Tie game going in to the 3rd, Flames give up the next goal and end up losing 3-1. Sound familiar? It should.
That has been the storyline of the season, and that same tale was being told in Calgary’s last game before the holiday break. The Flames and Stars were knotted at 1 when the Stars scored early in the 3rd and the ‘here we go again’ feeling came up. But something different happened this time…Calgary found some life late and tied the game with the extra attacker, then won the game in the shootout. One game is just that, its one game…but its something, its life. Could they keep it up?
On The Line
The Flames just need to win. As of today, the general consensus is win 2 of 3 and you have a chance. Obviously not a great prognosis, but nothing can be done about that now. Just win as many games as possible and see what happens.
The Flow
Calgary started off strong and garnered the first scoring chance when Glencross one timed a Morrison pass but hit Miller’s logo. However it was Buffalo that opened the scoring about 8 minutes in to the game when Drew Stafford took advantage of a Babchuk blunder and put the puck past Kiprusoff. Calgary was able to get some scoring chances and pressure going for the remainder of the period but couldn’t beat Miller.
The Flames didn’t take long to tie it up when Mr. December Olli Jokinen banged home a rebound from a Robyn Regehr point shot for his 6th goal in his last 9 games. Calgary continued to apply pressure after the goal and continued to play in the Sabres zone. Jarome Iginla would give Calgary the lead when Alex Tanguay fed him the puck as the Buffalo defense collapsed the wrong way late in the period. The Captain wristed the puck to the short side and it found its way through.
Calgary would increase their lead early in the 3rd period when Ales Kotalik had some room to skate and wristed a laser over Miller’s glove with surprising velocity. The Flames continued to find the net as Tim Jackman was tenacious enough to get through two defenders and fire the puck on net which Miller kicked out straight to David Moss who deposited the rebound. Buffalo would add a late goal off the stick of Patrick Kaleta and the Flames would get a late one from Kostopolous on a five on three advantage and that was it, 5-2 final.
Three Stars
1. Jarome Iginla: Really tough to pick the stars in this one as it really was a total team effort but Iggy was a man on fire tonight. 1 goal and 4 shots but plenty of offense generated.
2. Cory Sarich: If only the guy could play like this every game. Had a huge presence on the blueline for Calgary and had his best game of the year by far.
3. Ales Kotalik: Pretty dangerous in the 3rd period and that shot he made to score his goal is worth a 3rd star selection alone…best game of the year for him as well.
Mr. Clutch
The defensive pairing of Mark Giordano and Cory Sarich was outstanding. They laid big hits and provided solid offense and defense all game. The Pairing of Bouwmeester and Regehr was also fantastic. Both players were +3 and couldn’t be beat by the Buffalo forwards.
Big Save
The biggest stop had to be courtesy of the right post behind Ryan Miller, just catching a piece of a Glencross short handed one timer with the score tied at 1-1 in the 2nd period.
Big Hit
Cory Sarich laid a solid shoulder in to Mike Grier as he tried to gain the Flames zone. One of many hits from Sarich on the night.
The Goat
The Buffalo defensive coverage on the Iginla goal, Calgary’s 2nd. They completely forgot about Jarome Iginla and a 2 on 2 rush turned in to an undeserved breakaway for Iginla who buried it.
Odds and Ends
Alex Tanguay made some mistakes..but it seems whenever he does he more than makes up for it with his offensive skill. Jokinen is on a major hot streak right now. Nice to see a total 60 minute effort. Couple wins in a row now…we’ll see if they can keep it up. That elusive 3rd win has been so hard to find. Shots on goal were 33-27 in favour of Calgary and Adam Pardy led the way with 5. Iggy tonight looked like Iggy 6 years younger.
Next Up
Calgary has a few days off at home until New Years Eve when they play the Avalanche. 7:00 pm start time at the Saddedome.
Lines:
Tanguay – Jokinen – Iginla
Glencross – Morrison – Bourque
Hagman – Stajan – Kotalik
Kostopoulos – Moss – Jackman
Regehr – Bouwmeester
Giordano – Sarich
Babchuk – Pardy
Karlsson
