Good teams find a way to win; bad teams find a way to lose.
The Vancouver Canucks are certainly a good team having lost only one game in regulation in 19, a huge clip that has contender written all over it (sorry gang). The Flames? Are they a bad team? Well 14th in the West is one indication; another is finding a way to lose a game easily when you dominate almost completely. Tough task. Yet that’s exactly what the Flames managed to do in dropping a 3-1 decision in Vancouver on Wednesday night.
On The Line
There is no better way to wash the taste of a brutal performance against the Islanders two nights ago then knocking off the NHL’s hottest team in their barn. Lose and you’re talking a streak in the other direction again with the Wings on tap.
The Flow
You couldn’t script a worse start for the Flames if you tried. Any chance of beating the Canucks evolved around a solid first five to ten minutes, keeping the red hot hosts at bay and keeping the game scoreless at worse. Whoops. A Ryan Kesler goal 90 seconds in and the Flames are in early trouble. They play the Canucks tight the rest of the period but a late goal makes it 2-0.
The Flames seem to have the puck most of the second, but somehow give up the only goal of the period when one of the Sedin brothers (does it matter?) made a deft move with the hands to tip a wide shot over Kiprusoff’s shoulder. Game essentially done.
The Flames continue to push in the third but come up empty against Luongo in the early going. They get a powerplay with 3 to play, pull the goalie and cause mayhem but still can’t find one. Finally Backlund gets the puck to Jackman in front and the shut out bid is quashed late.
Three Stars
1. Roberto Luongo: Stood on his head throughout the night to help steal one for the Canucks. Good teams have tough nights, but good teams with good goalies keep streaks alive.
2. Alex Burrows: Two assists, played well and avoided being a knob. Good work!
3. Tim Jackman: Scores the club’s only goal, extending his point streak to five.
The Save
Roberto Luongo looked to cinch his shut out when he stoned Matt Stajan in close in the third.
The Hit
An ugly balance tipper by Steve Tambellini’s kid on Mark Giordano in the third period. Very lucky the Flames best defenseman wasn’t hurt.
The Goat
Miikka Kiprusoff? I don’t know. It’s a toss up. On one side you have a goalie that is beat three times on 20 some shots though he can’t honestly be faulted on any of them. On the other you have a team that played their heart out all night, had 44 shots but couldn’t score if their lives depended on it.
Mr. Clutch
Mikael Backlund and his return to the NHL. Very sharp for the Flames, generated a few chances and set up the only goal.
Odds and Ends
Feel bad but I can never remember Tim Jackman’s first name. Too many Jackman’s in the NHL, all with relatively obscure roles? That’s my guess as to why. … Have to hand it to the Flames; for the most part in the last 6 weeks they just refuse to go away. They just keep coming. Not successfully but that’s splitting hairs right? … Not sure I like the idea of a Flames GM and a Canucks GM chatting like chums. Hate each other it’s a damn rivalry! (Sportnet showed Feaster and Gillis chumming it up this afternoon). … Sutter (see only one now can drop first names) benched Hagman (only one of them too) tonight in order to dress Backlund. Does he stay out, or the start of a rotation? So many choices for players not producing these days. Good to have options right? … Half way through the season and two games under .500. So the other half will have to be roughly a dozen games over in order to make it a squeaker. Any one else have trouble seeing a 25-13-3 finish?
Next Up
The Flames come home for a one gamer, Friday night against the push over Wings at the Dome. Game time 7pm.
Lines:
Tanguay – Jokinen – Iginla
Glencross- Stajan – Kotalik
Morrison – Backlund – Bourque
Kostopoulos – Moss – Jackman
Regehr – Bouwmeester
Giordano – Sarich
Babchuck – Pardy
Kiprusoff
