Calgary 2 Edmonton 3
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…
This game was a lot like a Dickens novel–brimming with hopes, aspirations and plucky orphaned ragamuffins, but ultimately a tale of dashed hopes and broken dreams (okay, maybe without the orphaned ragamuffins). Calgary was by far the better team through 30 minutes, charging ahead to a 2 goal lead, and perhaps deserved even better, peppering Mathieu Garon with 17 shots in the opening frame. However, a second-period resurgence from the Oilers sent the Flames home with notch in the loss column, not to mention a sizable bruise on their collective pride.
On The Line
Odds are pretty good that regardless of what happens this season, we aren’t all going to look back at game five of the season and say “that’s where it all began.” In that sense, it’s hard to say that anything particular is “on the line”–however, the stakes are a little higher as a result of last night’s loss at the Saddledome. We might for that reason see this tilt as a crucial game in which we may learn something about the emotional makeup of this team. Would they come out snarling, ready to redeem themselves after an underwhelming performance last night? Or would they allow the Oilers to take game 2 in their own barn and find themselves looking at the wrong end of a 1-3-1 division record to start the season?
The Flow
Once again, penalties dictated the flow in the early going, with Todd Bertuzzi notching his fifth tally in as many games on Calgary’s first power play. After that, each team played their own game, with the Flames finding a workmanlike rhythm of puck possession and forechecking while the Oilers tried to find speed moving through the neutral zone. Between undisciplined Oiler penalties and Jason Strudwick doing his best impression of Steve Smith circa 1986, the Flames found themselves up 2-0 after a first period in which they might as well have been the only team on the ice.
When the Oilers started the second, they were moving their feet a little more, and generated a few more shots on goal; however, this is where the youth of their lineup may have been a factor, as the home team looked rattled and out of synch, even on those sequences where they bottled the Flames up in their own end. The flip side of that is that experienced players step up when they’re needed, and Ethan Moreau did just that, breaking Edmonton’s goose egg in the second to reduce Calgary’s lead to one. Fernando Pisani would tie the game a few minutes later after a brief stretch of firewagon hockey in front of the Flames’ goal, and after Andrew Cogliano gave the Oilers the lead on a superb individual effort, the story of this game seemed to be entering its epilogue.
Calgary started the third period on the power play, and although they generated a few good chances, their momentum was once again halted by an undisciplined penalty from one Craig Conroy. It was Calgary’s turn to look rattled and out of synch, as they had chances to shoot but couldn’t seem to find the handle on the puck in the right place at the right time. As time wound down, the Oilers did a good job of shutting down the Flames’ offense, and one almost sensed that the visiting team’s collective spirits had already hit the showers between periods.
Three Stars
- Mathieu Garon: Sometimes the difference between goalies isn’t a spectacular save, but steady and solid play down the stretch while your team nurses a lead. Garon kept his team in it early and then made the saves he needed to for Edmonton to get the win.
- Fernando Pisani: Pisani was, in the inimitable parlance of one Pierre Maguire, a “monster” at both ends of the ice tonight. His goal and assist in the second were impressive enough, but he earns the second star for his masterful working of the clock and solid forecheck in the third, an effort that helped the Oilers nurse their one goal lead through to the final buzzer.
- Andrew Cogliano: His individual effort on Edmonton’s third goal could earn him a star by itself, but his effective backchecking on a third-period odd man rush sealed the deal for the young Oiler forward, who had an impressive outing at both ends of the ice.
Big Save
Halfway through the second, with Calgary leading 2-1, Mathieu Garon left David Moss shaking his head after absolutely robbing the Flames’ forward on a partial brak. This turned out to be a huge save, since Fernando Pisani would tie the game just moments later, setting up a massive turning of the tide in the latter half of the second period.
Big Hit
I’d love to give this honour to a Flame–but the nod has to go to tough guy Steve MacIntyre for absolutely demolishing Dustin Boyd in the corner. However, you have to admire Brandon Prust, who immediately stepped in to defend his teammate in spite of being forced to take the lousy end of a 70 lb. mismatch.
The Goat
It’s probably too early–and too easy–to point fingers at individual players; in any case, I think the real goat horns belong to the emotional makeup of the Calgary bench. The goat in this one is simple: lack of composure. After Ethan Moreau’s goal in the second, the wheels seemed to temporarily come off the wagon–and in the NHL, a few poor minutes are often enough to cost you the game. This team has to start finding better ways to work through adversity, and not allow every minor miscue to snowball into a complete fiasco.
Mr. Clutch
For a while, it looked like nothing the Oilers did could gain them any traction in this game. Down 2-0, skating hard but not generating quality chances, the Oilers turned to their captain to break this game open for them. Ethan Moreau looked Iginla-like as he stepped away from the boards into the top of the faceoff circle, letting fly with an accurate wrister that found the five-hole of a sprawling Kiprusoff. He would add an assist in that period, and as they say the rest is history.
Odds and Ends
Brandon Prust had perhaps his most impressive tilt of the season, but may have paid the price as he left the game shortly thereafter complaining of back spasms… Calgary’s special teams were a bright spot in an otherwise uneven game. The powerplay generated a lot of good chances and the penalty kill was nothing short of yeoman-like… Jarome Iginla still looks like he’s fighting the puck a little; in spite of getting two assists, he seemed to be playing second fiddle to his line mates most of the night. It’s safe to say this team can’t win without Iginla playing like… well… Iginla–so here’s hoping he finds his game sooner rather than later…. This game showed both the advantages and pitfalls that come with playing Mike Cammalleri on the point on the powerplay. He adds an offensive threat that Calgary has lacked in the past, but watching him respond to the transition is a workout for this writer’s weak and aging heart…. What do Jim Vandermeer, Mark Giordano, Eric Nystrom and Adrian Aucoin have in common? All of them need some target practice, missing the net far too often in a game where Calgary needed just one more goal to tie it up… Many around here will take this opportunity to announce the demise of the Flames’ season after this game, but another way to look at the Flames’ current situation is to emphasize the positives so far: Bertuzzi and Cammalleri look good, and the third and fourth lines are definitely faster and perhaps better than they were last year. This team has had a lot of turnover, and it’s natural to need a little time to get on the same page.
Next Up
The Flames play host to Alexander Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals on Tuesday night. Game time is 7:30 P.M. TSN will carry this game in HD, while Peter Maher plies his somewhat-more-analog wares on the Fan960.
Lines (To Start):
Cammalleri – Conroy – Iginla
Bourque – Langkow – Bertuzzi
Glencross – Lombardi- Moss
Nystrom – Boyd – Prust
Regehr – Sarich
Phaneuf – Vandermeer
Giordano – Aucoin
