Well the Flames earned a big old golden raspberry for their decidedly lacklustre performance last night against the Coyotes. Being shut-out by what will probably prove to be one of the basement dwellers in the Western Conference is hardly the best way to make your mark in the highly competitive North Western Division. With 32 intra-divisional contests this season in what is arguably one of the most difficult divisions in the league, the Flames simply cannot afford to drop games like this - especially in such an unspirited fashion. Further damage may be done if both Edmonton and Vancouver take advantage of the Coyotes during their West Coast road trip - which would drop Calgary further down the Western standings.
Reason(s) for the loss? - Calgary's impotence on the Powerplay (0-7), which is nothing new this season and is becoming a significant cause for concern. After last night's power outtage against Phoenix, Calgary is now an abysmal 3 for 45 on the PP thus far - a 6.6% success rate, good for dead last in the league. Consider this; Calgary has surrendered more PP goals against in a single game than they have been able to score in 7 games combined so far! There is no excuse for this level of incompetence either - the Flames have a perenial all-star in Amonte, a consistent 20 goal scorer in Langkow, the top goal getter in the league the last 3 seasons in Iginla, several booming slapshots from the point in Hamrlik and Phaneuf and a slick PP quarterback (potentially) in Leopold. Add in big capable bodies like Simon and McCarty as well as the playmaking of Reinprecht and the Flames should have scored at least 3 goals BY ACCIDENT ALONE on the PP so far.
But that hasn't happened. Despite the "new look" NHL, where rebounds and centering passes can be converted with ease (relative to the "old" NHL) Calgary simply can't seem to sieze the opportunity and convert with the man advantage. In the games I've watched and listened to, Calgary has usually suffered from losing battles deep in the offensive zone as well as frequently missing or having shots blocked from the point. For instance, during one of their 5 powerplays in the opening frame last night, the PP action as dictated by Peter Mahr was as follows: "Shot from the point! That's just wide. Calgary regains the puck and feeds it to the point. Another shot! That's deflected wide of the net...(15 seconds of passing around the perimeter)...Shot from the blueline! Wide!" ETC...this ineptitude, whatever it's source, cannot continue. Calgary has the means and the coaching to have a realtively decent PP unit - and a desperate need for it to be a factor on a nightly basis.
Beyond team issues, this game sounded like another so-so performance for the Flames captain, Jarome Iginla. Despite having over 24 minutes of ice, including an eye-popping 7+ minutes on the powerplay, Iginla finished the night with only 3 shots on goal and a -1. In addition, all of his shots came in the first period, meaning he was almost a non-factor when Calgary was trailing later in the game. While I've mentioned this before, Iginla is Calgary's $7 million man, and should almost always be a difference maker...especially in 1-0 matches against teams like Phoenix that Calgary should be winning.
Some positives -
- Kiprusoff with another good performance. Apparently Ricci's deciding goal was a product of a fluke bounce off of the end glass + being in the right place at the right time. After his first few disasterous losses, it looks like Kipper may be back on track. Also, he stopped a 3rd period penalty shot by Saprykin to keep Calgary in the game.
- Penalty Killing was decent again, turning away all of the Coyotes 4 opportunities. While the game-sheet may have read 1-5 for Phoenix, the PP goal was actually the empty-net goal by Devereaux - which only technically counts as a PP marker, but isn't any kind of indication of PK prowess.
Injuries - Lombardi fell into the boards and suffered a sprained ankle. I am personally dismayed by the loss of Lombardi - I think he's been one of the fastest and most offensively dynamic players for the Flames so far this year. No word yet on how long he'll be out.
That's it for now. I hope Calgary can pull it together for their contest against Edmoton on Thursday. It will be especially important if the Oilers manage to defeat Phoenix tonight...
