The Flames are trying to create a blue-collar identity based around hard-work and smart hockey. The New Jersey Devils have traditionally been a hard working, smart, blue collar hockey team. Tonight will be a good test to see how the Flames stack up against one of the hardest working teams in the league, but should also give fans some insight on whether or not the Flames can consistently play this style of game.
It’s not that the Flames of past years were incapable of playing good hockey, it’s that they were incapable or doing it consistently over the course of the season. Would the Flames be able to shake the stigma of being an inconsistent hockey team and keep up their strong play? Would the Flames be able to give Martin Brodeur all that he can handle in, possibly, his last start in Calgary? Would I watch a Flames vs. Devils game that didn’t bore me into an early bed-time?
The Flow
The first period was a solid, if unspectacular, period by both teams. With the play going back and forth, neither team was able to get prolonged pressure. New Jersey would take the first penalty of the game, courtesy of Anton Volchenkov for holding. Before that penalty would expire Calgary would take a penalty of their own with Curtis Glencross getting called for hooking. New Jersey failed to convert on their first power-play but 14 second after it expired Joey MacDonald kicked out a Damien Brunner shot right into the slot, and Adam Henrique would pounce all over the rebound to score his first goal of the season and putting New Jersey up 1-0. Calgary would get a late power-play with Partick Elias getting called for hooking, but the Flames would fail to convert. The period would end with the Devils up 1-0.
The Devils started out the second period strong by controlling the play and getting a couple opportunities off rebounds. Calgary would respond with Jiri Hudler drawing a penalty while going hard to the net. On the ensuing power-play Dennis Wideman’s seeing eye shot pings off the post and in to the net to tie the game up 1-1. Calgary would keep playing a physical game and throwing the body around. On a seemingly harmless looking play, the Devils won a battle for the puck along the boards in the Flames zone, the puck ending up on the stick of Danius Zubrus who would let go of a big shot from the blue-line, beating Joey MacDonald clean to put the Devils up 2-1. Not long after, Michael Ryder and Dennis Wideman would tangle up and run over Joey MacDonald, the puck bouncing into the back of the net during the process, but the ref would wave the goal off and give Ryder a 2 minute penalty for goaltender interference. Calgary would make New Jersey pay with a solid power-play that ended with Mark Giordano sending a wobbly back-handed shot into the back of the net with 19 seconds left in the second period to tie the game back at 2.
The Flames were able to keep the energy going in the beginning of the third. 4 minutes in a scramble would develop in front of the New Jersey net and the puck eventually landed on the stick of Jiri Hudler, who looked like he had the whole lot of net to look at, only to be robbed by the sprawling Martin Brodeur. The Devils would have a really good shift and hem the Flames in their own zone. With the Devils working the puck around the Flames zone the Flames forwards would start throwing themselves in front of the puck, Lance Bouma blocking 2 huge shots himself. Eventually the Flames would create a turnover and head back up the ice on a 2 on 1. Galiardi makes a nice pass to Bouma but Brodeur makes a nice save, picking Bouma’s wrist shot out of the air with his trapper. With just under 3 minutes to play, Baertschi and Monahan would make their mark. Baertschi would find Monahan, who had slipped away from the New Jersey defense, and Monahan would make no mistake putting the puck into the back of the net and giving Calgary a 3-2 lead late in the third. Giordano would take a late delay of game penalty accidentally clearing the puck over the glass, but Calgary would be able to bail their captain out and hold on for the 3-2 win.
Three Stars
1.Mark Giordano: Was the best Flame on the ice tonight. Another game where he leads by example. Had a big PP goal in the second to tie the game at 2, shut down the other teams top players, and was a physical presence.
2.Dennis Wideman: Brought a lot of offense and physical play tonight, while logging 29 minutes of ice time. Becoming an anchor on the back-end.
3.Sean Monahan: Was quiet but solid for most of the game, but was in the right place at the right time to score the game winner late in the third.
Big Save
With the third period 4 minutes old, a scramble would develop in front of the New Jersey net. Kris Russell would get 2 opportunities to put the puck past Brodeur before the puck would slide to the other side of the net and right onto the stick of Jiri Hudler. Hudler, with a wide open net, would be robbed by a sprawling Martin Brodeur.
Big Hit
How about a big hit shift from both MacGratton and Jackman. Half way through the second both players got up some speed and started throwing their weight around in the offensive zone with numerous body checks.
The Goat
Another Flames win means another night without a goat.
Mr. Clutch
Giving this one the Lance Bouma. With the game tied at 2 part way through the third, the Devils would start to hem Calgary in their own zone. Bouma would launch himself in front of 2 big shots, help create a turnover and finish off the ensuing 2 on 1 by firing a shot into the glove of Brodeur. He also had a huge block with under a minute to go with New Jersey on a power-play to preserve the Calgary 3-2 lead.
Odds and Ends
That wasn’t the most exciting game I’ve watch this year but that was one of the most entertaining third periods I’ve seen in a while…It is hard to imagine Damien Brunner was unsigned for so long. The man, who practically fell into the lap of the New Jersey Devils, was extremely dangerous tonight…Not only was this possibly the last time we got to see Martin Brodeur in Calgary, but it was possibly the last chance we got to see Jaromir Jagr…So far this year the Flames forwards are doing a much better job of coming back defensively. They are helping alleviate pressure and the Flames have’t really been trapped in their own zone must this season. It happened for a bit tonight, but other than that Calgary has done a good job of clearing their zone which has kept them close in games…Dennis Wideman is a work horse…There is something to be said about getting results, as the NHL is a results based business, and Joey MacDonald has done nothing but find ways to win since he became a Flame… I’m interested to see Ramo back in the net soon. He wasn’t bad in his first game, and one has to think he will draw in sooner rather than later… Just when I started thinking that Baertschi and Monahan were having solid but quiet games, they went and combined for the game winner. Both of these guys are showing some solid all-around game right now and it’ helping them create offense… This team is just buying what Hartley is selling, and quite frankly at this point I think I might be too.
Next Up
The Flames will take the next 4 days off before heading to Anaheim to start a long 5 game road-trip, Wednesday October 16th at 8 PM MST. The game can be seen on TSN.
Lines:
Glencross- Street- Hudler
Baertschi- Monahan- Stempniak
Galiardi- Backlund- Bouma
Jackman- Colborne- McGrattan
Giordano- Brodie
Russell- Wideman
Butler- O’Brien
MacDonald
