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Murphy's
Law Fails Flames in
Edmonton
Oilers 3 Flames 2 (OT)
D'Arcy
McGrath
March
16, 2006
Funny
how much perception can work to disturb reality.
The
ultra tight Western Conference features a five point gap between the Calgary
Flames and the Edmonton Oilers heading into tonight's showdown in the provincial
capital. Oh sure Calgary has two games in hand to throw into the mix, but the
five points was treated like a chasm because of the teams between the two in the
West.
Well
things got a little tighter.
The
Edmonton Oilers used two very fortuitous late game bounces to turn a 2-1 deficit
into a very key 3-2 overtime victory, sending many a Vancouver fan into spasms
in the process.
On
The Line
For
the Oilers pretty much everything. With the first place Wings in town on
Saturday followed by a three game cage match against the Canucks they needed to
get some space in the race for the final few playoffs spots. For the Flames a
chance to put some distance between themselves and a divisional opponent, plus
get off on the right foot on a key seven game road trip caused by the World
Skating Championships hosted in Calgary.
The
Flow
Five
on five the Calgary Flames looked very good; pressuring the puck down low, a
very active cycle all set up by a great forecheck. With any bodies missing on
the ice however? Not pretty. Down a man the Flames couldn't even penetrate the
Oilers line for much of the night. Shorthanded? The Oilers powerplay looked the
old Red Army team playing catch during a practice session. Overall ... a very
entertaining back and forth almost playoff jacked hockey game between the two
provincial rivals.
Three
Stars
1
– Jaroslav Spacek.   The
last time Spacek saw Calgary he was being tossed out of a Chicago - Calgary
encounter for submarining Byron Ritchie. This time he was the Oilers best player
offensively, picking up a goal and an assist and a game high six shots on goal.
2
– Miikka Kiprusoff.   Miikka
Kiprusoff did his part and couldn't be blamed for any of the three that slid
past him. Another solid game from the Flames other superstar.
3
– Shawn Horcoff. Scored
the game winner in overtime when he jumped past two falling Calgary defencemen and
slid the puck through Miikka Kiprusoff.
Big
Hit
Steve Staious lowered the boom on Mike Leclerc along the side boards in the
Edmonton zone during third period action. The play broke up not only a good
Calgary cycle, but it also seemed to move the momentum in the Oilers direction.
Big Save
Dwayne Roloson, in his first home start for the Oilers, got his glove out to nab
a Kristian Huselius offering through a screen late in the second period with his
club reeling.
The Goat
Once again the Calgary powerplay. The Oilers managed a man advantage marker in
six tries while the Flames came up empty on seven attempts, including two late
in the third with the game tied and a win clearly in reach. To narrow that down,
you could put the horns on Mr. Iginla again who worked hard but was unable to
get a whole lot done in this one.Â
Mr. Clutch
Chris Pronger. Led everyone in ice tonight and was pretty heads up to get a new
stick and turn the play back in overtime on the winner.
Odds and Ends
Lady Luck sure turned a cold shoulder toward the souther chapther in this game.
The Oilers tie it when a swept puck hits Robyn Regehr's skate and goes into the
net. Jarome Iginla hits a goal post with a few minutes left for the winner. Then
in overtime a broken Chris Pronger stick causes Roman Hamrlik to fall, Dion
Phaneuf trips over him in the process and Shawn Horcoff walks in alone on
Kiprusoff. It doesn't end there ... he doesn't actually shoot but it goes over
the line. Add in an early whistle in the second on a Calgary Mike Leclerc
powerplay goal and Karma was the first star in this hockey game. ... Speaking of
Roman Hamrlik, good to see him back. The Flames once again had two solid defence
pairings instead of the one solid duo we've seen in recent games with Rhett
Warrener out. However, you sure had to notice just how bad both Hamrlik and
Robyn Regehr are at finding an open Phaneuf on the powerplay compared to Andrew
Ference when he gets powerplay duty. They'll have to work on that. ... Got to
love Ray Ferraro's first period quip "you have to be careful when you take
early penalties", he said of Calgary, "they can be a real
disadvantage". You think? ... The Lombardi, Kobasew, Simon line was once
again the team's best and they were rewarded with the Flame's first goal. ...
Another chapter in that interesting Jaret Stoll / Mathew Lombardi tale with both
guys scoring tonight.Â
Next up – The
Flames trip continues into Nashville for a game on Saturday.
Lines -
Huselius - Langkow – Iginla
Amonte - Yelle – McCarty
Simon - Lombardi – Kobasew
Leclerc - Nilson - Donovan
Regehr - Leopold
Hamrlik - Phaneuf
Ference-Marchment
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