Talk about a trap game.
Calgary has had all kinds of success on extended road trips this season, and with this being the last long junket of the campaign and the trip sitting even a final game in Edmonton against the lowly Oilers was the perfect face plant game for the Flames. The team survived a flat start, despite an early goal, to run away with things by a 4-0 score to push the team a smidgen closer to a playoff spot with only three games to go.
One more trap game on a first game back and then its back to back money games to finish the season. What a winter in Calgary!
The Flow
You want an ugly period? You got it! The Flames score the period’s only goal when a Mason Raymond shot hits a few bodies including that of Joe Colborne who then swipes at the puck twice, missing both times, but gets credited after the review. The rest of the period seemed like the Flames stumbling around their own zone and keeping the Oilers to the outside. Not pretty. The great news, they had the lead. The good news, first periods are rarely their best.
Five minutes into the second period the game looked to be carrying on pretty much as we saw in the first period, but then the Flames found their legs. The last 15 minutes of the period was the Flames chipping pucks deep, forcing turnovers, and getting pucks to Scrivens. The top line had a few great chances but were denied. The club was finally rewarded when the Granlund line forced the Oilers deep on two turnovers with Jooris getting the puck to Grandlund and the Fin mishandling the puck before firing it home to make it 2-0 Calgary. Another great chance by the top line late could have made it 3-0 but once again Scrivens and bouncing pucks kept it out.
The third period was somewhat academic with the Flames up two after two. The Oilers were going through the motions and the Flames were looking to close things out. The game’s first powerplay results in a Dennis Wideman goal about 4 seconds into the powerplay to make it 3-0, for Wideman his third point of the night, and a new career high for points in a season. Then really late Granlund catches Scrivens wandering and scores his second of the night to make it 3-0 for the Oilers who were visually really starting to make things happen. Flames win 4-0, and hold serve against LA and Winnipeg.
Three Stars
1.Dennis Wideman: Sets a career high with a goal and two assists to lead the Giordano less Flames.
2.Jonas Hiller: Odd situation to come into a game after only 58 seconds, but that was the case in a strange shared shut out. Stopped 26 pucks for the goose egg.
3.Markus Granlund: Scores two for the Flames, his first two goal game of his NHL career. Good timing!
Big Save
A turn over at the Oiler blueline in the second left Josh Jooris with nothing but Ben Scrivens, however the Oiler goaltender got the best of him by flashing his trapper and stoning the rising shot. Could have been 2-0 Calgary at that point.
The Goat
How do you pick a goat in an Oiler game? Five different guys were -2, Taylor Hall coughed up the puck a few times, Ben Scrivens had a .862 save percentage, but was one player to blame? Don’t think so.
Mr. Clutch
Kris Russell. What a look on HNIC on that backcheck, some kind of cool to see Russell’s face barrelling down on Yakupov and thwarting the chance on the backcheck. Picks up an assist and pulls his usual yeoman’s effort. Great season.
Odds and Ends
In a season full of great stories, the oddest tale is that of Tyler Wotherspoon. He’s been called up four or five times but never inserted into the lineup. In January with Smid out the Flames trotted out the barely used Raphael Diaz. Giordano goes down and its Potter for a few games until they find Schlemko on waivers. Now with Diaz hurt they got to Potter again. Wotherspoon has been playing 20 some minutes a night for 70 games in the AHL, while Potter has played what a dozen pro games all season? Just don’t get it. … The Bennett thing. Just don’t get it. I love the fact that its an ongoing debate with two clear cut sides, but if Bennett wasn’t going to play tonight then just say so in the pregame skate, don’t go drama queen all day and then not dress him. The kid has talent and the bottom three lines are stone cold. The Flames did the right thing sending him down in February, but then they got lucky and he got swept so play him. Silly. … Kari Ramo leaving a minute into the first period is exactly what Bob Hartley didn’t want to see, as I’ve felt the Flames planned on riding Ramo down the wire and into the playoffs should they make it. Looked pretty serious, looking like we won’t see him again this year making it the Hiller show to the wire. Big question is Joni Ortio as I believe he was expected to return in early April (now). Wouldn’t that be a story for the final two games of the season? … Another potential goaltender story? Jon Gillies. Gillies leads Providence into the Frozen Four on Thursday, a quick exit by the Friars and Gillies could be signed and brought to Calgary to make his pro debut. Good timing for the Flames and good leverage to get a college player signed. … Is it me or is the guy that announces goals at Northlands/Skyreach/Whatever the same guy now that was there in 1980? Or is it that they have some odd mic system where they all sound the same like the teachers on peanut’s cartoons? … Taylor Hall with two blatant giveways again tonight, the guy just doesn’t get it. Would be really interesting to see the guy dealt to a team that gets it, he would be in some serious trouble in that dressing room in a handful of games. … This year’s Flames tied the 1989 Flames for wins in a season which is a little bizarre given this is year two in a rebuild and that was a President’s Trophy winner. Really shows you how little home ice matters in today’s NHL. .. So how does Dennis Wideman go from a guy on the outs last season, a guy that didn’t seem to get it, to a guy that sets a career high in points and gets a letter after the Glencross trade? Crazy. The media world trashed Feaster for the Widmean signing, but now it looks like pure gold, and a possible extension. … Lots of line juggling tonight with a new zit line (17/18/19), and the modern kid line with Granlund, Jooris and Ferland, the latter especially dangerous in the last half of the game. … With the win, will Hartley find a way to get Bennett into the line up against Arizona? If not then you’d have to think a win again would mean no start against LA and the potential for Bennett to either watch the rest of the way or see action in Winnipeg to start the season. Will always wonder if he missed a chance tonight against the Swiss Cheese Oilers.
Next Up
Five game trip is over, Flames return to Calgary for their last two home games of the season, the first Tuesday against the Arizona Coyotes. Game time 7pm Sportsnet.
Lines:
Johnny Gaudreau – Sean Monahan – Jiri Hudler
Mason Raymond – Mikael Backlund – Joe Colborne
Michael Ferland – Markus Granlund – Josh Jooris
Lance Bouma – Matt Stajan – David Jones
TJ Brodie – Deryk Engelland
Kris Russell – Dennis Wideman
David Schlemko – Corey Potter
Kari Ramo
