Oh what a difference
one week can make.
Last Saturday the
scene featured a gaggle
of celebrating Oilers
and an overtime loss in
Edmonton - a loss that
sent the Flames home
with an abysmal 1-2-0-1
road record and a tough
gaze up the standings.
Seven days later the
Flames, riding the hot
hand of newly acquired
goaltender Miikka
Kiprusoff completed an original
six hat trick by winning
their third straight at
home with a 2-1 victory
over the Chicago
Blackhawks.
|
| Reinprecht |
Lombardi |
Iginla |
| Saprykin |
Betts |
Kobasew |
| Gelinas |
Conroy |
Donovan |
| McAmmond |
Yelle |
Clark |
| Regehr |
Leopold |
| Gauthier |
Warrener |
| Ference |
Lydman |
|
In
the old days hockey
clubs dreaded a trip
through Alberta in the
dead of winter.
Points
were scarce and bruises
a plenty as the Flames
and Oilers would take
turns pounding out
victories over
intimidated
opponents.
For
the past decade however,
that mystique was
shattered when teams
like the Toronto Maple
Leafs routinely took at
least one and quite
often both ends of the
prairie set.
Perhaps
times are a changing
once again.
The
Flames and Hawks had a
careful first period,
trading chances and
running up nine shots a
piece.
The
Flames opened the
scoring on a night where
the Calgary Saddledome
staff could finally brag
the best ice surface in
Alberta - given the
bouncing pucks at
Commonwealth Stadium up
North - when Steve
Reinprecht continued his
hot hand with a second
period powerplay
goal.
Reinprecht
collected a Jordan
Leopold rebound and
lifted a tough angled
backhander over a fallen
Craig Anderson to net
his 5th of the season,
and third in three home
games this week.
Calgary
had numerous chances to
add to their lead in the
second period, out
shooting the Hawks by a
14-4 margin but came up
empty and continued to nurse
their one goal lead into
the third.
The
Hawks burst Kiprusoff's
shutout bubble just over
a minute into the third
period when Steve
Sullivan sent a seeing
eye back handed pass
into the slot where Kyle
Calder deflected it
home.
The
Hawks, making up for
that listless second,
continued to pour it on
through out the third
frame, forcing Kiprusoff
to come up huge in his
second game in Calgary
colours but failed to
steer another puck into
the net.
The
Flames picked up the
winner very much like
they did against
Montreal two nights
earlier, with very
little time left on the
clock.
Deam
McAmmond picked up a
loose puck and drove to
the net, managing to
slide a backhander along
the ice and past
Anderson to give the
Flames the win.
The
victory, the club's
third in a row on home
ice, assures the team at
least a .500 record on
this six games stand.
When
you open your morning
newspaper on Sunday you
will find the Flames
back in a playoff spot,
sitting 8th in the west.
