Every season has a
game or two that defines
a club's season.
In recent campaigns
the Flames have had many
a tough loss to point to
when the dust cleared on
yet another fruitless
season of no playoff
hockey.
When this season
comes to a halt in just
less than a month, the
Flames could very well
be fondly casting back
to two huge victories in
Denver in the last 20
odd games of the season
as the reason their
fortunes changed.
And boy did fortunes
change in this one as
the visiting Calgary
Flames shocked the high
browed Avalanche by a
coach killing score of
7-1.
The NHL has plenty of
great case examples of
the old adage, money
doesn't buy happiness.
The Rangers and Capitals
are in the midst of a
huge fire sale, the St.
Louis Blues currently
out of the playoffs
looking in.
But the Colorado
Avalanche are somewhat a
case in themselves after
adding talented player
after talented player
over the summer, making
many experts opine that
they would run away with
the circuit.
Thing is ... there is
just one puck, and you
have to control it at
some point in the game
to actually use that
skill.
But enough about
them, the Flames
themselves were full
credit for the win in
this one, with the Chris
Simon acquisition making
immediate dividends in
indirect ways.
The addition of Simon
and Steve Reinprecht to
the lineup the only way
to discern line number
one from line number
four was the presence of
#12 on one trio and Kzys
Oliwa on the other.
Essentially Sutter could
roll four lines all
night, a fact that will
be especially true if
Martin Gelinas can
return to the lineup
soon.
"With the way we
played the other night
in Dallas, it was night
to come back with a game
like this. Pretty much
everyone scored",
Craig Conroy told
Sportsnet after the
game.
"This was a huge
game, we wanted to be
.500 on this road trip
after going down
1-2".
The game began much
like the start in
Detroit on Tuesday with
the Flames carrying the
lion's share of the play
but failing to put one
in.
Incredibly the Flames
trailed 1-0 in this one
when a silly Oliwa
penalty turned into a
Milan Hejduk powerplay
goal.
Oliwa wasn't finished
for the night either as
he scored a pretty
marker to make the game
5-1 Calgary, then
proceeded to taunt the
Avalanche bench.
A few minutes later,
Denver tough guy Peter
Worrell jumped Oliwa and
had the book thrown at
him.
The Flames were even
after 20 minutes, but
led 4-1 after 40 minutes
and cruised their way
home.
With the game well
out of hand and Worrell
sitting for five minutes
the Flames clearly were
directed to hold up and
not embarrass the Denver
juggernaught.
Pretty much every
player involved took
Sutter's queue, save for
Oleg Saprykin who
continued to drive to
the net himself, scoring
two late goals.
The Flames return
home after this one ecstatic
to use a big win in
Denver to level yet
another monster road
trip and keep themselves
firmly entrenched in the
playoff picture. The win
this afternoon bounces
the Flames past the
Predators and back into
6th place, but they fail
to gain any ground on
the 5th place Stars who
were taking it to the
Sharks at press time.
For the Avalanche you
have to wonder about
changes coming up before
the trade deadline.
Another blow out on home
ice could result in a
coach firing - Tony
Granato made the faux
pas of not having a
player in the box to
serve Worrells' five
minute major resulting
in a seven minute run on
man advantage.
Could these teams
hook up in the playoffs?
It would be interesting.
Games like this
afternoon's make even
the most pessimistic
onlooker look optimistically
ahead.
