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Â
Saw
Off
Tired
Bruins Eke out Tie in Calgary
October 17th, 2002
Rick Charlton
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AP Photo |
| Mighty Mite: Pluggy
Flames winger plays it rough. |
When all is said and done at the end of this season it should be
fairly easy to tell what may have helped or hindered Calgary's playoff
chances.
Routinely beating road teams playing their second game in as many
nights will have been one of those factors.
After posting a losing record in such circumstances last year - and
missing the playoffs for a sixth straight season - the Flames were
unable to put away the visiting Boston Bruins last night, settling for a
3-3 tie in front of 15,346 at the Saddledome.
Boston had come into the contest having beaten up Vancouver 6-3 the
previous night, a wipeout that included a nine point evening from their
top line of Joe Thornton, Glen Murray and Sergei Samsonov.
But that trio again dominated in Calgary, collecting another six
points and forcing the Flames to rely on Chris Clark's tying marker with
only 19 seconds remaining in the second period.
Punctuating what was otherwise a fairly morose affair was the
startling sight of a would-be streaker who apparently blew a tire after
coming over the glass in the third period, eventually being wheeled off
the ice on a stretcher with fists pumping.
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AP Photo |
| You Da Man!: Maimed streaker signals
he's "ok" to Saddledome fans. |
Who knew ice would be slippery?
So unusual was the spectacle that for the first time in years, Bruin
coach Robbie Ftorek cracked a smile in public.
Calgary is still winless at home this young season, now 0-2-1 and it
will be points, both gained and lost in similar circumstances, which
will be counted closely by the time this campaign winds down.
"We should have worked them down low more, worked them in their
zone more," analyzed Clark after the game on FAN960.
Boston opened scoring early in the first when Thornton, collecting
the first of three assists, centered a pass from behind the net to a
wide open Murray who had no trouble beating Calgary starter Roman Turek
with a quick snap shot at 5:45.
Calgary thought it had tied the score halfway through the first but a
Mattias Johansson shot was nabbed by Boston starter Steve Shields just
as it was sliding across the goal line.
Flames finally evened things up at 19:00 when Chris Drury took a
power play point shot and Toni Lydman, pinching in from the point,
drilled the rebound past a down and out Shields.
Both teams scored twice in the second, Chuck Kobasew starting the
tidal wave when completing a nifty play from Marc Savard who had blown
by a Boston defender before centering the puck to his linemate. Boston
retaliated twice to take the lead on goals by Jonathon Girard and Bryan
Berad, both defencemen pinching in from the point to pick up garbage on
the goal-step, before Clark tied the game again with a pass attempt that
deflected in off Girard with only 19 seconds left in the period.
Both goaltenders were fairly average through the contest until both
were called upon for game saving stops in overtime. Shields twice halted
Jarome Iginla on the edge of the crease, the last time with only moments
to go in the game, while Turek was left alone with Hal Gill midway
through the extra period.
Turek stopped 16 of 19 shots and Shields got in the way of 24 of 27
Calgary shots.
Pleasing to the eye of Flames coach Greg Gilbert must have been the
minimal three penalties taken by the Flames, although the Bruins scored
their opening goal on one of those chances. The Flames induced seven
penalties by the Bruins and scored twice with the man advantage.
Next stop is a road date in Chicago on Saturday, the start of a three
game road trip.
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