Heading into the Olympic break the Calgary Flames were figuratively staring at the rear-view mirror as they faced off against the Anaheim Ducks who were two points back of the Flames for the final playoff spot in the Western conference. The Ducks heading out on the road after winning eleven straight at home, Calgary was hoping to head into the break with a reason to feel good after so many occasions where they’ve come up short despite outplaying the opposition.
On The Line
This game was as must win as you can possibly imagine for the Flames. Never mind the fact that if the Flames lost, they’d be on the outside looking in, a win was almost more important for the fragile mindset of the Flames. With all the close but so far games that the Flames have dropped, scoring some goals and winning the game was so incredibly important.
The Flow
The game had an odd start, one that would ultimately go in the favour of the Ducks. At 7:35 of the first period, Scott Niedermayer fired the puck towards the Flames net, the puck was eventually tipped by Troy Bodie and the on ice official waved off any goal. Play continued until a whistle and a TV timeout. When the commercial ended, fans were treated with a view of the official talking to the war room in Toronto. Replays showed that the puck went straight in and straight out so it was a good goal. The way things have been going for Calgary you almost had to wonder if the game was over at that point. Thankfully it was not. Nearing the end of the first, Eric Nystrom pulled a power move around James Wisniewski and neatly tucked the puck through the pads of Jonas Hiller for his first in 43 games.
The second period started off with a bang, after a chance in the Flames zone, the puck turned back up ice and Curtis Glencross sent a pass over to Jarome Iginla who absolutely wired a one-timer past Hiller for his 26th of the season. Iginla continued his strong play in the second with his second goal of the period when he displayed one of his patented one foot shots to slide the puck through the five-hole on Hiller.
The third period was all about game control for the Flames. The commentary on CBC about the Flames having fun out there was quite true. They shut the Ducks down often blocking passes, shots and clearing attempts and minimizing scoring chances in their own zone. Iginla had a late chance at the hat-trick but sent the puck just wide. 3-1 was your final. Thank the maker!
Three Stars
1. Jarome Iginla: Iginla looks to bring some fire and passion to Vancouver in the coming days, and used tonight’s contest as a warm up for the Olympics.
2. Jonas Hiller: Hiller is surprisingly quick, and has a deceptive glove hand. If not for his strong play, this game would have been a route for the Flames.
3. Eric Nystrom: Scoring for the first time since October, Nystrom came up huge ensuring that the Flames were able to keep themselves in the game before the lack of scoring got into their heads again.
Big Save
Without question Miikka Kiprusoff‘s sprawling save off of Bobby Ryan who chased down a Teemu Selanne rebound that turned around and ended up in the Ducks net courtesy Iginla was by far the biggest save of the game. If that puck goes in, this is a LONG couple of weeks for Flames fans.
Big Hit
One of the biggest hits of the game ended up in a fight after Adam Pardy stood up Troy Bodie and then dropped the mitts after Bodie took exception to being hit by a fawn.
The Goat
I’m going to give the goat to Cory Perry tonight for the simple fact that while there are no real discernable goats in the game for either team considering Calgary simply dominated the game, and I REALLY, REALLY HATE Perry.
Mr. Clutch
For a little bit of a reach on this one, we’ll go with Robyn Regehr tonight for the clutch player. Finally playing a game where he had a real burr in his saddle, Regehr was more like the memory Flames fans have of him.
Odds and Ends
YESSSSSSSSSSSSS! Oh sweet Jesus (OSJ) this win tastes like candy deep fried and covered in cheese and gravy, that means it’s delicious. This game was one of epic proportions when you consider what could have happened if they’d lost. With all the games that the Flames have played since the trade of Dion Phaneuf to Toronto and Olli Jokinen to New York, Calgary has played well, but hasn’t been able to put the puck in the net to take advantage of the games that they’ve played so well in. So with all the things that the Flames have been doing right, the mental makeup of the Flames demanded a win in order to mount any kind of run after the Olympic break. Had they lost this game, and had that thought resonating in their heads for two weeks, it would have been nothing short of disaster. As bad as it would have been for the Flames, it would have been even worse for the fan base. So full of questions, anger and confusion, the fans needed this win almost more than the Flames did.
Next Up
With the Olympics underway the NHL shuts down until the Monday after the games finish, so the Flames don’t play again until Wednesday March 3rd when they take on the Minnesota Wild at home, game time is 8PM on Sportsnet West.
Lines:
Hagman – Stajan – Iginla
Higgins – Langkow – Kotalik
Dawes – Backlund – Moss
Nystrom – Mayers – Glencross
Regehr – White
Giordano – Sarich
Bouwmeester – Sarich
Kiprusoff
