It’s the 2013 Calgary Flames holiday special spectacular! With a lineup of special guests featuring fabulous former Flames.
Celebrate the season with your favourite men in red, and no Virginia, we’re not talking about Santa Clause.
Who needs Saint Nick when you have everybody’s most beloved Nik, Swedish sensation Niklas Andersson. Who you say? Exactly!
Does anybody hear those festive post bars ringing? Why it must be Tony Amonte! Possibly the biggest bust in a Flames jersey since Dolly Parton sang the pregame anthems.
Are you dreaming of a white Christmas? Well say hello again to Ian White. Nightmares are technically dreams you know. It is awfully white out there, the snow is really coming down.
Wait… that’s not snow… is it? It is! A hailstorm. And that can only mean one thing, it’s former Flames’ stalwart David Hale. And boy does he look frosty. Well it is freezing out there.
“Hey, did somebody call my name?”
Uhoh, now I’ve done it. I’ve summoned the great Jeff Friesen. Looks like our line up is complete! But with this ferocious storm outside how will Santa find his way here? Wait… what’s that red, glowing light shimmering through the fog? Could it be a Budweiser red goal lamp, signaling a Calgary Flames’ goal? Of course not! It’s only the rear car lights of frustrated Flames fans in a mass exodus from the Dome.
And can you blame them? The Flames have served up their fans a lump of coal this holiday season, with back to back stinkers against their biggest rivals. You’d have to think that even that dreadful lineup of former Flames could muster up more offence than this current edition.
One can now only hope that the new year will bring new inspired hockey. Because 2013 is going out with a fizzle.
Not good Flames. Not good.
On The Line
Mainly a chance to pay some retribution for the fans who had to sit through the Edmonton Oilers debacle game just a couple nights prior. For the Canucks, while they need every point they can get to try and keep pace in the highly contested Western Conference playoff picture.
The Flow
Is it a good thing when the most excited you are all game is when you hit the play button on your PVR to discover you’ll have to miss the start thanks to some extended football coverage? Probably not. Golly, what a bizarre scene we were welcomed with when the programming eventually did shift over. Andrew Alberts laying face down, twitching on the side boards, while McGrattan is hunched over circling Tom Sestito in the corner. What the heck. Later we would discover it was a flying elbow from McGrattan that would cause the theatrics, and earn him an early night and a five minute penalty. Now I would never accuse a Canuck of overselling, because I’m not a doctor and it certainly was a dirty hit, but why did Alberts land on his arms underneath him only to move them listlessly to his side and then apparently seizure with his face against the ice? That might be what actually happens, I don’t know, I’ve been fortunate enough not to endure too many high hits from giant NHL enforcers. He wasn’t able to return to the game, so obviously some damage was done. Anyway the Flames did well to survive the penalty but couldn’t muster anything after. The play remained scoreless until the final minute when a brilliant saucer pass from one of those Sedin guys sprung a streaking Jannik Hansen, who after a slight bobble, picked up the puck and fired it over the shoulder of Reto Berra.
The Flames only mustered two shots in the entire first period. Two. But they enjoyed possibly their best chance early in the second when a nifty back pass from Cammalleri found Backlund drawing in at the top of slot. And he proceeded to fire a wrist shot right into the whale of Eddie Lack. Now that was painful. I’ve always been a Backlund supporter, but that had to be one of the worst NHL shots I’ve ever seen. And I’ve already referenced Jeff Friesen in this writeup. I mean he had time, space, puck settled on his stick, fresh ice beneath him, and a clear lane to the net. And he elected to fire a shot Philip Suave would have no trouble handling. Not to be out done David Jones would follow suit late in the frame with the Flames second quality look of the period. Jiri Hudler would add a third, with a nifty between the legs attempt from a sharp angle, but Lack was there to make his most difficult save of the frame.
The Flames would again begin the period channelling whatever energy they gained in the lockerroom, but once again it wouldn’t sustain. They got some decent looks off the sticks of TJ Galiardi and Lee Stempniak, but the snakebitten would remain snakebit as Eddie Lack was equal to the task. Some nice saves from Berra would keep the Flames in it late, but a late tally by Santorelli would seal the deal. 2-0 final, and the second straight shutout on home ice for the Flames. The first time that has happened since 2003.
Three Stars
- Eddie Lack: Or namely his chest. It was stellar absorbing the odd Flames shot that actually found its way on target.
- Reto Berra: A very strong game from Berra, who must have felt very blue stuck in the crease while his team floundered in front of him.
- Henrik Sedin: If only for that ridiculous saucer pass that set up the Canucks game winner.
Big Save
Galiardi has really struggled this season. So it was no surprise when his 3rd period backhand attempt to an open net failed to elevate, and Eddie Lack on his butt was able to get his stick on the puck and keep his shutout intact.
Big Hit
It definitely wasn’t clean, but judging by the carnage the broadcast opened with when Sportsnet joined in progress it has to go to Brian McGrattan.
The Goat
Do the Flames have a shooting coach? If they do, he deserves it. If they don’t, they could certainly use one. A couple beauty looks fired directly into the crest of the unproven Eddie Lack. Just a woeful performance by the whole squad today, Berra excluded.
Mr. Clutch
I’d like to put Backlund or Cammalleri here, as they both had spirited games and created some chances. But unfortunately those chances were squandered of stymied and thus no one on the Flames is deserving of clutch status, again, maybe save Berra.
Odds and Ends
The Flames are still winless in their new getups. These things are going to rival the Horsehead for pathetic lore… One can only hope 2014 will bring new life into this Flames squad, cause they’re clearly broken right now… They showed an alarming stat tonight. Lee Stempniak had 9 points in his first 10 games this season. And since returning from injury he has 4. In 22 games. Yikes. Early season rumblings of resigning him as a veteran leader have disappeared into cries of trading him for whatever you can get come deadline time. Which might not be more than a 3rd or 4th rounder at this point…. First time since 2003 the Flames have been shutout in back to back home games. Well at least we’re not the Oilers right?
Next up
The Flames try to avoid a third straight shutout on home ice when they host The Philadelphia Flyers on New Years Eve. 7 o’clock puckdrop.
Lines (To Start):
Cammalleri – Backlund – Byron
Galiardi – Stajan – Stempniak
Hudler – Monahan – Jones
Bouma – Colborne – McGrattan
Giordano – Smid
Butler – Brodie
Smith – O’Brien
Berra
