Flames Feast on Predators

D'Arcy McGrath

March 2nd, 2002

When it rains it pours.

The goal starved Calgary Flames served up an offensive banquet on Saturday night at the Pengrowth Saddledome, and found a few different flavours in downing the Nashville Predators.

A powerplay goal for starters.

An even strength goal to double the lead.

A shorthanded goal to put it out of reach.

To finish things off in the third another shorthanded goal and an empty netter to fill out the menu.

The crowd would have been excused for a collective gaping mouth with the reality that a penalty shot goal wasn't in the making.

Face Offs	Hits
Powerplay Chances	Shots on Goal

The Flames opened the scoring when Craig Conroy deftly deflected a Derek Morris point shot past Mike Dunham on the powerplay. The goal was Conroy's 19th of the season, leaving him one short of 20 goal mark, a total he has never been near in his career.

A few minutes later Marc Savard doubled the lead when he intercepted an errant Nashville clearing attempt and roofed a seeing eye shot over the out stretched glove of Dunham.

The Flames pretty much put the game on ice while killing a penalty late in the first. While a man short the Flames found themselves repeatedly on odd man rushes before Jarome Iginla finally converted a chance with a laser beam that is sure to make league wide highlight packages.

The second period started with a spirited Nashville team taking the play to the Flames. 

By the middle of the period the play had swung back to the Flames favour with Dean McAmmond converting an Iginla rebound in the frame's last minute.

Roman Turek's franchise record for shut outs was nixed when ex-Flame Steve Dubinsky scored with less than eight minutes left on the clock.

Late in the game Craig Berube picked and successfully found a fight with the Predator's Reid Simpson, and eked out a draw. For his efforts he was afforded a minor for high sticking, a minor for instigating, a major, and a ten minute misconduct.

The Predators found themselves on a four minute powerplay with the goalie pulled only to have Calgary's Chris Clark hit the empty net to salt things away.

A late goal by Cliff Ronning did little but to worsen the Flame's less than stellar penalty kill record.

Scoreboard
	Calgary Flames	5
	Nashville Predators	2

Box Score

FLAMES LINES

OUR THREE STARS

1) Marc Savard - The diminutive center's third straight stellar effort. Picked up a goal and an assist.

2) Jarome Iginla - The Flames Gold Medallist had chances all night, picked up two points, including a rocket over Dunham's shoulder short handed.

3) Roman Turek - Large had to be Large early in the second when the Predators had enough chances to erase their three goal deficit.

SAVE OF THE GAME

With the game somewhat in doubt early in the 2nd period Turek made a series of stellar saves including a stick handle save on Cliff Ronning that barely floated over the net.

HIT OF THE GAME

Bob Boughner caught the eye of all onlookers with a tremendous open ice hit on Reid Simpson as the Predator winger was leaving the Preds zone.

NOTES & STATS

One has to wonder if Greg Gilbert noticed Pat Quinn's reliance on Jarome Iginla to kill penalties in Salt Lake City. Iginla hadn't killed many penalties in Calgary, but was on the second unit tonight. ... Roman Turek didn't do his expected lap after getting named the third star of the game at the Saddledome. He didn't stick around to bump heads and gloves with his teammates suggesting he may have been less than impressed with the Flames loosy goosy defensive play that led to his gassed shut out. ... The Flames won the battle of the face off dot tonight, but by the slimmest of margins, 51 to 49%. Craig Conroy was good for 80% for Calgary. ... The Flames were out hit by the Predators by a margin of 30 to 28. Four different Predators had four hits, while the Flames were led by five different skaters with three apiece (Gauthier, Boughner, Shantz, Begin, Morris). ... Derek Morris spent the most time on the ice for Calgary with 22:20 of logged minutes. The Predator's Kimmo Timonen led all skaters with 23:23. ... The two teams spent over 25 minutes of the game in the Nashville zone, compared to only 21 minutes in the proximity of Roman Turek.