Anyone who has ever played golf knows that it can be one of the most frustrating experiences known to mankind. They also know that even in the most miserable of rounds, there is always that one glorious shot that seems to do exactly what you want it to; the perfect sequence of events that seems to fall together with outstanding results and leave you standing there asking yourself “Why can’t I just do that every time?” Following a hockey team like the 2011/2012 Calgary Flames feels like a remarkably similar experience. As horrible as this team has been at times, it is also capable of demonstrating brief flashes of brilliance that leave us all wondering what might actually be possible if they could actually get their game together on a consistent basis. Rolling into Edmonton on the heels of a disappointing defeat at the hands of the league’s worst team, which Flames team would take to the ice tonight?
On The Line
Sitting below the .500 mark and with the playoffs looking like the longest of long shots at this point, it is fair to say that expectations of the Calgary Flames are not very high right now. That said, this game IS in Mulletville….er, Edmonton….and one would hope that the Battle of Alberta would be motivation enough to get the team fired up. It’s been a long time since the Flames have spent an extended period of time looking up the standings at the Oilers, and you have to imagine it isn’t a very pleasant feeling. Even though the rivalry is a shadow of its former self, this is still an excellent opportunity for the Flames to bounce back and show the fuzzy-faced smurfs from northern Alberta that even old lions still have pretty sharp teeth.
The Flow
This one looked like it was going to be over before it even really got started. The Flames looked a little disorganized coming out of the gate, but it was more luck than anything else that staked the Oilers to a 1-0 lead only 2:19 into the first. Darcy Hordichuk fired a shot from a horrible angle that would have gone wide by at least 6 feet if it had not bounced off Lennart Petrell as he drove hard to the net. Things went from bad to worse 41 seconds later, when Sam Gagner fired a wrist shot from just inside the blue line that somehow beat Kiprusoff to put Edmonton up by two. On some nights, this would be the point where the Flames would fold faster than Superman on laundry day. Recognizing this, Brent Sutter wisely called a time-out to calm the troops, and the Flames got a chance to stop the bleeding when Andy Sutton was called for roughing and sat for two……or less. Calgary wasted no time taking advantage of the opportunity, and it took only 17 seconds for Iginla to find Jokinen out front for a power play goal that pulled the Flames within one. With three goals in less than two minutes, it was shaping up to be a pretty wild game. The pace slowed up somewhat after that as both teams settled down from the frenetic pace of the first 4 minutes, but the Flames weren’t quite done yet. Blake Comeau made a fantastic second effort to hold the puck in the offensive zone and fire it towards the net, where Rene Bourque picked it up and slid it around Khabibulin to tie the game at two. The Flames would close out the period with consecutive penalty kills, holding the Oilers without a shot on either opportunity.
Calgary came out hard in the second, controlling the play and generating a few excellent chances. Unfortunately, the story of the period from that point on was penalties. Lots of them, and almost all to Calgary. Comeau for closing his hand on the puck, (not only that, but actually picking it up off the ice, moving it across his body, and attempting to play it again) Hannan for delay of game, Bourque for holding. Amazingly, the Flames killed them all in textbook fashion; only allowing the Oilers one shot on goal between all of the power plays. Calgary got an opportunity of their own late in the period when Andy Sutton was called for a high stick to the face of Curtis Glencross. The power play turned into a bit of river hockey with some entertaining end-to-end action and the teams trading chances. Lee Stempniak came closest with a glorious chance that Khabibulin somehow got a toe on, and the period would end with the teams still deadlocked.
As good as the Flames had looked in the early part of the second, the first few minutes of the third were all Oilers. Kiprusoff had to hold the fort for about 4 minutes, and he kept the score knotted until the team in front of him got back into sync and launched a barrage of chances at the Edmonton net. Unfortunately, no sooner had the Flames started to carry the play than they got caught on a bad line change by none other than Jordan Eberle. His shot generated a rebound that Kiprusoff probably should have contained, but instead the puck bounced right to Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who flipped it by the Calgary netminder to stake the Oilers to a 3-2 lead. Again, the Flames roared back immediately. 44 seconds later Jarome Iginla’s pass found a pinching Derek Smith, who snapped the puck home to pull his team even once more. The tide would turn for good after Ryan Smyth was sent off for running over Kiprusoff, and Iginla connected with Mikael Backlund for a very timely power play goal that put the Flames in the lead for the first time. Despite a late surge from the Oilers, the boys in road white were able to hang on until Olli Jokinen found the empty net with 32 second remaining to secure the victory.
