Calgary 1 Anaheim 2
After three straight losses in which his team seemed a little uncertain defensively, Mike Keenan did the logical thing…
He started Curtis McElhinney. If you just did a double take, you’re not alone. But it’s no secret that the notorious mixer-upper was looking for something different in this matinee tilt against the erstwhile Stanley-Cup-champion Ducks. Speaking of waterfowl, the Ducks had themselves fallen on hard times of late, so both teams were looking for a shake-up throughout their lineup, and as is often the case in afternoon matchups, the game came down to who was ready to play and who wasn’t. Blame it on the schedule? Whatever it was, the Flames looked desperately in need of a nap through forty minutes of play, only taking their fingers off the snooze-button for long enough to add some belated drama to an otherwise sleepy, choppy and flowless hockey game.
On The Line
Calgary’s perch atop the Northwest division seems safe enough for now. But it is clear that catching the Wings is a tall order indeed. (How tall? Let’s just say “this message will self-destruct.”) With that in mind, Edmonton has now won 6 of 10 and Vancouver looks to have finally shaken off that mid-season slump. All of which is to say: the season isn’t over yet, and if Calgary wants to cement their Northwest lead along with their status among the league’s top teams, they need to shake this slump and fast. Add to that the need for a moral victory for Curtis McElhinney, who has thus far proved the adage that “they also serve who only stand and wait.” Get a win for the backup and we might see that hard-to-spell hometown hero a few more times before the playoffs, earning a much needed rest for Mike Keenan’s number one guy.
The Flow
The first period began in a way that might charitably be described as “choppy.” In fact, calling it “choppy” is an insult to sous-chefs. This game had less flow than an enlarged prostate until Bobby Ryan opened the scoring on a weird giveaway by Cory Sarich which bounced off Matthew Lombardi’s posterior, right to the Ducks’ winger and quickly past a sprawling Curtis McElhinney. Ryan almost had the only good chances of the frame, and but for a few magically exploding sticks might have potted another one before the Flames finally found their legs about midway through the period. Both teams seemed to fight the puck, but it was Anaheim who looked more ready to play, content to stick to a system that limited both teams’ chances and nurse their lead into the intermission.
The second didn’t seem like a disaster… at least not at first. Calgary came out with a little more pep in their collective step, and Anaheim seemed content to play in-and-out hockey and clog up the neutral zone and the front of the net. The Flames’ best early chance came on a deflection off the referee’s skate, but David Moss was unable to find the net through the forest of legs. A short, anticlimactic fight between heavyweights Andre Roy and George Parros ensued, and I grudgingly give Parros the decision despite a lacerated beak. The Flames were down but not out until a horrible giveaway by Adam Pardy resulted in a Cory Perry breakaway that found its way into the back of the net with just seconds to play in the period. It was a period that could easily have ended 1-1, but instead the home team slunk into the dressing room looking at a very steep hill to climb in the third period.
The third was almost a better story, with Mike Cammalleri finally bulging the twine to bring the home team to within one. But after that it was nothing doing, as the Flames buzzed around the Anaheim net in vain until Todd Bertuzzi’s apocalyptically dumb interference penalty with three minutes left all but sealed the deal for the visitors. Brendan Morrison would add some drama with a late penalty, but it was too little, too sloppy and too late for the boys in red to find redemption in this game.
Three Stars
- Corey Perry: Hate him. But he scored the eventual game winner, and was generally a pain in the neck all afternoon.
- J.S. Giguere: The bulky francophone made the saves he needed to make. As usual he didn’t look spectacular… just… big. But he got the job done, and at the end of the day, it’s results that count.
- Chris Pronger: The rangy defender was instrumental in keeping the top line off the board through 53 minutes.
Big Save
With the score 1-0, J.S. Giguere showed why he was once an elite goaltender, robbing Matthew Lombardi who tried to carry the puck across the goalmouth for a shot. I’ve said this about a certain Finn–but it’s not always the save percentage, but which saves you make. That was a critical save for a road team nursing a lead, and kept the Flames on their heels until the first intermission.
Big Hit
Not too many massive open-ice hits in this one, but I’ll give the nod to Rene Bourque’s nasty rub-out of Teemu Selanne in the second, for three reasons: it was mean, it was unnecessary, and it was Selanne. All good reasons for my money.
The Goat
Puck management. Seriously, the Flames seemed unable to move the puck out of their own zone or into Anaheim’s. There were too many giveaways in the high slot, weak clears from near the blueline, or players trying to carry the puck alone all the way through the neutral zone. On the other end, too many dump-ins right to Giguere that ended up back out of the zone moments later. Ryan’s first goal, along with most of Anaheim’s best chances of the game, resulted precisely from players being way too casual with the puck behind their own hash-marks. The fans–not to mention a certain ice-chewing coach–expect better.
Mr. Clutch
Mike Keenan. Keenan’s timeout after the miserable interference call on Sarich helped both the Flames and their young netminder to settle down and focus on the task at hand. The result? A good penalty-kill and a great shift from the top line after the penalty expired. The bounces weren’t there, but Keenan clearly understands the emotional makeup of this team.
Odds and Ends
Afternoon games aren’t the norm for this team or their broadcast crew, as evidenced by the Flames’ PPV team repeatedly talking about “this evening,” and “tonight.” Much like the Flames themselves, the commentariat seemed a little drowsy in the early going this afternoon… In all seriousness, what is with shoot-ins lately. The Flames have no answer for the trap in recent games, and watching them dump the puck in ineffectually only to have the opposing goaltender trap it and send the puck careening back into a congested neutral zone is very frustrating… Darryl Sutter threw down some cover for his group in the first intermission, but he has a point: with five games in a little less than seven days, these guys have to be feeling the pain a little bit. Unfortunately, the Flames have looked at their best when well rested this season, and the schedule doesn’t look like it gets much easier… For those who prefer “spontaneous” fights to the scripted matchups between goons, this game was “Exhibit A.” A boring fight between Parros and Roy followed by a feisty scrap in the final minute between Steve Montador and Cory Sarich, both tough customers in their own right.
Next Up
The Club-Athletique Canadien rolls into town on Monday night. (We’re all hoping they leave those awful vintage jerseys at home; If I wanted my eyes to bleed, I’d watch the Oilers.) Game time is 7:00 P.M. with Sportsnet-West and the Fan960 doing the honours for the broadcast.
Lines (To Start):
Bertuzzi – Langkow – Iginla
Cammalleri – Lombardi – Moss
Bourque – Conroy – Glencross
Nystrom – Boyd – Roy
Phaneuf – Giordano
Regehr – Aucoin
Sarich – Pardy
