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Last
Place Showdown Settles
Zip Â
Flames
and Predators Tie at the
Dome
January
16th, 2002
D'Arcy McGrath
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| Saprykin |
Drury |
Iginla |
| Gelinas |
Conroy |
Sloan |
| Niedermayer |
Yelle |
Clark |
| Berube |
Lowry |
Nichol |
| Lydman |
Regehr |
| Boughner |
Gauthier |
| Montador |
Buzek |
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The
battle for bad.
The
war for worst.
The
clash of crap?
None
of the above would
surface as the leading
candidate for a hockey
team's season, but all
three were fitting for
the circumstances
surrounding the Calgary
Flame - Nashville
Predator bout at the
Saddledome on Thursday
night.
Oh
how the less than mighty
have fallen.
The
two teams lived up to
their advanced billing
as Nashville and Calgary
skated to a two - two
tie.
This
one, simply put, just
wasn't a thriller, at
least not at first.
Little
happened in the
scoreless first period
with both clubs putting
on clear display the
reasons they sit 29th
and 30th in terms of
offence.Â
There
were no goals.
There
were very few shots.
There
was little in the way of
sustained pressure
either way.
The
second period was owned
by the Predators
however, as the visitors
took the play to Calgary
to the tune of a 14 - 5
shot advantage.Â
Vladimir
Orszagh opened the
scoring on an
inexplicable defensive
lapse in the Calgary
zone. Andreas Johansson
was allowed free reign
to take the puck behind
the net and around in
front of the Calgary
cage. He slid a back
hander off of McLennan
that bouned to Orszagh
all alone in front of
the net. Orszagh was
allowed not one, not two
but three whacks at the
puck before finally
scoring.
The
Flames tied the score on
a powerplay just over
two minutes later when
Jarome Iginla froze the
Predator defence and goaltender
Tomas Vokoun before
sliding a perfect pass
to defenceman Petr Buzek.
Buzek wired a high shot
home for this third of
the season.
The
Predators went back
ahead in the third
period on a controversial
play that saw a Calgary
goal wiped out and
replaced by a penalty to
Scott Nichol. The
disallowed goal and
penalty were warranted,
upon review but that did
little to appease the
Calgary crowd when Adam
Hall scored to give
Nashville the lead.
Queue
the theatrics.
Off
the ensuing face off
Iginla took the puck in
center ... beat two
forwards before taking
the puck to the blueline,
where he side swiped
another forward, then
into the Nashville zone
where he slid past both
defenders before sliding
the puck between
Vokoun's legs.
A
goal that should make
every high light reel
going this evening.
The
game progressed to
overtime where the
Flames had to kill a
high sticking penalty to
Robyn Regehr in order to
give themselves a chance
to win.
With
less than 30 seconds to
go on the clock Iginla
raced in again on Vokoun
but this time he was
foiled by the scrappy
young goaltender.
Did
I say scrappy? Indeed.
Twenty seconds later the
puck was back in the
Predators zone with
Vokoun out to play it.
Mark Eaton carried
Iginla into Vokoun
resulting in a collision
that had the Nashville
stopper more than a
little upset. Vokoun
bounced up off the ice
charged Iginla and
created a scrum that saw
Calgary goaltender Jamie
McLennan race the length
of the ice to jump into
the fray.
All
with two seconds left.
The
excitement brought the
crowd out of their seats
for a game that had
little to cheer about.
Next
up for Calgary is the
L.A. Kings visit on
Saturday night. The
Predators will travel to
Edmonton to take on the
red hot Oilers.
Get
Your
Calgarypuck
Gear!
Â
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