When the Calgary
Flames made the playoffs
with a win over the
Phoenix Coyotes on March
31st a seven year monkey
was knocked off their
collective shoulder.
Ten days later the
Flames won their first
playoff game in nine
years, dislodging an
even bigger primate from
their backs.
Four night later the
club knocked another
monkey to it's demise
when they staged their
first home win in the
same amount of time.
Tonight the Flames
moved a step closer to
tossing King Kong aside
when they disposed of
the Vancouver Canucks by
a 2-1 score to take a
3-2 lead in the Western
Conference
Quarter-final.
It's an all too
common fact, brazened
into the damaged psyche
of every hockey fan that
walks the streets in
Alberta's Stampede City
- the Flames haven't won
a playoff series since
they claimed the Stanley
Cup in 1989.
That's almost 15
years.
That's roughly 5,490
days.
That's a lot of tear
in the beer and
heartbreak for a city
that thought the best
days were still ahead
when the Flames sipped
from Lord Stanley's holy
grail for the first
time.
On Saturday night the
Flames have a chance to
erase a lot of bad
memories - but don't for
a minute think it will
be easy.
Nothing in this
series is.
Typically the Flames
were forced to fight
tooth and nail in
Vancouver tonight as the
hosts did everything but
lay down and die before
a rabid crowd looking
for a bounce back game.
The Flames handily
won game four in
Calgary, sending
onlookers on the left
coast into doubting
their clubs heart and
ability to get up for
the big game.
The first period was
a scoreless affair
despite six powerplays -
four against the Flames
- and a Chris Clark
short handed break away.
The Flames opened the
scoring in the second
period when surprise
starter Alex Auld over committed
on a wide shot by Mike
Commodore on a Calgary
powerplay allowing the
shielded Craig Conroy to
direct a rebound into a
wide open net.
The Flames continued
to press through the
majority of the second
but were foiled by
defensive work by the
Canucks and some solid
saves by Auld.
Late in the period,
with the Canucks on a
powerplay of their own,
the home side received a
fortuitous goal when a
Mattias Ohlund point
shot hit Henrik Sedin in
the upper chest and
bounced past Miikka
Kiprusoff.
The goal ended a 115
minute shut out streak
for the goaltender that
many a Vancouver pundit
was ready to dismiss
coming into the series.
It was the last time
they'd beat him on the
night.
The Flames scored an
intriguing goal early in
the third when an Andrew
Ference point shot was
smacked down by Jarome
Iginla on the
deflection. The puck
skipped by Auld but the
play was thrown under
review because the net
clearly bounced off its
pegs. The ruling states
that if the net lands
back on the pegs the
goal stands which was
the final say from the
video booth, putting the
Flames up 2-1.
From there the Flames
were lucky as they sat
firmly on their lead and
relied on the
goaltending of Kiprusoff
to eke out the win.
Though a nail biting
experience for
onlookers, the truth of
the matter was that the
Canucks really didn't
have many blue chip
chances despite out
shooting Calgary 12-2 in
the third period.
The one goal against
moves Kiprusoff's goals
against average in the
series down to 1.81
despite giving up five
goals in the opening
game. His average has
been 1.01 since that
night, quelling a lot of
doubt about his ability
to continue his hot hand
into the playoffs.
Calgary's other
bright light, Jarome
Iginla, managed his
third goal of the series
in just five games,
though the second of
three was into an empty
net.
The Canuck big guns
were held off the
scoresheet. Vancouver's
run of five on five
ineffectiveness was
continued with the club
still only solving
Kiprusoff once without a
soul in the penalty box
or an extra attacker
altering the play.
The teams will reacquaint
themselves on Saturday
night at the Pengrowth
Saddledome in what just
may be the loudest home
contest of the series.
The Flames will be
looking for 19,289
helpful hands in moving
that huge darn monkey
off their backs and
creating some modern
history for a city full
of new hockey fans.
