Sutter vs. Sutter. Brother vs. Brother. Old vs. New(er). In spite of their seeming abundance, this game needs no tired clichés to generate excitement. Coming off a hard-fought overtime loss in Dallas, the Flames have found themselves right in the middle of the tightening noose that is the Western Conference playoff race. With only a handful of points separating six teams, the opportunity still exists for the Flames to control their own destiny and punch a ticket to the playoff dance for the first time in three years. Brent Sutter would undoubtedly like nothing more than to best his older brother’s new squad, and show his doubters that he can enjoy the same success here in Calgary that Darryl did for years. More importantly, the Flames have an opportunity to move into the top eight tonight with a win, and put some breathing room between themselves and the teams that are chasing them.
On The Line
They don’t get a lot more high-stakes than this. The Flames absolutely need two points tonight in order to keep themselves in the thick of things and continue their push for a place in the post-season. Games like this simply must be won – and it’s Hockey Night in Canada, too!
The Flow
The Kings came out in their popular purple & gold retro jerseys and with a lot of jump. They were able to pin the Flames in their own zone for most of the first four minutes, but despite the territorial advantage didn’t generate much in the way of chances. Whenever the Kings did manage to get something towards the net, Kiprusoff was there. LA would get a chance with the man advantage when Tim Jackman rode Kyle Clifford hard into the Flames net and was called for interference, but the Flames put in a solid effort on the kill and limited the Kings to one shot on net. The Flames started to find their legs around the ten minute mark, and Jackman redeemed himself with some good hustle in the LA zone, driving to the net and drawing a penalty on Matt Greene for slashing. Unfortunately, the Flames power play couldn’t really find its groove. Strangely enough, the shift after the powerplay was fantastic, with the Flames looking relentless on the forecheck and generating a couple of good chances. The Kings pushed back quickly, but despite a couple of golden opportunities could not find the net. The Flames looked much stronger the rest of the way, springing Bouma and Stajan on a 2-on-1 that Stajan would be unable to convert. Kolanos found a crossbar and Byron was robbed by Quick on a great chance from the slot, and the two teams headed to the dressing rooms locked in a scoreless tie.
Second periods have not been overly kind to the Flames this season, and this one was not exactly going to reverse the trend. The Kings carried the play for the most part until the midway point, when Kostopoulos ripped a wrist shot that beat Quick but not the post, sparking a flurry of chances for the Flames. Quick rose to the occasion, sparking a flurry of “best in the world” remarks from the CBC broadcast crew. The play for the final few minutes was pretty even, although the Kings would have had a few glorious chances if they could only hit the net. Whatever did get through was stonewalled by Kiprusoff, as he continued his Vezina-calibre season. A late interference call against Cory Sarich would provide LA with a man advantage for the duration of the period, but again the Flames were solid in repelling the Los Angeles attack. The Kings outshot the Flames 12-2 during the period, but both teams headed into the intermission still deadlocked at zero.
LA still had 30 seconds on the powerplay to start the 3rd, but the Flames weathered the storm and were able to complete the kill. The Kings didn’t let up, however, and picked up right where they left off the second – outshooting and outhustling the Flames. It was somewhat unexpected then, when Tom Kostopoulos dug the puck out of the corner in the Kings’ zone and flicked it to the slot, where a streaking Mike Cammalleri drove it past Quick and into the back of the LA net for a 1-0 Flames lead. The Kings continued to press but Mikka Kiprusoff was his usual stellar self, stoning Nolan with a lightning-quick toe save. With a game this close you got the feeling that one goal might be enough to win it, and it certainly seemed like both teams were aware of that. The Kings certainly tried to throw everything they could towards the Calgary net, but the man wearing number 34 was having none of it. Time after time Kiprusoff stood tall, turning away several quality chances from the Kings’ forwards. The Flames’ skaters did their best to help out, collapsing to the net and doing a good job of clearing away rebounds. The Kings would pull Quick for the extra skater with just over a minute left but the Flames were the ones who controlled the play, coming up with the win and a well-deserved shutout for “the Kipper”.
Three Stars
- Miikka Kiprusoff: By far the Flames MVP this season, and tonight was a shining example of why. Kiprusoff turned away all 28 shots sent his way, putting up a wall that seemed to demoralize the Kings’ forwards and would ultimately drop them out of a playoff spot.
- Mike Cammalleri: Looked dangerous all night, playing with grit and snarl and making his linemates better. Cammalleri has found his game again in a big way, and it couldn’t come at a better time for the Flames.
- Jonathan Quick: Didn’t have a lot of work but was there when needed, turning aside some brilliant Calgary chances.
Big Save
Midway through the second period with the game still scoreless and the Kings buzzing, Miikka Kiprusoff somehow managed to deny Mike Richards from a sure goal with an unbelievable glove save. Someone please explain to me how this guy is not at the top of the list of Vezina candidates?
Big Hit
Cory Sarich played a very physical game, throwing his weight around at every opportunity. He stood Drew Doughty up at the Flames’ blueline in the third period and absolutely levelled Kyle Clifford late in the second, getting sent off for interference in the process. Luckily, the Flames escaped from the penalty unscathed.
The Goat
18 shots on goal? The Flames won this game so credit where credit is due, but they can’t expect to continue to rely so heavily on Miikka Kiprusoff and generate so little in the offensive zone. If they want to stay in a playoff spot, more pucks need to be headed for the opposition’s net.
Mr. Clutch
Mike Cammalleri. Got thrown around by the Kings a bit but kept on coming back for more. Was solid on the faceoff dot all night and got himself into the right places at the right times, putting the Flames on top with his 3rd goal on 4 games. Has looked increasingly more and more dangerous with each game he plays at centre – could the move become permanent?
Odds and Ends
I always get nervous when the Flames have an important road game and the home team has some kind of ceremony before the game. The Flames just always seem to struggle afterwards – it’s like their kryptonite. Nice to see Charlie Simmer get honoured for his achievements, but it just makes you wish they could have done it another night instead…….. It seems like an unwritten rule that the Flames will never, EVER, get any help from any other teams. Of course, Phoenix plays Dallas on the night the Flames have a shot at a playoff spot, and of course it ends up being a 3-point game……..I love the way Darryl Sutter calls out his players. I wonder how Dustin Penner feels about being highlighted on Hockey Night in Canada having his play compared to horse excrement……..The ice in LA has never been counted among the league’s best, but it seemed unusually bad tonight. Maybe it was the quick turnaround from the basketball game at the Staples Centre this afternoon, but the puck looked like it was bouncing like a tennis ball out there……..Where would the Flames be without Miikka Kiprusoff? The man is stealing games like it’s 2004 again and shows no signs of slowing down. Sure would be nice to see this team step up their play a little and get Kipper back into the playoffs where he belongs.
Next Up
Back home to the ‘Dome for a date with the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night. Game time is 7:00 Mountain on Sportsnet West.
Lines (To Start):
Tanguay – Jokinen – Iginla
Kostopolous – Cammalleri – Comeau
Bouma – Horak- Kolanos
Byron – Stajan – Jackman
Bouwmeester – Butler
Giordano – Hannan
Brodie – Sarich
Kiprusoff
