This game story pretty much writes itself doesn’t it?
The Flames in Anaheim is guaranteed win night for the Ducks but announce to the world that your starting goaltender is Jonas Hiller and well a writer can pretty much take the night off and just alter the score from the box score post game.
The Flames always spend the first five minutes of every game in Anaheim in their own zone, and tonight was no different, but with a goalie fighting it you have a 3-0 lead and an easy coast to the finish night for the Ducks as they turn back the Flames by a score of 8-3, their 23rd straight against the Flames in Anaheim.
I hope that’s it for Hiller, winding down a season is hard enough but gifting teams big leads certainly isn’t the most fun hockey to witness.
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The Flow
As I said above, a predictable start. All kidding aside the Flames don’t usually make it easy on a hot goaltender with their starts in Anaheim, so when you’re starting a guy that has completely lost it you have a recipe for disaster. So a disaster it is; Hiller gives up 3 goals on 5 shots and is pulled for Niklas Backstrom at the 7 minute mark. The first one TJ Brodie left Cory Perry alone behind him, but Hiller has to play that better than lying on his stomach. The second a tough angle shot that wiggles through his legs for an easy tap in, and the third a terrible unscreened shot over his blocker that an NHL goaltender has to have. Terrible. The Flames actually get back on their feet after a spell and have some chances with the man advantage but come out down 3-0 despite being out shot by a small 8-7 margin.
Would love to tell you that Backstrom did much better, but that would be somewhat a stretch of the truth. A rough bounce on the 4th Duck goal with McGinn shooting it off Engelland’s knee and then back to the slot where McGinn backhands it in, no fault to Backstrom. Two of the other three goals in the period were somewhat rough however, espeically Theodore’s goal where Backstrom got caught leaning from the short side. In the period the Flames hit the scoreboard three times though, including Hunter Shinkaruk’s first NHL goal, something I’m sure all Canuck fans will enjoy in when then they watch the highlights in the morning. Calgary down 7-3 through 40 though down only 21-18 on the shot count.
The Flames had all the jump to start the third period, running up shots and scoring chances with the returned Gibson thwarting them all. Eight minutes into the period the Flames had erased that 2 shot deficit after two and were up by four shots on goal, adding to the head scratcher of a game that we were witnessing. Jacob Silferberg rounds out the scoring in a bizarre, bizarre night in Disney.
Three Stars
1. Ryan Kesler: Goal and three assists for the super pest, not a bad night at the office.
2. John Gibson: Missed part of the game in the trainer’s room but was perfect when in the net and a huge difference maker early in the second period with the game somewhat in doubt.
3. Jacob Silfverberg: Scores twice for the Ducks, including that all important 8th strike.
Big Save
Before John Gibson left with a knee injury the Flames third and fourth lines (odd combination of bodies) combined for a great pressure shift with the best save coming off a rebound attempt by Micheal Ferland in the second period.
The Goat
Has to be Jonas Hiller. Three goals on five shots to start a game just isn’t the way to get things done in what could be his last start in Flames colours or potentially the NHL. Niklas Backstrom shared in some of the shame, but nothing compares to the face plant that began the game in Calgary’s net.
Mr. Clutch
I’m going with Josh Jooris. How the heck do you play 15 plus minutes in an 8-3 loss and end the night even in the plus/minus category? Well done!
Odds and Ends
To the topic of the day, the Jankowski signing. Glad it’s done, it would have been a shame after following the guy for four years to have him walk out the door. Not sure how fans in Nashville are handling the Jimmy Vessey mess, really feel for them. Reading comments on Jankowski for years and months, but also over the last few days sure spells out two pretty interesting extremes. By that I certainly wouldn’t suggest there is a camp that sees future NHL superstar out of the kid, but there is definetly a camp that sees above average contributing NHLer as well as bottom six center and will never see the light of an NHL rink. Will be interesting to find out now that he’s more than just a summer camp foot note. When you hear size and smarts though it’s certainly a good start to being an effective NHLer. … In a rough first period both Hunter Shinkaruk and Emile Poirier had a little jump with both drawing penalties getting in on the forecheck. Those little things go along way in forging an identity for next year’s training camp. Shinkaruk’s second period goal, while not a beauty is production, and will further make his case. Derek Grant didn’t have the best of shifts in the second when he fell, then got up, then turned the puck over for a Duck two on one. … Interesting to see Fredrick Andersen come into the game given all the chatter about expansion drafts and the Flame’s shopping list in the off season for a starter. Not very nice of the Flames to light him up in the second period with three goals on limited shots. … Calgary was down 4 goals going to the third period but with two or three goal posts and some solid saves by Gibson the game was much closer and potentially in the Flame’s column for carrying the play (Calgary was up in possession through 40 minutes). Odd game. … Great to see Mark Giordano join Al MacInnis, Gary Suter, Paul Reinhart and Dion Phaneuf as Calgary defensemen with 20 or more goals in a season. Quite an accomplishment in this day of age. He looked like a lock a week ago, but I was getting concerned as the days started tick away. …
Next Up
Tomorrow night the road trip continues with game three of four across town in Los Angeles against the Kings. Game time 8pm on Sportsnet.
3>Lines:
Hunter Shinkaruk – Sean Monahan- Derek Grant
Lance Bouma – Mikael Backlund – Emile Poirier
Joe Colborne – Sam Bennett – Micheal Ferland
Brandon Bollig- Matt Stajan – Josh Jooris
TJ Brodie – Dougie Hamilton
Mark Giordano – Derryk Engelland
Brett Kulak – Jacub Nakladal
Jonas Hiller
