Flames
Win Another In OTÂ
Steve
Montador the Hero on
Iginla PassÂ
May
9th, 2004
RICK
CHARLTON
The
legend grows.
From
a third stringer to a
Vezina Trophy candidate
and holder of a modern
day NHL record for goals
against, it is hard to
imagine Mikka Kipruoff
could actually improve
on his miracle season
for the Calgary Flames.
But
a remarkable 49 save
performance in San Jose,
lifting the unlikely
Calgary Flames to a 4-3
overtime victory in the
opening game of the
Western Conference
Final, will only add to
the legend that is
becoming Kiprusoff in
these 2003- 2004
playoffs.
Through
the first round against
Vancouver, Jarome Iginla
was clearly Calgary's
best player, with
Kiprusoff in the
background delivering a
workmanlike performance,
if occasionally
spectacular, against the
Canucks.
Since
then, however, it's been
Kiprusoff broadly
carrying the Flames on
his shoulders, two 1-0
shutouts to end
Detroit's season
prematurely and now
this, his most
remarkable performance
of the season, putting
the Flames only three
wins away from a berth
in the Stanley Cup
final.
Not
that Iginla hasn't been
there, the Calgary
captain extending his
point streak to five
games and assisting on
the winner for the third
game in a row in spite
of being rendered
largely invisible
through much of the
afternoon by his
designated shadow, Scott
Hannan of the Sharks.
It
was Iginla, taking
advantage of a
horrendous San Jose line
change, who found Steve
Montador careening
unmolested into the
slot, the underdog
Calgary defender waiting
out San Jose netminder
Evgeni Nabokov before
ringing the post for the
decisive marker at 18:43
of the first extra
period.
Since
1989, Calgary had only
one overtime win in ten
tries but is now
beginning to emulate the
1993 Montreal Canadiens
who were 10-1 in extra
periods on their way to
a Stanley Cup
championship.
Flames
are now 4-1 in overtime
to date while the Sharks
dropped their third in a
row in extra time.
The
win was the first for
Calgary in games where
they've surrendered
three or more goals, the
Flames entering the
contest with zero wins
in four previous starts.
Calgary is 8-1 in games
where they've given up
two or fewer goals.
In
truth though, this game
had a lot to do with
Kiprusoff, the Sharks
outdistancing Calgary in
scoring chances by a
country mile although
Nabokov at the other end
was no slouch either,
facing 37 Flames shots
by the time the night
was done and not really
to blame on any of the
goals he surrendered.
Although
up 1-0 in the series, it
would be fair to say the
Sharks were easily the
better team in this game
for large swaths of
time, the Flames failing
to match San Jose's work
ethic and being
repeatedly hemmed in its
own end in embarrassing
fashion for shifts on
end.
"They
are a very, very fast
team, maybe the fastest
of the three we've faced
in the playoffs,"
agreed Montador in
comments on FAN960 after
the game.
"It
wasn't two teams trying
to trap or put a
stranglehold on
anybody," said San
Jose coach Ron Wilson of
the wide open game
But
it was Kiprusoff, wiping
away memories of
lingering, bitter
memories of Trevor Kidd
and the last time San
Jose and Calgary met in
the NHL playoffs, who
proved to be the
difference, his tour de
force performance enough
for this afternoon but
one would think Calgary
needs to find a
different formula if it
expects to eventually
prevail.
Calgary
opened scoring from an
unlikely source, Chuck
Kobasew taking advantage
of a fortuitous bounce
of the glass in the San
Jose end, passing out to
Oleg Saprykin who then
had the rebound on his
turnaround shot lifted
over Nabokov by
Krzysztof Oliwa at 9:26
of the first period.
Flames
added to their lead on a
two of one break, Shean
Donovan shovelling the
puck past the San Jose
defence and springing
loose Craig Conroy, the
assistant captain faking
pass to Marcus Nilson
then electing to pop the
water bottle behind a
falling Nabokov as the
first period was closing
out.
For
the Flames, the two
goals marked the first
time they had scored in
the first period since
Game 2 against
Vancouver.
The
Sharks threw 18 shots at
Kiprusoff in the period,
including five on a full
five minute two man
advantage which may have
been the decisive moment
in the game for the
Sharks given they
couldn't beat the
Calgary netminder.
The
Sharks broke Kiprusoff's
playoff shutout streak
at 170:34, a harmless
looking shot boinking
off the mask of the
Flames netminder and
Mike Ricci brilliantly
swatting the puck
backhanded into the net
as he was falling to the
ice at 1:23 of the
first.
San
Jose eventually tied the
game at 19:02 of the
second, the dreaded goal
in the last minute, Todd
Harvey deflecting an
easy point shot through
the wickets of Kiprusoff
at 19:02.
Flames
began to take over this
game in the third
period, hemming the
Sharks in their own zone
for several shifts
before Conroy lined up a
perfect screen shot from
near the San Jose
blueline, lifting the
Flames into a 3-2 lead
at 9:25.
From
seeming to have the game
squarely in control,
Calgary coughed up the
equalizer with only 3:21
left in the period, Alex
Korolyuk lifting another
harmless flutterball off
the stick of Stephane
Yelle from the
sideboards, arching over
Kiprusoff's shoulder to
force overtime.
The
Flames were clearly
hanging on for much of
this game, the Sharks
swift counterattack all
it was advertised to be
while the Flames
patented defensive game
was no where in sight.
They
were more than a bit
lucky to win this game .
. . . but will no doubt
take it.
Flames
were zero for two on the
powerplay and San Jose
was scoreless in four
opportunities.
Next
up is a return match in
San Jose on Tuesday
night.
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