Marc Ciampa
April 9th, 2004
Now that they’ve got the first game in seven years
out of the way, just two days later the Flames are back at it, looking now for
their first playoff win since a 5-0 triumph over the San Jose Sharks on May 15,
1995.
What Darryl Sutter has likely been stressing to his
team over the past 24 hours is don’t panic. The only win in a playoff series
that matters is the fourth. If the Flames come out and play their game tonight
they’ll still be heading home Sunday with a split, having stolen home ice
advantage.
FLAMES KEYS TO SUCCESS:
- Special Teams: Judging by how the first
game was called, with a total of 16 power plays handed out between the two
teams, the Flames need to tighten up on not only their penalty killing but
also their ability to take stupid penalties at inopportune moments.
- Iginla: Jarome Iginla had several
spurts of brilliance Wednesday night where he simply dominated the puck
along the boards. However, he was unable to generate much in front of the
net and only had four shots on goal (all in the third period). He needs to
be better and he needs to score.
- Flames Hockey: All season long scoring
three goals has been enough to win most games. They need to limit the
Canucks to two goals or less, whether it’s playing better defensively or
more timely saves from Kiprusoff.
EVERYBODY KNOWS...
Stephane Yelle
likely would have made a big difference in Wednesday’s game if he was not
injured. In particular, each of Vancouver’s first two goals were originated
from a point shot up the middle—shots that Yelle has been particularly adept
at blocking for most of the season. With someone like Yelle on the penalty kill
it would likely force Ed Jovanovski back to the blueline and away from the front
of the net for fear that one of his blocked shots could spring a breakaway with
only one D back there.
Brendan Morrison
has been a Flames killer this season. In addition to his goal and two assists
Wednesday, he had six points (4 goals, 2 assists) in six regular season games
versus Calgary to lead the Canucks.
EVERYBODY SHOULD KNOW...
Oleg Saprykin
was Calgary’s best forward on Wednesday. The way he drove to the net and
created chances all night was exactly what Darryl Sutter was looking for. If he
has a similar type game this evening, don’t be surprised to see him on the top
line at some point in tonight’s game.
Mike Keane’s role with the Canucks has
increased in the playoffs as Vancouver draws on his postseason experience.
During the regular season he averaged just over ten minutes a game while
Wednesday he was on the ice for 14:20, including over six minutes on the penalty
kill.
ROSTER UPDATES:
Calgary:
Stephane Yelle (hip) is again questionable for tonight. Toni Lydman (upper body)
returned to the lineup Wednesday. Dean McAmmond (back) and Steve Reinprecht
(shoulder) are both out for the rest of the season. Dave Lowry may return later
on in the series.
Vancouver:
Todd Bertuzzi (suspension) is out for the playoffs. Mats Lindgren (back) and
Magnus Arvedson (knee) are done for the season.
FAST FACTS:Â
Proof that the playoffs are a whole different
season: Vancouver’s power play ranked the worst of all the playoff qualifiers
at 22nd in the league (14.9%) but they still managed to light it up
against Calgary’s above-average penalty killers (84.6% ranked 13th).
In the regular season, the Flames were outscored by the Canucks 8-2 and that
trend continued on Wednesday with Vancouver registering a pair of goals… In
the regular season when the Flames scored more than one power play goal, they
were 11-1-1-0. Another reason the playoffs are a whole new ball game.Â
QUOTABLE:
"You
have to drive to the net and he comes out so far in the goalie crease. He tries
to play like a third defenceman out there and it's hard to avoid him. The
problem is, you can't touch him. As much as a small bounce against him and he's
going to go down." – Flames
enforcer Krzysztof Oliwa on whether the Flames have a strategy to run Canucks
netminder Dan Cloutier.
HEAD-TO-HEAD:
