In the second of four straight preseason games the Flames once again dressed a squad of youngsters dressed to impress with a handful of veterans working off the rust, this time in the MTS Centre in Winnipeg. The Flames pretty much started the game down a goal as the Coyotes young Russian Enver Lisin put the former home team up by a goal less than a minute in. Even with the Flames mounting pressure to even up the game, the Coyotes Lisin put his team up by two on a broken play with Flames goaltender Matt Keetly flying around in his crease trying to keep up with the puck.
But the Flames would take the game over starting in the second with a familiar blast from the point from Dion Phaneuf, short-handed to boot, that put the Flames on the board. With the first goal out of the way, the Flames, lead by sort of prospect Dustin Boyd would continue to put on pressure. Once Coyotes goaltender Al Montoya was swapped for Josh Tordjman, the last remaining obstacle was out of the way.
Matt Pelech (the future of the SMASH!) tied the game up after intercepting a loose puck at the top of the circle and wristing a shot through the legs of Tordjman just as the Flames regained a man for a power-play. The buzzing would continue into the third when once again, Dustin Boyd factored in as he set up Daymond Langkow on the doorstep for the winning goal.
The Flames had a great deal of pressure on the Coyotes in the latter half of the game and while this writer wasn’t able to see the game last night, it seemed as if the Flames kept the foot on the gas pedal tonight unlike last night.
*note: it’s really hard to get things right when you don’t have nhl.com’s stats available
Making the Grade
Rene Bourque -While the speedy winger didn’t manage to find the back of the net, it seemed like that was about all he DIDN’T do. Had a brilliant chance with a breakaway in the first that Al Montoya saved with a timely poke-check. Look for Bourque to play a pivotol role on the Flames third line this year with some time on the second line from time to time.
Dustin Boyd – Wow. Just wow. Boyd looks like a man possessed. It’s just preseason, but the young forward is playing with so much drive and passion already you can clearly tell he’s ready to make a difference this year. The youngster is looking stronger on his feet, quicker with his hands, and scary with his setups.
Mark Giordano – colour me surprised. Giordano looked pretty darn good out there. His presence leading the rush was very obvious, and mistakes in his own zone weren’t overly apparent. He even looked like a new man, less like Mr. Bean, and more like a leaner, stronger version of his former self. Perhaps the savior has returned?
Mixed Signals
Dion Phaneuf -he had a goal, and a devestating hit on the NHL’s reigning penalty minute leader, plus looked pretty collected when coming to the aid of his teammates, but he struggled on the defensive end of the game. Phaneuf is a monster as we all know, but the time has come for him to start rounding out the rest of his game, something he still needs to work on if tonight is any indication.
Work in Progress
Matt Keetly – there may have been suggestions that he’d contend with McElhinney to back-up Miikka Kiprusoff. Well, if tonight was any indication he’s not quite there yet. Keetly will definitely factor into the Flames plans in the future, but he needs to get a little bit more calm and collected in net and stop chasing the puck before he becomes a main-stay.
Matt Pelech – hard to believe that you can have a Regehr with a mean streak, but this kid is going to be it. He looked like a solid veteran out there tonight, making simple, smart plays, evident with his goal tonight that was a simple get it on net play.
Other Mentionables
Rheckingball Warrener -Rhett is looking to make a splash, and he’s using little chidlers as his ticket to an NHL spot. Rhett was noticable when he was trying to obliterate anything in his path, which if you think about it is a good and a bad thing for the tried and true vet. It’ll get him noticed, but it’ll also get him hurt faster.
Daymond Langkow – not a great showing for Daymond tonight. While he scored the go-ahead goal, it was his usual spot in front of the net that got it rather than solid play. He was rusty and left Flames goaltender Keetly hanging out to dry by leaving his mark Lisin to pick up a loose puck for his second goal of the night.
Jamie Lundmark – some might have thought he was looking good for a callup after his first preseason game, but after tonight’s game, it’s probably safe to say that others are ahead of him.
Andre Roy/Brandon Prust – I’ll go on record saying that I’m was not a fan of Roy being signed, and tonight he didn’t impress. Tough luck for Craig Conroy playing with Roy and Prust. His fight left something to be desired. Prust on the other-hand had a nice fight, but other than that, not very effective.
