Calgary 0 St. Louis 2
Its been one month post-Christmas, and its safe to say that most of the Flames wish they could return many of the results achieved since that point, with ones that fit better. A tough stretch of 6 games since one of their best of the season against Vancouver two and a half weeks ago, and an agonizing 3 days off listening to their share of both constructive criticism, and ridiculous, baseless speculation and trade talk.
On The Line
Forget about playoff races and standings points-wise, on the line tonight, for even the most patient and rational Flames fan, its to expect a win, and nothing less. Are bounces due to the Flames, after having a chance in the third period the past 7 games, other then the San Jose debacle, to have one shot change their fortunes and maybe stop the snowball effect for subsequent games? Sure. With the rest they’ve been afforded, at home, against a team also below the playoff mark, this team needs to do whatever it takes to get two points, however ugly it may be, simply to be back on the path that validates their effort with something to show for it, and, to begin the rebuilding of the confidence of the roster, back up to where it was a few short weeks ago.
The Flow
The first period started out with the obligatory Brian McGrattan fight, the Flames still having scores to settle with Cam Janssen and his flying elbow show from last year. McGrattan outclassing Janssen who was both egging on McGrattan and waving off the linesman as the punches rained down on him. The Flames get an early powerplay, and you had the sense it was going to be one of those nights when off the initial faceoff win, a Dion Phaneuf blast rebounded out awkwardly to Jarome Iginla, who had to turn his body around to get the correct angle, and as he rushed to do so, his shot fluttered agonizingly over the half open net. Iginla later with a slick move of the side boards, but his pass can’t be converted by a streaking Curtis Glencross. Brian McGrattan with the Flames next best opportunity midway through the frame, as good work from the 4th line caused a lot of Blues running around, and once again the puck sat tantalizingly in front of the net, and McGrattan swooped in and, like the Flames have suffered countless times in the past two and a half weeks, the puck hits an unknowing Ty Conklin and the chance goes amiss. Miikka Kiprusoff on again this evening; a Brad Winchester tricky deflection near the end of the period is quickly reacted to, and scooped up by the Flames goalie. 9-7 shots for St. Louis.
The second starts with another Cam Janssen fight, this time with Brandon Prust, the recipient of Janssen’s cheap and dirty elbow 13 months ago. A non descript period for the most part, no real chances at either end early, although the Flames had a few sequences where they had multiple attempts at net, and buzzing around the St. Louis net, however the pass that needed to get across got blocked or the shot that needed to get through glanced off an ankle and harmlessly in the corner. St. Louis would have the odd counter attack, highlighted by a Miika Kiprusoff save off Keith Tkachuk. Late in the period, wouldn’t you know it, a harmless St. Louis play turns into a cheap goal. Eric Berglund throws the puck towards the net, and bounces off a retreating Dustin Boyd’s skate and past a helpless Kiprusoff to give the Blues a late 2nd period lead. Infuriating as a Flames fan to see, when multiple attempts at the other end see the same play result in the puck harmlessly in the corner. Shots even in the second, 12 a peice.
Desperation time in the 3rd, and the Flames come out flying. Mark Giordano and Rene Bourque with a couple very good chances early, but Conklin has the answer for them. A Flames powerplay again proves fruitless, the Flames moving the puck around decently but not getting enough shots to the net, and those earlier season tip ins that found the net are now finding the crest of the goalkeepers. In the middle of the period, a set peice by the Blues has Darryl Sydor shoot the point shot intentionally wide and it goes to Andy McDonald down low on the opposite side of the net, as Mark Giordano is out of position. A quick pass across the crease, the Jamie Lundmark is too late at covering his man, David Perron, and the Blues take a 2-0 lead. Pretty much game over at that point. The Flames continue to press on Conklin into the last minute, outshooting the Blues 15-8 in the final period, and as much as one hoped for the Flames to pull one back, if for nothing more then any glimmer of offensive confidence, but it was not meant to be. Flames drop 7th in a row, 6th straight at home, 2-0.
Three Stars
- Ty Conklin: Gets the shutout, makes the saves, or rather, has the shots hit him and stay out that needed to stay out.
