Taking the first five penalties of the game, the Flames dug themselves a huge hole as the Avs garnered 13 shots and a goal to take the lead heading into the first intermission. Starting the game with 19 shots against in the first frame is a surefire way to set yourself up for failure.
The second period wasn’t much better for the Flames as the Avalanche took advantage of a couple of defensive breakdowns in front of the net, one that was simply outrageous as Chris Stewart was alone at the side of the net with multiple scoring chances and even though Miikka Kiprusoff made two brilliant saves on the chance, and almost had an opportunity to save the eventual goal, but he was unable to do so. And while the Flames got back within one just over a minute later, another breakdown just after a penalty to Jay Bouwmeester expired Darcy Tucker deflected a puck past a helplessly sprawled out Kiprusoff to get the Avalanche to the customary three goal output.
The Flames came back to take over the third, and Mark Giordano made things interesting to get the Flames within one, but Calgary was unable to get the equalizer. So the final was as has been throughout the season, a 3-2 victory for Colorado.
Three Stars
1. Wojtek Wolski: Wolski and Paul Stasny are taking over Joe Sakic’s reign as Flame killers. Wolski started the scoring for the Avs and added another helper.
2. Miikka Kiprusoff: Normally when you allow three goals against, you wouldn’t get a star, but without Kiprusoff’s heroics, the Flames would have been marginalized in the first period and in embarrassingly so.
3. Rene Bourque: Got the Flames on the board and picked up an assist on Giordano’s goal, he’s starting to heat up again.
Big Save
Calgary started the second period with a bit of jump and the tide could have turned for the good guys if Dustin Boyd had scored on his partial breakaway, but Craig Anderson stood tall and made the save. That save was a major game changer, because had Boyd scored, the game would have been knotted up at 1-1. Instead the Avs scored the next goal and the Flames spent the rest of the game playing catchup.
Big Hit
Probably the biggest hit of the game was on Mark Giordano in the first period, as he got spilled awkwardly into the boards.
The Goat
The Flames discipline was a major problem tonight. Spending at least the first half of the first period a man short, they Flames were lucky to come out of the first only down by one goal.
Mr. Clutch
Craig Anderson allowed the Flames to get back into the game, but he was able to keep the Flames off the scoreboard when it counted. Especially in the dying moments of the third period when he held off Jarome Iginla in close, though Iginla’s stick did break.
Odds and Ends
This is a bad situation the Flame find themselves in. If not for their comeback attempt in the third period, they would have easily allowed more than 40 shots, and having allowed 35 or more in 3 of their last four games, they are treading a fine line. This is not the kind of game that Brent Sutter wants to see, and Flames fans have come to expect that the Flames have these up and down times. There has been hope that Calgary is one of the elite in the West, and that Brent Sutter could turn this Flames team into one that is consistent on both sides of the puck. So far, things aren’t quite there. Often times we can make comments about how the Flames just aren’t seeing the bounces, but it’s starting to get a little hard to explain away. Tonight, the Flames were outworked from the start of the game and while they did come back to carry the play in the end, it was too little too late. Frustrations are running high in the fan base, and I’m sure within the ranks of the Flames and their staff, but after the month of November that we all bore witness to, we know what this team is capable of. Expecting it to last the entire season, without a couple of stumbling points is naive at best. Especially a group of misfits who have spent the past three seasons without a head.
Next Up
Calgary heads to St. Louis to take on the Blues on Tuesday night at 6PM MT. Watch the game on Flames Pay-Per-View, or listen on the Fan 960, or just avoid the game altogether given the Flames luck on Pay-Per-View this season.
Lines:
Nystrom – Jokinen – Iginla
Dawes – Langkow – Bourque
Glencross – Conroy – Moss
Sjostrom – Boyd – McGrattan
Regehr – Phaneuf
Giordano – Bouwmeester
Pardy – Kronwall
Kiprusoff
