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Bounce
Back Boys At It Again
Down
and Out Flames Game From
Cup Final
May
17th, 2004
D'ARCY
MCGRATH
We
all know that
"B" horror
movie plot. Crazed
killer with an axe to
grind falls off a cliff,
gets hit by a car and impales
himself on a
staked fence, only to
come back and terrorize
a camp full of teenagers
trying to enjoy some
pubescent hi-jinx.
The
Flames, like so many of
those tacky sideshow villains
just won't lie
down, as the Flames rose
from the proverbial
dead, spanking the
Sharks 3-0 and taking a
3-2 lead in the series,
with one win to go to
the Stanley Cup Finals.
Speaking
of monsters, the Flames
two most controversial
stars of the silver
screen, the Wolfman
Chris Simon, and the
club's Dr. Hyde Ville
Nieminen, both led the
way in staying out of
the penalty box, a key
to their good start.
The
change of events must
have been somewhat
shocking to Shark coach
Ron Wilson, who was
downright giddy after
game four, smirking as
he announced the
momentum firmly on the
Sharks side, and star
winger Jarome Iginla all
but befuddled.
Yet
it was the alleged
straight jacketed Iginla
who turned a giveaway
from Shark star Vincent
Damphousse into a
shorthanded breakaway,
sliding the puck below
the pads of Evgeni
Nabokov to score that
all important first
goal.
"Their
top line played well in
our building, we knew we
had to do more
tonight", Craig
Conroy told the masses
after the game, eluding
to the fact that
Damphousse, Patrick
Marleau and Alex
Korolyuk ran roughshod
over the Flames in
Cowtown.
The
Iginla goal came after a
strong start from the
Flames, seemingly taking
a 16-3 shot edge in the
third period of game
four into their first
period tonight, running
up a 7-1 shot lead
early.
"Once
you've let the horses
out of the barn, there's
not much you can do. You
could see it two minutes
into the game", Ron
Wilson stated in his
press conference.
There
wasn't much the Sharks
could do to contain
Ville Nieminen later in
the period when he
muscled his way through
a high stick to the
throat, turning on the
delayed penalty and
feeing centerman Marcus
Nilson for a one timer
to put the Flames up
two.
"Getting
two goals is a huge
thing, then that third
one was great too.
Overall a great road
game for us", said
Craig Conroy after the
game.
From
there the Sharks were
clearly tangled in the
Flames road game web,
the Flames controlling
the play, keeping the
shots to the outside,
and limiting the Sharks
to just a handful of
chances.
"We
didn't have anyone on
the same page, not even
in the same chapter of
the book", said
Wilson
"I
don't know why, but
we've done this before,
and now we get to bounce
back on Wednesday night.
It's going to be awfully
difficult, but we have
no other choice
now."
The
Flames put the game away
in the second period
when Craig Conroy took
advantage of a lazy
defensive play by
defenceman Kyle McLaren
to score his third of
the series on a two on
one, using Iginla as a
decoy.
That
was all she wrote.
The
Flames now return home
in a positive situation,
very similar to last
week when they swept
both games in San Jose,
needing home ice success
to advance to the Cup
Final.
"There
team would be smelling
blood, going for the
knockout, they don't
want to come back here
for game seven",
said Wilson.
For
the Flames to get the
job done, much like they
did against the Detroit
Red Wings, they'll have
to snap the series
streak of road teams
winning five straight
games.
The
Flames are now 8-2 on
the road in these
playoffs, putting them
just two wins short of
the NHL record for a
playoff season held by
the New Jersey Devils of
1995 and 2002.
They
are just 3-5 on home
ice, however, a horror
movie the hometown crowd
decked out in blood red
just can't bare to see
again.
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SCOREBOARD
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| FLAMES |
3 |
| SHARKS |
0 |
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1)Jarome
Iginla -
Not a game
seven versus
Vancouver type
of
performance,
but his first
period
shorthanded
goal set his
team up for a
positive
night.
2)Miikka
Kiprusoff -
Another bounce
back for the
story of the
year.
Kiprusoff
wasn't tested
all the much
but he held
the fort on a
few chances
early to post
the shut out.
3)Jordan
Leopold -
Great game
after being
challenged by
Darryl Sutter
after game
four. Leopold
had three
shots in the
first period,
made sound
decisions in
his own zone.
It wasn't
pretty, but
the timing was
impeccable. Miikka
Kiprusoff
bobbled a Todd
Harvey first
period
offering
through his
pads in the
first period
but managed to
snow angel on
his back and
keep the puck
out, and the
score 1-0.
Johnathan
Cheechoo lit
up Shean
Donovan in the
Calgary zone
in the third
period,
slamming the
Calgary forward
against the
glass, and
dislodging his
helmet.
The Sharks
weren't
exactly
falling all
over
themselves to
give credit to
the Flames on
their road
effort after the
game. First
Scott Thornton
found the tag
line used by
every opponent
in these
playoffs when
he uttered,
"they
just out
worked us
tonight".
Later Vincent
Damphousse
stated,
"it
wasn't their
game, it was
our game
tonight".
... Kiprusoff
moves into a
tie with
Nikolai
Khabibulin in
these playoffs
with four shut
outs, a new
Flame
franchise
record. ...
The Flames are
now 3-0 in
game fives in
these
playoffs. ...
The Flames
played their
100th game of
the season,
not including
preseason.
Who'd a thunk?
... I'm not
one to give
kudos to Team
Leaf Nation
when it comes
to Hockey
Night in
Canada
broadcasters,
but the Bob
Cole - Harry
Neale crew was
by far the
best we've
seen in
Calgary
coverage these
playoffs. Stay
away Mr.
Millen. Don't
come a calling
Mr. Healy. ...
The San Jose
Sharks have
now lost four
straight
playoff home
games, while
the Flames
will be
looking to
snap a streak
that has them
losing two
straight Dome
matches
themselves,
and three of
the last four
dating back to
the Wings
series. ...
Have to wonder
if Kzsyz Oliwa
for Dave Lowry
would be an
astute roster
move for the
sixth game,
the likeable
Lowry seems a
step behind in
this series.
... The top
Calgary
defensive duo,
that of Robyn
Regehr and
Jordan
Leopold, was
once again
limited in
terms of ice
time tonight.
The due did
pull in 24 and
21 minutes
respectively,
but were
surpassed by
Andrew Ference
(27:41) and
Rhett Warrener
(25:47). ...
The Flames
lost the
battle of the
dot tonight,
taking only
47% of the
draws.
LINES
Gelinas Conroy
Iginla
Nieminen Nilson
Donovan
Simon Yelle
Clark
Lowry Kobasew
Saprykin
Regehr
Montador
Ference
Commodore
Warrener
Leopold
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