Three Stars
1. Olli Jokinen: A very complete game from a player who has quietly developed into the Flames’ best two-way forward. Two goals, led the team in shots on goal, and had the most minutes of any Calgary forward – over 20 of them. Even though his second goal tonight was an empty netter, he was all over the ice all night, doing the right things in the right places at the right times.
2. Rene Bourque: This one is tougher to nail down, as the Flames had some really good performances from Iginla and Smith that could have qualified them here as well. Bourque gets the nod because this was the best game he has played in a long time. Driving to the net, hitting, skating, and putting up a goal and an assist; this is the game the Flames need him to play every night.
3. Nikolai Khabibulin: The best player for the Oilers; “the Bulin Wall” was solid all night and outright spectacular at times. Without his performance between the pipes, the game probably would have been out of reach for the Oilers midway through the second period.
Big Save
HUGE save. With barely 1:30 left to play in the 3rd and the Flames clinging for dear life to a one goal lead, Ryan Smyth nearly got a shot past Kiprusoff to tie the game. Amazingly, number 34 was somehow able to reach behind him and catch the net-bound puck with the paddle of his stick, preserving the lead and the win. A game-saver, for sure.
Big Hit
There were a couple decent hits in a game the Flames played with a surprising amount of grit, and the Oilers’ Ryan Jones was the recipient of two of the biggest. New recruit Joe Piskula stapled Jones to the boards in the neutral zone with a heavy hit that made a nice statement for a guy looking to carve a spot for himself in the NHL.
The Goat
Hard to really pick a goat in an entertaining game that ended in a Flames victory. That start had to be tough, and the whole team showed great resilience in twice overcoming a scoreboard deficit. As was not perfect though; Alex Tanguay made a couple incredible passes tonight, but unfortunately some of them were to Edmonton players. For a guy with his contract and given his ice time, he has to be better.
Mr. Clutch
Jarome Iginla. With three assists, he authored most of the scoring plays in this game. It’s amazing how dominant Iginla can be when he plays like he cares, and tonight he played a very good game. Every time the Oilers took the lead, within minutes he led his team back. Jay Feaster has insisted that Iginla has not asked for a trade, and if he could play this way more consistently I don’t think anyone would be in a hurry for him to go anywhere.
Odds and Ends
TJ Brodie rocks. There, I said it. He didn’t get a ton of ice time and actually finished a -1 tonight, but the kid has moves. He is playing with an incredible amount of confidence right now and really belongs on the Flames roster full-time……Not quite a 3-stars selection, but Lee Stempniak definitely gets an honourable mention. He is playing very well lately, and for a smaller player the physical side of his game is impressive. Contribution doesn’t always show up on the scoreboard, and Stempniak was a big part of the Flames’ victory tonight……Ryan Jones has definitely claimed the title of mullet king of Edmonton. Jones’ unruly mop is probably what shamed Ryan Smyth into cutting that greasy mess of his off……Holli Smokinen, Jokinen and Iginla actually looked really dangerous together tonight. Somewhere right now, Brent Sutter is saying “I told you so”……Jay Bouwmeester must be eating his wheaties lately. Nearly 30 minutes of ice time, solid defensive play, and even *gasp* showing a little bit of emotion! Bouwmeester turned in one of his nastier performances this season, playing with some aggression, mixing it up in front of the net, and doing his best to separate Shawn Horcoff’s upper and lower body with a vicious cross check that somehow went uncalled. Well done, Jay.
Next Up
The Flames complete the “rivals I have hated before” tour when they square off against the Vancouver Canucks Sunday night at 9pm.
Lines:
Glencross – Jokinen – Iginla
Bourque – Horak – Tanguay
Comeau – Backlund – Stempniak
Jackman – Stajan – Kostopoulos
Butler – Bouwmeester
Brodie – Hannan
Smith – Piskula
Kiprusoff
