It was that close.
Literally.
In a series that many
have pegged to go the
distance, the Canucks
and Flames played
another close checking
gem, this time with the
Canucks coming out on
top by game two's identical
2-1 score.
You had that feeling
that third period was
essentially overtime
without all that window
dressing.
The team that managed
a butt ugly goal in the
final frame would find a
way to will their way to
victory and that's exactly
what the Canucks managed
when Matt Cooke took a
Brendan Morrison pass
and fired a high wrister
past Mikka Kiprusoff
just a handful of
minutes into the third.
It felt done. It was
done.
Give the Canucks
credit, the limited the
Flames to very little
after that point,
keeping the play to the
perimeter and
essentially sitting on
their third period lead.
The Flames opened the
scoring in the second
period when Chris Simon
jumped on a Jarome
Iginla rebound and beat
Canuck backup goaltender
Johan Hedberg.
On the play Calgary
center Craig Conroy took
a high stick from
Hedberg, and inadvertent
play as the puck went in
the net. Conroy missed
the rest of the second
period but returned in
the third with a full
face shield to hide his
battle scars.
Hedberg was into the
game in relief of
starter Dan Cloutier who
left the game with an
injury that Canuck coach
Marc Crawford called
"a lower body
injury".
A better explanation?
A knee injury suffered
on a first period save
that may be a series
ending boo boo for the
Canuck stopper.
The Canucks had later
injury woes as well when
Brad May left with
"an upper body
injury" when he
went into the Calgary
cage in the third
period.
The Canucks tied the
play a few minutes after
the Flames had gone
ahead when Marcus
Naslund cashed in on a
second period powerplay
rebound and beat
Kiprusoff.
Cooke's goal created
a third period that had
Vancouver more than
content to chip the puck
out and hang on.
The Canucks played a
classic road playoff
game, to be honest, not generating
a whole lot offensively,
but stemming the tide
defensively and holding
the line against a crowd
juiced Calgary Flames.
The Flames pulled the
goalie and tried to
force the issue late but
their push stalled when
Mattias Ohlund cross
checked Jarome Iginla
from behind and into the
boards.
Inexplicably the
officials turned a blind
eye to the play leading
to Iginla's attempt at
justice by mixing it up
with the solid Vancouver
defenceman. Both players
were sent home early
with fighting majors
with just 11 seconds
left in the game.
The win puts the
Canucks up two games to
one in the series a
margin that was
guaranteed with the
series shifting to
Calgary one apiece. The
loss seems somewhat
weighty however, in the
momentum of a
series, as the Flames
will now have to win
three of the final four
games of the battle in
order to prevail.Â
A tough road ... and
a definite advantage
Vancouver.
After the game Darryl
Sutter was quite
impressed on the chance
nixing play of both
teams.
"I thought both
teams were great in
traffic areas",
said Sutter. "It
was a night where you
earned your ice
time".
A comment that was
very telling considering
Toni Lydman's count of
only 9:26 and Denis
Gauthier's tally of
14:15 - clearly Sutter
shortened his defensive
bench.
In the wake of the
loss the Flames can hold
up the powerplay as
chiefly responsible, as
the crew pitched an ugly
ouch for seven in a game
where Vancouver was one
for four.
The two teams get
back at it on Tuesday
when game four will be
hosted in the expected,
equally as loud
Pengrowth Saddledome.
Â
