The game featured a
team advertised as built
for the playoffs against
a team marginalized as
being unable to fathom
the playoffs.
Gimme for the rich
boys right?
Think again.
The Calgary Flames
staged a gritty
performance on Thursday
night coming from behind
to beat the Maple Leafs
by a 4-3 final in front
of a sold out Saddledome
crowd.
The game was billed
as the Maple Leafs first
chance to walk out some
of their recent
acquisitions, a plan
that was foiled both on
the scoreboard and in
the infirmary. Doug
Gilmour brought in from
Montreal on Tuesday left
midway through the
second period when he fell
after colliding with
Dave Lowry at center
ice.
The contest was also
an opportunity for some
new Flames to take to
the ice - that is an
opportunity for Shean
Donovan as Dean McAmmond
was prohibited from
playing by the NHL due
to a waive rdraft rule
mix up on the trade
consumated on Tuesday.
The Flames jumped on
the Leafs early, holding
a large margin of play
after Bryan McCabe
opened the scoring for
the visitors.
By period's end the
Flames held a 12-3 edge
in shots on goal, and a
1-1 tie on the strength
of a powerplay goal by
former captain Dave
Lowry.
The
Flames continued to
carry the territorial
play in teh second
period but fell behind
by a score of 2-1 when
Nick Antropop took
advantage of some sloppy
Calgary powerplay work
to beat Turek high over
the shoulder.
The
game continued its rough
and ready appeal in the
second frame when Denis
Gauthier caught former
Flame Wade Belak unaware
and leveled the giant to
the ice. For the second
time this week a
Gauthier big hit led to
a melee when Belak
chased Gauthier down the
ice before eking out a
decision in a fight.
|
2003
Draft Watch |
|
If
the draft was held
today ... |
|
Pick
|
Team
|
Player*
|
| 1 |
Atlanta |
M.-A.
Fleury |
| 2 |
Buffalo |
Milan
Michalek |
| 3 |
Carolina |
Nikolai
Zherdev |
| 4 |
Columbus |
Nathan
Horton |
| 5 |
Pittsburgh |
Braydon
Coburn |
| 6 |
San
Jose |
Eric
Staal |
| 7 |
Calgary |
Andrei
Kastsitsyn |
| *ranking:
Red
Line 2/26/03 |
|
Later
in the period Calgary
native Bryan McCabe
lowered the boom on a
puck fishing Blake Sloan
to make the highlight
reel hit count hit four
on the night, roughly
two to three times the
normal count for the
average hockey game.
Failed
opportunities and a
dogged Calgary powerplay
kept the home side down
a goal heading into the
third period.
And
what a third period it
was ...
The
Flames tied the score with
just under six minutes
remaining when Craig Conroy
took a pass and went in
alone, beating Kidd with a
back hand.
The
Leafs went ahead again 30
seconds later when Tie Domi
jumped on the most lonely
loose puck known to hockey
to make the score 3-2
Toronto.
Just
over a minute after that the
Flames were back when Jarome
Iginla casually walked out
of the corner and wristed
his 31st past Kidd to tie it
again at three.
Finally
in overtime, the Flames won
it when Chris Clark took a
pass from childhood chum
Chris Drury and beat Kidd to
net the Flames a win.
The
loss gives the Leafs just
one win in their last six
games. Bottom line, no
matter how many players the
team managed to add to their
roster they simply won't go
anywhere in the playoffs
when they allow a team like
Calgary to out shoot them
36-18 on the road. Give a
team like Philadelphia that
margin of play and they'll
get buried.
The
Flames are on an opposite
run, winning five of their
last six games to climb past
San Jose and into 13th place
in the was, a fact likely
noticed by ex-Shark and
current Flame coach Darryl
Sutter.
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