- Miikka Kiprusoff: Some excellent saves to keep the Flames in it, but once again making both those saves and the routine ones, victim to an unlucky bounce and a defensive lapse on the two goals against and unfairly pegged to another loss.
- Ken King: On “job switch night”, the Flames President was patrolling the Olympic Lounge area all evening, dressed in full Saddledome security garb, walkie talkie and all, looking pretty authentic given his physical stature. The surly look on his face, however, may or may not of been due to watching what was on the ice rather then playing his part as a security officer.
Big Save
While Miika Kiprusoff made some early saves, Ty Conklin’s double save early in the third period on was just another in the line of offensive frustrations for the home side and their fans.
Big Hit
Cory Sarich with a pasting of Alexander Steen in the neutral zone, midway through the second period, gave the Saddledome a brief bit of excitement, along with Brian McGrattan’s manhandling of Cam Janssen in the first.
The Goat
Clearly, the lack of firepower, combined with some of the worst luck in so far as getting the bounce to go the right way, is alarming. Given the rest, the opponent, the pressure seems to be overwhelming any skill the Flames roster has, and that results in now 7 consecutive losses and a team begging and screaming to get a break. After 7 games, while that may seem an easy and all too convenient excuse, the fact is these players are battling the puck every time they touch it, and nothing’s coming natural anymore.
Odds and Ends
Hooo boy. The numbers are depressing the past few weeks. Its really tough, even as one of the dwindling optimistic Flames fans out there to see the downward spiral continue. What is frustrating most is that, this game, looked at separately, you cannot again fault the Flames effort or intensity. The team out chanced, outfaceoffed and more or less outplayed St. Louis. That may be a familiar refrian, because over the past two and half weeks since taking the Northwest division lead from Vancouver, most every game other than the San Jose game has followed the same blueprint. One cannot say the Flames in any of those games were outworked, or out-chanced, and in each game, the team was one shot away in the 3rd period from either tying or taking the lead. However, when looked at the games as a group, what do they have to show for it in the last 9 out of the last 10? 2 overtime loss points and 1 win, after reeling off 12 points in 6 games prior to that.
So if effort and hard work isn’t the issue, you’d think you can point to skill. That argument may hold more water if the team hadn’t won 13 games more then it had lost in the first half of the schedule, and those 24 wins at that point weren’t accomplished through smoke and mirrors. So what is it? Offensive confidence, in this writer’s opinion. Watching the team work tirelessly this evening to just get the puck at net was painful, nothing is coming natural anymore. This is the end result of games like Colorado two weeks ago exactly, where 46 shots go to net, 80 attempts at net..and each game since other then the Anaheim game, where the Flames simply don’t get rewarded for effort. The less they get rewarded, the confidence level that they can score goes down, and the pressure increases. The focus is then squarely on trying to force plays or force shots towards the net. The bounces they are used to, allowing blocked shots to land right on a stick in the slot, or tipped shots finding the net rather then the back boards aren’t there. The snowball effect is in full force as that sequence has happened each game in the past two weeks, and has the offensive side of this team reeling and with zero confidence. Even with the renewed focus on getting pucks to the net, its more of a chore than a natural occurring. This team is still doing the little things right within the game, winning battles, ok in the faceoff zone, and defensive coverage, but any mistake defensively is highlighted because the lack of ability to get in a groove at the other end, and means extra pressure is heaped on the forwards.
What’s the answer? For an issue that is touchy feely like confidence, there are no easy answers. Blaming the GM and coach are the most laziest of excuses; as has been mentioned, this team had 13 more wins then losses prior to the recent downfall with the given roster, and, the system that was implemented on the ice. Blaming the core offensive players can be argued, however Olli Jokinen has looked pretty good relativley speaking (an amazing bullet 150 foot pass to find Rene Bourque behind the defense tonight), and a struggling Jarome Iginla has had his chances too. Tonight a goal 2 minutes in would’ve been the tonic this team needed, but alas. He later made a world class move off the boards to beat two defenders, then slid a pass across to Curtis Glencross, who couldn’t finish. Those guys are paid to be the guys to light the lamp, but there’s also a reason there are 10 other forwards on the roster to assist them, of which at least 4 or 5 should be doing their part. The Flames won 24 of their first 41 thanks in large part to both effort and finish of the cliched secondary scoring. That is non-existent now, and exposes some of the underbelly of this team. Jamie Lundmark, Eric Nystrom, Curtis Glencross, David Moss, Nigel Dawes are nowhere to be found, even before the last two have been out of the lineup. Daymond Langkow, who’s points are amongst the quietest in the league are especially silent now. Rene Bourque, although always good for a chance or two every game, is not coming through with the timely goals that are needed to spark the confidence of the others.
