Ah, the mid way point of the season. A monumental moment when the end of the season becomes a tangible reality, as even the simplest of minds can extrapolate (multiply by 2) to find the projected point total for their favorite team.
And for the Flames the math is super simple. They breach the half-way mark at exactly .500. Which projects to… another early spring and disappointing campaign.
But there’s still a lot of hockey to be played. Half a season to claw your way back into the playoff race. And on the bright side the Flames find themselves in a better situation than last season, when an impressive second-half run found them finishing just three slim points away from the final playoff spot. Yes that’s right, exactly one year ago the Flames sat at 18-20-3 on January 5th, all but out of playoff contention. And now coming off their longest road-stretch of the season, the schedule is quite favourable looking forward. Will the Flames once again be that second-half team we all rallied behind in 2011?
No better test than to begin against the defending Stanley Cup Champion Boston Bruins. The Big bad B’s are unbeatable as of late, dropping just four of their last 26 games. And the Flames obviously took heed to the age-old advice of what to do when face-to-face with an aggressive bear — laying down and playing dead. Well that myth was quickly busted, as we all got the pleasure of watching the relentless Bruins feed on our hero’s carcasses.
On The Line
A chance to start out the second half on the right foot, and salvage what has been a pretty disappointing, season-defining road trip to this point. You want to be the best, you have to beat the best… and tonight is their chance.
The Flow
This game was over before it started. The Bruins manhandled the Flames from puckdrop. String together every synonym you can think of for the word “spank” and you might get an adequate depiction of tonight. The goals were so abundant they began to blend into eachother. Their was a spin-o-rama pass to Seguin to open the scoring. A ricochet off Jokinen’s skate, beautifully placed in the top corner. Then a powerplay marker when Krejci finished off a pretty passing play behind a helpless Irving. Game over. Oh wait, 2 more periods? Ok.
The second period was mostly blurry, a combination of the tears forming in my eyes from watching such an abomination, and the alcohol taking it’s toll as I guzzled in an effort to cope. Soon the action began to resemble a battalion of bees swarming around an assortment of waving flowers. Irving was chased and Kipper came in to stop the bleeding. But when you’re fatally wounded all you can do is delay the inevitable. At 7-0, and fully disoriented, I became convinced I was watching the Pittsburgh Steelers dismantle the Kansas City Chiefs. Finally, mercifully, it ended. I had survived the debacle, by the narrowest of margins. I… oh wait, one more period? Ok.
If you were still watching at this point you are either an enormous Flames fan or a bonafide masochist. What am I saying? They’re one and the same. Dehydration was severe at this point. Beer, the only remaining liquid in my body, was sudsing out my tear ducts. The Flames were busy sending a message this period. But not the one you would hope. This message was for GM Feaster, and came through loud and clear: We give up. Whether it demands a coaching change, a major trade, or just acceptance of their fate and a dismantling of the veteran core in preparation of the upcoming draft is unclear at this point. But this may have been the ugliest regular season game in Calgary Flames’ history. And embarrassing display of nothing that could be considered hockey. It may only be one game, but it very well could be game over.
Three Stars
- Patrice Bergeron: Could have been pretty much any Boston Bruin on this night. They all dominated.
- Tyler Seguin: See above.
- Nathan Horton: Tied Bergeron with 2 goals.
Big Save.
Not surprisingly there weren’t many in a 9-0 game. The only real notable one was by Tuukka Rask late in the 2nd when Iginla broke free going for #500. Thankfully Rask shut the door, preventing Iginla’s milestone goal to be tainted.
Big Hit
The collective hit to the pride of the Calgary Flames. Bruins smiling and laughing all game. Fans chanting “we want 10!” halfway through the third. What a total shellacking.
The Goat
The collective Calgary Flames. Impossible to single out just one. If you want to try what about the 6 goals on 21 shots by Irving. Or the combined -12 by super duo Bouwmeester and Butler.
Mr. Clutch
Rask. For getting the shutout and saving Iginla from a tarnished 500th goal.
Odds and Ends
Get out the pen, Chris Butler has made the record books. Minus 7 on the night, joins Doug Wilson as the worst plus/minus in a single game in NHL history. Funny enough Wilson achieved that mark against these very Flames on February 2nd 1993. Interestingly enough that was his last season in the NHL… Not much better is Jay Bouwmeester. Posts a -5 for the second time in three games. -10 on that span. Yeah… might be time to give these guys some new partners… or a seat in the pressbox… That was the Flames worst loss since a 1996 drubbing by the Oilers. That night they lost 10-1 at home… Hopefully this loss won’t rattle the confidence of young Leland Irving, who has been fantastic in his first three starts. The Flames could have harnessed the combined forces of Dominik Hasek and Petr Mrazek in net tonight, it wouldn’t have helped much… It was the return of Raitis Ivanans tonight. His first game since the severe concussion he sustained in last year’s season opener against the Oilers. Has any Flame had a worse experience in their first two games in Calgary? Probably not.
Where do they go from here? Many were pointing the finger at Bourque for the team’s lack of heart and determination during this road trip, which started with back-to-back wins but ended with 5 straight losses. Well with Bourque starting his five-game suspension tonight it became quite obvious the issues run deeper than one unmotivated winger. The Flames are now one point ahead of where they were last season. Even another magic run might not be enough. But lots of interesting story lines left. When will Iginla hit 500? Will he keep his streak of 30 goals seasons going? Will Sutter survive as coach? Will Feaster survive as GM? Will King survive as President? Will they trade Kiprusoff? Will they trade Bourque? Would they dare trade Iginla? Who amongst the youngsters will step up and prove themselves?
It’s always disheartening to watch your team give-up but don’t follow in their footsteps. For anyone that suffered with the team through the years of the young guns knows, when success does come it tastes that much sweeter. Go Flames Go!
Next Up
The Flames step onto fresh ice, atop a newly painted Flaming C, and hopefully a fresh start, as they return home Saturday to welcome the Minnesota Wild. 8 pm, CBC HNIC.
Lines (To Start):
Glencross – Jokinen – Iginla
Comeau – Backlund – Stempniak
Ivanans- Morrison- Kostopolous
Jackman – Horak – Byron
Bouwmeester – Butler
Sarich – Brodie
Hannan – Babchuk
Irving
