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Flames
Jump On Injured Oilers
Quick
Start Key to Two Points
January
20th, 2002
D'Arcy McGrath
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| Begin |
Drury |
Iginla |
| Gelinas |
Conroy |
Lowry |
| Niedermayer |
Yelle |
Clark |
| Berube |
Nichol |
Sloan |
| Lydman |
Regehr |
| Boughner |
Gauthier |
| Montador |
Buzek |
|
First
periods ... quick starts
... and making the
Saddledome a tough place
to play for visiting
hockey teams.
All
three key topics making
the rounds on press row
over the past week.
Check
... check and check -
the Flames reversed all
three trends in turning
back the Oilers by a 4-3
score on Monday night.
"A
good start is one thing
Darryl has really been
trying to get us focused
on," Toni Lydman
told the Calgary Herald
on Sunday.
"It's
always easier to play
with the lead. The
longer the game goes on,
the other team has to
open up and try to
create something. That's
where you usually get
your chances for an
extra goal or two."
The
red hot Oilers, losers
of only one regulation
game in their past eight
had all the momentum on
their side, at least
until the opening face
off.
From
there things took a
decided turn for the
homeside.
Just
five seconds in Chris
Clark dropped his mitts
and battled out a
decision over Oiler
forward Shawn Horcoff.
Just
1:10 in Craig Conroy
continued his two game
streak of early goals by
converting a Jarome
Iginla knuckleball
rebound into his 13th
marker of the season.
Seven
minutes later former
Calgary captain and
resurrected Flame Dave
Lowry converted another
Jarome Iginla rebound to
score his first of the
season and put the
Flames up by two.
The
Flames didn't let up in
the second when Craig
Conroy scored his second
of the night by firing a
screened off angle shot
off the post and past
Salo.
Three
minutes later Chris
Drury snapped his ten
game goal drought when
he fired a two on one
shot through Salo's legs
to pretty much salt
things away.
The
Oilers pressed late in
the second period with a
50 second two man
advantage but two goal
post and a quick Denis
Gauthier crease clear
sent the Flames to the
locker room up four,
home free and
comfortable.
Or
were they?
With
six and a half minutes
left the Oilers started
a birrage of goals that
would see the score back
to a one goal game at
4-3 with just under
three minutes to play.
The
goals by Brian Swanson,
Marty Reasoner and Mike
York came in a span just
under four minutes,
making the finish much
more exciting than
expected.
With
the goalie pulled the
Oilers had difficulty
getting much going
however, as the Flames
managed to hem them deep
in their zone.
A
win is a win, but the
way this one ended has
to be disconcerting to
coach Darryl Sutter. The
Flames should be able to
put a four goal home ice
lead to bed without
pulling out the cardiac
machines. In the end the
club gets the two
points, and hopefully a
lesson to be applied
later in the season.
Get
Your
Calgarypuck
Gear!
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