So what’s the answer to regain the confidence of the offensive side of the team, after performances we’ve seen over the past 2+ weeks? Addition of some new blood that’s not been part of this slide…a player with a fresh outlook and energy and most importantly, finish around he net. Easy to say, harder to find, however the “addition by subtraction” theory isn’t the answer here, other then the new talent temporarily displacing some of the deadwood that is floating on the 2nd and 3rd lines. In short term, that may be a couple farm call-ups, especially against teams like Dallas and Phoenix that don’t require the resumes of McGrattan or Prust. However, with not a pure sniper in the AHL, a more medium term solution, going into or after the Olympic break 9 games away, taking a risk on a skilled offensive players outside the organization. Given the salary considerations, this player will have question marks in aspects of their overall game, but the hope being that given the opportunity to play with an Iginla or Jokinen may ignite their previously shown potential, while the Flames taking the risk that the flaws in their game are minimal.
Its a theory, but this team needs a few things. It needs some ugly goals which result in ugly wins. It needs some good goals based on the hard work been generated. It needs some bounces to land on the stick or to be tipped in. The ever increasingly number of cynics will call those all lame excuses, but the way the Flames have lost each (save the SJ game) of these past games, where it has come down to the Flames hitting posts or the opponents pin-balling shots in, its a painful reality. Getting goals to go in, whether pretty, ugly, or lucky, can shake up the teams confidence, relax them more, and then the goals start coming naturally to everyone, and adding someone with an outside perspective to help that along would be useful. Certainly the team has had enough decent efforts on the ice go to waste without reward in the standings, these thing have the way of evening themselves out, as cliched again as that sounds.
Bottom line, although stating the obvious, the team needs an offensive kick-start. It does not need an overhaul, no matter how many fans or media members jump up and down demanding their pound of flesh.
Lastly, to those fans embarrassed or disgusted to be a Flames fan, now that the results on the ice have gone against the team for a couple weeks, and are at a level not seen for over 9 years, you may have your opinion, but there are much more productive ways to spend your time elsewhere if you feel so strongly that this team and, organization “sucks”. Everyone who follows, supports, and is a fan of this team does not like to see losses any night, let alone 7 in a row, but such extreme pessimism regarding, not just the team currently struggling on the ice, but questioning the entire organization from top to bottom, is ridiculous. This organization has been through a lot thinner times for a lot longer then a 2 week stretch than simply not having results go their way recently and thus being a couple points out of the playoffs with 29 games to go. If expectations for this year and this roster have to be downgraded by fans and media after this last swing, so be it, but blowing up everything from the core to the coach to the GM, to questioning the owners is rubbish, after a horrible stretch of games in mid January. It makes one wonder how strong the initial allegiance is for the team, where a really bad stretch of results can completely change the sentiment not just for the players on the ice every night, but for the feeling of the entire organizational structure that’s taken years to rebuild from the depths of a laughing stock. There is certainly cause for concern, and adjustments that need to be made for the rest of this season ahead to have success that the team and the fans hope for and expect, but some rationality, reason and perspective is also a requirement needed in these tough stretches of the season and when being a supporter of s pro sports team.
Next Up
The Flames continue to look for offensive answers as they solider on to Texas to play the Dallas Stars on Wednesday evening at 6:30 MST. Fan 960 is your friend, as is hitting up a local watering hole to get the Dallas feed, as no local television is available.
Lines (To Start):
Glencross – Conroy – Iginla
Lundmark – Langkow – Bourque
Nystrom – Jokinen- Sjostrom
McGrattan – Boyd – Prust
Phaneuf – Regher
Giordano – Bouwmeester
Sarich – Pardy
