Could Denis Wideman be the answer to the Calgary Flames offensive drought on home ice?
That’s asking a lot, as the Flames have sputtered through three home starts delivering some of the most boring hockey of the season, as the team approaches the midway point of rebuild season one.
Something is missing, the “NHL’s hardest working team” may still be working hard, but they continue to flounder as the punchless crew finished a brutal four game home stand with zero points, and only one goal as they dropped game number four 2-0 to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
On The Line
Rough home stand continues as the Flames are 0 for 3 thus far having only scored one goal. The team simply has to get back to being harder to play against, and more entertaining to watch in order to halt this slip into rebuild hell.
The Flow
Another slow start for the Flames as they came out flat as a pancake and were lucky to escape the period scoreless. Kari Rammo was solid throughout 20 minutes stopping all 13 shots by the Bolts. Tough starts have to stop.
Much better period for the Flames as they push the issue with more effort, but give up the game’s only two goals and fall behind for good. Too many penalties, and too many non thinking players get the Flames in trouble; especially by their veterans.
The third was all Calgary, but they either couldn’t solve Ben Bishop, or they couldn’t solve their own lack of finish as chance after chance was squandered due to poor execution. Typical rebuild game; all told.
Three Stars
- Andrej Palat: Goal and an assist to pace the hard working visitors.
- Ben Bishop: Only faced 19 Flames shots on the night but he stopped every damn one of them!
- Kari Rammo: The best and busiest of Flames players on the night, stopping 27 of 29 shots put his direction by Tampa.
Big Save
When down two goals in the third period and pressing in the opposition zone you’re bound to give up odd man rushes the other way and count on your goaltender bigtime. Kari Rammo was rock solid when he foiled a streaking Martin St. Louis on a break away to give his team a chance.
Big Hit
Not really a stand out night for physicallity, not a single hit stood out enough to get special recognition.
The Goat
Mike Cammalleri … two lazy penalties and a minus two in a 2-0 game makes the diminutive Flame forward an easy target for goat horns.
Mr. Clutch
Victor Hedman, was drafted in a toss up with John Tavares and has taken a lot longer to become an impact player, but the towering Bolt defenseman has become a building block. Logged 22 plus minutes of ice time, had five shots and controlled things defensively when on the ice.
Odds and Ends
Very strange to see one of the officials call play dead with a broken skate blade on the ice in the Tampa zone, especially in Calgary where we all have vivid memories of Stempniak trying to get to the bench on his own in the same situation last year. Blown call. If the Flames had converted there it could have been a different out come. Did they deserve better in this game? Not on your life, but still a pretty inconsistent and odd call. … Anyone miss Curtis Glencross? Not I. … the Flames spit their two tough guys on to two different lines for much of tonight, a great way to make sure the shut out string continued. … Interesting to note the reduction in Chris Butler’s ice time with Wideman back. With both Giordano and Wideman back he’s moved back down to a 4-5 role where he’s likely way more comfortable. … Shame to see Granlund back to the farm without a start in Calgary, he earned it in Abbotsford, would have been nice to get a look … Speaking of the Heat, was hoping for a quicker start from Baertschi on the farm, as the winger has two goals and a -3 rating in six starts. He needs to learn the full ice surface and start filling the net. … …
Next up
The Flames don’t play again until Monday night when they travel to Denver to take on the Avalanche, game time 7pm Sportsnet.
Lines (To Start):
Hudler – Backlund – Stempniak
Cammalleri – Monahan – Jones
Byron – Stajan – McGrattan
Bouma – Colborne – Westgarth
Giordano – Brodie
Smid – Wideman
Butler – O’Brien
Ramo
