Kris Fernet
October 9th, 2005

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On The Line - Today's game marked the return of Darren McCarty to Joe Louis. In 2 games this year the Flames have played liked two different teams. Which team would show up today? Would playing their playoff foes of 2004 be enough to spark the team?

The Flow - Detroit controlled the play from the drop of the puck until the final whistle. The Flames took 7 penalties in the first period and were unable to turn the momentum their way.

Three Stars - 1. Pavel Datsyuk - He was flying out there today. His beautiful goal in the third period is sure to make the highlight reels.

2. Henrik Zetterburg - A 4 point (1 G, 3A) game is good enough to earn the CP second star. His work in the corners and timely passing had the Flames D chasing their tails all night. And he even blocked a shot!

3. Nicklas Lidstrom - Played the majority of the first period. Helped Detroit control the play and overwhelm Calgary. Had 6 shots on net.

Big Hit - For the second game in a row the Flames lacked a physical element to their game. However, Dion Phaneuf gets the honor for standing up rookie Johan Franzen at the Detroit blue line. Welcome to the NHL Johan.

Big Save - Not many to choose from today. In fact, none warrant the title 'Big Save'.

The Goat - No lack of options here. A horrific special teams performance was most responsible for the loss. Both the PP and PK suffered from a complete lack of cohesion and chemistry.

Mr. Clutch - In a game this bad it is hard to pick any one player that contributed anything positive. Dion Phaneuf is as close as one could get to having an 'OK' game despite his 4 minute first period penalty for high sticking. 6 shots, +2 and no giveaways helped him rise above the rest of the Flames roster.

Odds and Ends - The Flames played worse then the score would indicate. At no time during the game did they look like they had a chance at winning. They spent 14 minutes of the first period on the PK and surrendered 3 goals during that time…Flames entered the game rated 30th on the PK and 29th on the PP…With a 2 point game Nicklas Lidstrom moved ahead of Ted Lindsay for 6th spot in Red Wings scoring…It took Detroit just 12 seconds to register their first scoring chance when Henrik Zetterburg streaked in on the LW and fired a shot that was comfortably saved by Kiprusoff…Poor defensive coverage in the Flames zone continues to plague the defense…Both Flames goals came from the blue line, however, Rhett Warrener's goal was actually tipped in by Detroit's Kris Draper…2004 playoff hero Mikka Kiprusoff was pulled after surrendering 5 goals on 36 shots in the first two periods…Philippe Sauve allowed 1 goal on 4 shots in the third period…Any chance the Flames had for a comeback was snuffed out by a careless boarding penalty taken by Steve Montador with 12 minutes left in the third.

Next up - Monday, October 9, 2005. At Colorado. 7pm MST. Available in HD.

Lines - 

Amonte - Langkow - Iginla 
Reinprecht - Lombardi - Kobasew 
Nilson - Yelle - McCarty (apparently known as the Landmine Line) 
Simon - Weimer - Donovan

Hamrlik - Phaneuf 
Leopold - Warrener 
Ference - Montador