For the last week the
Calgary Flames have been
winning game despite
losing their grip on
their defence first,
shot limiting style.
Tonight at the
Pengrowth Saddledome the
Flames ironically played
their best game in
almost ten days, but
came up on the stiff
side of a 2-0 contest to
the Vancouver Canucks.
For the second time
this season the Flames
came up empty trying to
win their fifth straight
game.
One would hope the
team will rebound in a
similar fashion to their
last streak stopping
loss, a game that was
followed by a six game
unbeaten streak to burry
the ill feelings of a
2-1 setback in
Minnesota.
|
| Saprykin |
Lombardi |
Iginla |
| Gelinas |
McAmmond |
Donovan |
| Green |
Yelle |
Clark |
| Oliwa |
Morgan |
Kobasew |
| Regehr |
Leopold |
| Gauthier |
Warrener |
| Lydman |
Ference |
|
The
visitors were full
marks for their
impressive first
period start.
Vancouver
came in waves
early and beat
Miikka Kiprusoff
for two first
period goals; all
the offence they'd
need on the night,
as it turned out.
First,
Mattias Ohlund
beat the Calgary
keeper when he
fired a low
slapper from the
point on the
powerplay that
worked it's way
through a screen
and over the pad.
Just
over ten minutes
later, Brendan
Morrison took
advantage of a
defensive miscue
that saw two
Calgary players
take out Marek
Malik and leave
him alone with
Kiprusoff,
yielding his 13th
goal of the
season.
The
Flames were a much
better team in the
second period,
carrying the play
for the most part,
and only being
turned back by a
solid effort by
Canuck goaltender,
Dan Cloutier.
Cloutier
made key saves on
Jason Morgan,
Chuck Kobasew,
Shean Donovan and
a host of others
in keeping the
game a two nothing
proposition for
his club heading
to the third.
Vancouver
rebounded smartly
in the third, gaining
back some of the
territorial game
they lost in the
middle frame.
Oleg
Saprykin had the
Flames best chance
of the third
period when he was
awarded a penalty
shot because of a
glove in crease
violation by
Mattias Ohlund.
Saprykin
took the puck in
and fired wide,
missing a great
chance to put the
Flames on the
board and make the
finish
interesting.
If
the missed penalty
shot wasn't the
killer, Denis
Gauthier's knee on
knee demolition of
Sami Salo, an
infraction that
sent the blueliner
off the ice for a
five minute Canuck
powerplay.
The
Canucks failed to
score on their
five minute chance
but were more than
happy to run out
the time and take
the two points.
The
game draws the
Flames record at
even for the big
six game division
rival series of
games, switching
the focus back to
Edmonton for a
game on Sunday.
