“We’re not out of it yet. You never know – stranger things have happened”
Mark Giordano summed it up best this morning when asked what he thought about the Flames odds of making the playoffs. It encapsulated what every Flames fan wants to believe: that there is still hope. In spite of the spectacular run they have put together, things look bleak for the Flames as the western conference playoff race winds down to completion. Can they pull off the impossible?
On The Line
The Season. The Flames have been bucking the odds for a week now, but a loss tonight makes it official. With Chicago playing in St. Louis, you have to think a few eyes will be fixed on the out of town scoreboard as well.
The Flow
The Flames come out pretty well but not much happens in the first five minutes of play. When Theo Peckham rattles Matt Stajan in front of the Flames bench, it seems to wake the Flames up and they ramp up the pressure and pepper Khabibulin with a barrage of shots. The Flames get several great chances and look to winning all the battles. Tanguay and Bouwmeester both manage to get the puck past Khabibulin but can’t beat the post. The Flames absolutely dominate the Oilers throughout the rest of the period and enjoy a clear advantage in shots and chances, but just can’t find the twine. Despite a late Flames powerplay and a Tanguay penalty shot with 1:40 remaining, the Flames do everything but score.
The second period picks up right where the first left off, with the Flames coming hard at the Oilers. It looks like it’s going to more of the same until Rene Bourque finally put the Flames up by one when he converts a nifty wraparound on a powerplay 4 minutes in. The Flames enjoy several more glorious chances, but can’t add to the lead until Jarome Iginla nets his 40th of the year with a vintage Iginla snap shot from the high slot. The Flames continue to press, and Iginla adds adds to the lead just over 3 minutes later with a power play marker off a nice setup from Alex Tanguay.
The third period is all Flames. The men in retro red widen the gap early when a streaking Mikael Backlund finds Alex Tanguay open on the wing to make the score 4-0. The Oilers try to gain a little self respect back when Magnus Paajaarvi scores a few minutes later to spoil Kiprusoff’s shutout bid, but the Flames get it right back when Curtis Glencross gets the puck in front of the Edmonton net and makes no mistake. Iginla adds insult to injury less than a minute later with a powerplay marker for the hat trick and his fourth point of the game – a fitting end to a night when the captain was honoured for his 1000th NHL point.
Three Stars
1. Nikolai Khabibulin: Without his stellar play, the Flames are probably up by six goals by the end of the first period.
2. Jarome Iginla: A strong game from the captain, pacing his team with three goals, four points, and a never-say-die attitude.
3. Alex Tanguay: Was dangerous all night and tallied a goal and two assists, showing that undeniable chemistry with Iginla. Anyone else holding their breath waiting to see if this guy re-signs in Calgary?
Big Save
The Oilers didn’t generate much in the first two periods, but when they did manage to get a couple of quality chances Kiprusoff was there. It makes me feel dirty saying this, but in spite of the final score Khabibulin actually played very well and many of his saves during the first period were stone cold robbery.
Big Hit
The Oilers came out trying to play tough, but quickly found out that the Flames wouldn’t back down. Peckham’s hit on Stajan early in the first seemed to get the Flames going, and they never looked back. In a game that was gritty but never overly physical, Robyn Regehr absolutely plastered J.F. Jacques into the end boards in the Flames end with about two minutes left in the third.
The Goat
The Chicago Blackhawks and Anaheim Ducks. It sucks that on a night when the Flames played so well and won so convincingly that they end up facing the end of their season simply because they can’t catch the teams they are chasing.
Mr. Clutch
Jarome Iginla. The Flames captain has finished the season incredibly strong, spitting in the collective faces of all those who derided him as being on the decline at the beginning of the year. Put me firmly in the camp that would like to see Iginla retire a Flame.
Odds and Ends
Seriously, does any team in the NHL hit more posts than the Flames? It borders on ridiculous……Carson is settling into his role quite nicely. He wasn’t noticeable at all tonight, which is exactly what you want from a depth defenseman……Miikka Kiprusoff tallied win number 262, tying Mike Vernon for the franchise lead……How many people really, really hate that disallowed goal against the Ducks last week?……Beating the Oilers is so much fun, even if it is kind of like beating up on the “special” kid in your class……It would be really nice to see Daymond Langkow score at least one before the end of the season. What a competitor!……At Christmas, nobody would have believed that the Flames would even get close to a playoff spot. It is both amazing and terribly cruel that they were able to get as close as they did and still miss……Could there really be a worse case scenario for the Flames? They will finish in either 9th or 10th place, missing both the playoffs and the draft pick lottery……It will definitely be an interesting off-season in the stampede city. There are a lot of questions that have to be answered, not the least of which is what will be done in the General Manager’s position. With the looming cap issues and several key players facing free agency, the Flames could possibly may look a lot different come September.
Next Up
Last game of the season, against Vancouver on Saturday with nothing but respect on the line. Win or lose, it’s been one hell of a ride…
Lines:
Tanguay – Backlund – Iginla
Kostopolous – Langkow – Glencross
Jackman – Jokinen – Bourque
Bouma – Stajan – Nemisz
Regehr – Bouwmeester
Giordano – Carson
Babchuk – Sarich
Kiprusoff
