You almost wish that the Flames and the Devils were in the same conference division (thanks NHLPA) just so we could constantly see references to Devils and Flames in the bylines every time the teams played each other. But alas, they do not play together, so it was a rare sighting indeed to see the Martin Brodeur led Devils in the Saddledome; and with the allure of one of the most storied goaltenders of all time nearing the end of his career an ever rarer sight to see that same Brodeur in between the pipes in the flesh.
So for fans of the game, hoping to see the goaltender who brought the first gold medal in 50 years back in 2002, the first 10 minutes of the game were not what anyone expected to see.
On The Line
It’s tough to say right now for the Flames. Either they pull up their socks and win nearly every game from here on out, or they settle into their 12 place spot for the remainder of the season and ride things out until the trade deadline and hope to get something for pending UFAs.
The Flow
This was a weird one right off the bat. The Flames never really seemed to be in sync throughout the game. The Devils were the first to get some chances, but those were largely limited in the first period, and the Flames were able to take advantage of what can only be described as an off night for Martin Brodeur who was chased after two Flames defencemen beat him cleanly. First it was Jay Bouwmeester firing a puck on net that Brodeur had a clear view of that simply found his five hole, then it was Cory Sarich scoring his first of the season over the glove from the top of the circle and it was clear that this was not Broduer’s night. Enter Johan Hedberg, who didn’t fare much better getting a piece, but not enough of a pretty passing play between Jarome Iginla who chipped the puck up to Olli Jokinen, who on a two on one, found Curtis Glencross, and the Flames were up 3-0, scoring at a 50% shooting percentage. Before the period ran out, TJ Brodie made it 4-0 off the post and in on the power play, curiously still maintaining that 4/8 – 50% shooting percentage.
From this point on the Flames clearly sat back, allowing the Devils to run the table on scoring chances, and pick up two goals, the first one coming after the Devils had about 4 or 5 chances in front of the net before Ilya Kovalchuk finally put the puck over Miikka Kiprusoff’s blocker, and then a short handed goal from Adam Henrique, but in an effort to maintain that ridiculous shooting percentage, Lee Stempniak scored what looked like a deflection by Curtis Glencross at first on a shot from the slot, and the Flames led 5-2 on 11 shots on goal after two periods of play. Weird.. right?
Things actually got worse in the third when the Devils started a full court press and picked up their third goal on a completely ill deserved power play, where Jarome Iginla was tagged for hooking when he literally tapped the Devils player. For more of my opinion on the “hooking” penalty in the NHL refer to this article I penned in 2008 (http://www.calgarypuck.com/2008/10/whats-the-call-ref/). The goal was actually a very pretty play with Kovalchuk quickly faking a slap shot as a pass over to Patrik Elias, and all of a sudden, the Flames lead is down to 2 goals, and they didn’t even have a shot on goal yet. Never fear Flames fans, that 50% shooting percentage was BACK just under three minutes later when Jarome Iginla put the puck past Hedberg from the slot on the first shot of the period for the Flames. Sadly, the Flames ended up ruining the night by getting two more shots on goal without scoring, so the combined save percentage of New Jersey Devils goaltenders was a paltry 57.143% while Miikka Kiprusoff posted a 92.1% and the Devils outshot the Flames 38-14. Somehow I expect a loss coming..
Three Stars
1. Miikka Kiprusoff: Forget the fact that he allowed 3 goals, his team was completely checked out after somehow scoring 4 goals in the first period, and this game very likely would have been a ridiculous 7-6 loss for Calgary, that would have fans everywhere screaming bloody murder if anyone else was in net
2. Curtis Glencross: A goal and three assists for Glencross, who now has 18 goals on the season.
3. Adam Henrique: A goal and an assist, but more on why he was third star in a moment.
Big Save
This is an abstract definition of a save here: in the second period the Devils had a 3 on 2, and a one timer cocked and ready to fire until Mikael Backlund dove to chip the puck away that was like insult to injury for a Devils team that was having one of the worst nights of hockey you’ll ever see.
Big Hit
Little guys can pack a big punch, just ask Jarome Iginla who got nailed by Adam Henrique (generously listed at 6 feet tall on NHL.com). Henrique levelled Iginla in the offensive zone and then had to answer the bell: first challenged to a fight by Curtis Glencross, because you don’t mess with 500 goal scorers scott free, and then because he’s our glorious leader; had to fight Jarome Iginla, but more tried to make himself as small as possible and survive without causing harm to one of the greatest players of this generation.
The Goat
Okay, so goat.. let’s pick two shall we? Clearly the goaltending/defence of the Devils was appalling, but when you stop to look at the goals the Flames scored, they were pretty hard to defend, still, you can’t allow 6 goals on 14 shots. Second, the Flames should have remembered that whole 9-0 shellacking at the hands of the Bruins less than a week ago. A game that defines the attitude of a champion. NEVER. EVER. LET. UP.
Mr. Clutch
Without a doubt this game was going to end differently without Miikka Kiprusoff in net. Well.. perhaps Irving could have shut the door when he needed to, but better odds on Kiprusoff.
Odds and Ends
This game was clearly a game that the Flames were not supposed to win. It was almost like they were decided on an effort to maximize efficiency offensively, collapsing, and not particularly effectively, on the defensive side of things to put the Saddledome faithful through a very odd performance. One with several fights, some very pretty goals, but extremely little in the way of action really. With the win the Flames improve to seven straight wins at home, but given tonights performance, don’t look for that to continue much longer.
Relying purely on stats, this game should have been exciting, but it was far from it. Probably the most entertaining components of tonights contest were the following: Devils defenceman Mark Fayne visibly hanging his head in shame after clearing the puck over the glass to get a delay of game penalty; and Brent Sutter sending a not so subtle message to his veterans by putting an all rookie (sort of) power play unit together (Bouma – Horak – Byron – Brodie – Wilson) late in the third period.
It’s funny, I knew that the New York Rangers saluted the fans, as did the Winnipeg Jets, and when I saw the celebration at centre ice by those teams I was impressed by the action of the players. However, when I watched the Flames perform the same action, I felt weird. It seems like a forced action, probably because it is copying the actions of others, even though it’s well intentioned. Similar with the trophy given to a certain player that was popularized by these very same Flames in 2003/2004 that makes me cringe whenever I see the same thing in HBO’s 24/7 Road to the Winter Classic.
Next Up
The Flames (unbelievably) play their first game against a Pacific division opponent on Thursday night when the Ducks of Anaheim come to town. Game time is 7:30 on Sportsnet West.
Lines:
Glencross – Jokinen – Iginla
Stempniak – Backlund – Comeau
Byron – Jones – Bouma
Jackman – Horak – Kostopoulos
Butler – Bouwmeester
Brodie – Sarich
Babchuk – Wilson
Kiprusoff
