The complexing
conundrum we know as the
Calgary Flames continue
to confound any degree
of reasonable analysis.
Destroyed by the
lowly Phoenix Coyotes
7-1, the Flames came
back to take down the
defending Stanley Cup
champion Detroit Red
Wings only two nights
later, winning 4-1 in
front of 18,028 delirious
witnesses - a sellout -
at the Saddledome.
It's this incredible
inconsistency which must
be causing mentor Darryl
Sutter, one month into
his tenure, to pull his
greying hair out of his
head.
Then again, the
difference between the
two games might have
been a very simple one -
goaltender Roman Turek.
The Flames starter
was blown out of the
water against Phoenix on
Thursday night, pulled
after two quick goals on
only five shots then
greeted yesterday
morning by a local
newspaper saying he just
wasn't good enough
before finally being
ridiculed in the HNIC
pre-game show as the
reason the Flames have
floundered.
It hasn't been a good
last few days for Turek.
"Large"
responded to the
challenge, however,
turning in one of his
best games of the
season, stonewalling the
Wings through two
periods before the
Flames took over and
nailed the game shut in
the third.
The Flames netminder
eventually finished with
28 saves while his
counterpart, Curtis
Joseph, struggled,
allowing four goals on
29 shots.
"From the
Phoenix game to this
game there was a total
difference from the
goaltender on out,"
said Flames coach Rob
Cookson on FAN960.
The win leaves
Calgary at 17-23-7-3 on
the year, the goal of
.500 by the time this
campaign winds down
still realistic and
achievable.
The other goal, of
course, is to nab a
playoff spot but the
Flames got no help on
that front. The race for
the eighth and final
playoff spot occupied by
Anaheim got
significantly tighter as
Columbus and Nashville,
two teams tied with
Calgary in the
standings, also won on
the night while San Jose
and Colorado pulled out
victories themselves.
The latter moved into a
tie with Anaheim.
Calgary is seven
points in arrears of the
Ducks and Avalanche but
that's better than the
13 they were looking at
only a few weeks ago.
Flames finish their
five game homestand
3-1-1 and are now 6-3-2
at the Saddledome under
Sutter.
Rob Niedermayer
opened scoring for the
Flames at 6:47, stepping
into a thundering
slapper from the top of
the faceoff circle that
went clear through
Detroit starter Curtis
Joseph.
Calgary added to the
lead at 3:30 of the
second when Martin
Gelinas, playing with a
cast on one hand,
whipped a soft wrist
shot past Joseph on the
short side.
Mathieu Dandeneault
brought the Wings within
a power play goal at
13:52 but Jarome Iginla
then scored a
controversial marker at
19:30, powering a
slapshot into Joseph
with the puck finally
trickling over the goal
line by a hair breadth.
Dave Lowry sealed the
deal with an empty net
marker at 19:48 of the
third.
Flames played a
strong third period to
close this one out,
taking advantage of a
Wings team playing its
third game in four
nights and second in as
many evenings.
Brett Hull's quest
for his 700th career
goal came up short but
not for lack of quality
chances, Turek turning
back the Detroit sniper
on five separate
occasions from point
blank range through the
first two periods.
Hull scored his first
career goal as a Flame
against Hartford on Nov.
13, 1986.
He's had 16
consecutive seasons of
20 plus goals since that
time.
The fight card had
Bob Boughner and Brendan
Shanahan deciding to
exchange blows although
an unusual moment
occurred when Shanahan
waved off the linesmen
in mid-fight, obviously
wanting to settle a
previous score and
getting in the final
blow when he caught
Boughner with the final
punch.
Flames were zero for
two on the powerplay
while the Wings scored
once on their two
opportunities.
Next up is Phoenix on
the road on Tuesday
night.
