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20-15-7

47 points – 8th in the West

VS

16-22-4

36 points – 14th in the West

- Full Article –

The Flames are looking for their first 3 game winning streak and the Wild are looking to break out of the funk they have been in for the last 2 weeks and put together a winning streak of their own. The Flames got another solid effort from their youngsters and would almost come back from a 4-1 deficit, but alas the team fell short and once again the 3 game winning streak remains just out of reach.

The Game Skinny

It wouldn’t be a Flames game without a goal being scored in the first 5 minutes. Tonight the Flames were on the wrong end of it as Koivu would get about 3 chances from the slot to put it past MacDonald. Pominville would score half way through the second to give the Wild a 2 goal lead. Hudler would get the Flames within 1 in the third but the Wild struck back with 2 goals in just over a minute to take a 4-1 lead. The Flames would try and mount a comeback late but would fall just short, getting tallies from Hanowski and Baertschi.

A pretty entertaining finish, with a lot of positives for the Flames to take from this. The exact type of loss that should keep Flames fans happy.

Draft Implications

Yesterday Nashville lost to Detroit and Tampa Bay lost to Buffalo. Nashville continues their slide down the standings with a second loss in as many nights, this time at the hands of the Vancouver Canucks. Colorado grabs a point in an OT loss against Columbus. The Flames are still tied with Carolina for 28th/27th spot (Carolina has more wins so I think the Flames hold 28th spot at the moment), 2 points behind Nashville, and 1 point up on Colorado.

Young Player Barometer

Sven Baertschi – Baertschi was very shifty tonight. His speed drew a couple of penalties and he had some nice quick little passes to set up his line-mates. Scored his second goal in as many games. All in all another good outing from Baertschi.
Max Reinhart – Another night with a lot of hustle from the Flames young center. He is showing some chemistry with Baertschi. Reinhart got robbed a couple times in the first period and got dominated in the face-off circle, but that tends to happen to young players.
Roman Horak – Uncharacteristic start from the Flames youngster. Had a rough start to the night. Had a couple passes intercepted and was getting pushed around a little bit. Got better as the game wore on and made a nice play to set up Hudler for the Flames first goal.
Mikael Backlund – Backlund just will not stop putting the puck on net, finishing the night with 5 shots, and it leading to chances. Setup Hanowski for his first NHL and had a good night in the face-off circle. Logged the most minutes of any Flames center.
TJ Brodie – Kind of lost himself on the second Wild goal, but otherwise had another solid outing. Showed no fear jumping in the rush and trying to create things offensively.
Ben Hanowski – Had some jitters in the first period, but also had a glorious opportunity which he was robbed on. Wouldn’t be denied in the third period though as he scores his first career NHL goal. As good of a game as you could expect from the kid, definitely didn’t look out of place.

Notes

Hanowski’s skating was better than I thought it would be, awkward but he seems to be able to keep up. He also worked the boards really well. I’m not sure if he is NHL ready quite yet but he certainly doesn’t look out of place. Loves the smarts and the willingness to go into the dirty areas. Definitely needs to play with a more physical edge. Good first game from the kid…Hopefully Sarich isn’t too badly injured. On the bright side it means we will probably see what Cundari is all about. At this point I would rather Sarich be healthy and send Carson back to the AHL and bring up Cundari. Sarich has looked very good playing with the young kids…The most impressive thing I have seen from the Flames young players is their willingness to back-check and try and play defense. It forces the veterans to do the same…I’m not sure if anything has been said to Jackman but he has gone into beast mode lately. The guy has been throwing his weight around these last few weeks and has been going to the net hard.

Visit the game day thread to talk about today’s game.

22-16-3

47 points – 7th in the West

VS

16-21-4

36 points – 14th in the West

- Full Article –

The Oilers are looking to make the playoffs for the first time since making it to the cup finals in the 2005-2006 season, the Flames are looking for revenge by playing spoiler to the Oilers. The Flames roster is littered with kids from the Abbostford Heat due to injuries, and the trades of a couple of guys whose names escape me, and the kids seem to be bringing some life to the Flames as they audition for roster spots for next season.

The Flames youngsters would prove to be too much for the Oilers to handle and the Flames would put what is likely the final nail in the coffin that is the Oilers playoff hopes. - Full Article –

The Coyotes are fighting for a playoff spot and the Flames are fighting for their jobs so, despite the fact that one of these teams is completely out of the playoff picture, you just knew this was going to be a hard fought battle from start to finish.

The Flames were looking to rebound from a tough loss to their bitter rivals, the Vancouver Canucks, where they played a very solid game and put forth a good effort for 52 minutes before the wheels fell off. The Flames got off to another poor start, once again allowing a goal before the game was 5 minutes old, but were able to put it behind them and tie the game up before the end of the first.

The Flames would take the lead in the second and play a very close game until desperation kicks in for the Coyotes and Yandle would score the tying goal with 5 minutes left in the third. Then, when a shootout seemed all but a certainty, Mark Giordano gets the game winner to give the Flames another win, and put some more doubt in the playoff hopes of the Coyotes. - Full Article –