While the Flames 3-0 victory over Edmonton on Saturday fell short of Andrew's lofty predictions (see below), it was a well-earned and much needed win nonetheless. As per my previous post, Calgary did everything they needed to do to win: scored on the PP, killed off their penalties, and got big performances from their marquee stars - namely Iginla and Kiprusoff. Kipper, in particular, was especially sharp, turning away 33 shots for the shut-out. The save of the night came off of the stick of Oilers sniper Alex Hemsky on the powerplay. The puck was shot from the point and riccocheted onto the stick of Hemsky, who shot at a wide open net. Kiprusoff somehow managed to jump backwards and deflect the puck wide with his stick. Now THAT is the sort of game salvaging heroics Flames fans came to know and love last season.
With the positives in mind, it should be noted that Calgary only barely defeated an Edmonton squad that was devoid of 2 of their top forwards in Smyth and Horcoff. While this was another good step in the right direction, Calgary still has some strides to make in order to become the league leading club that all the experts and pundits predicted they would be in the offseason.
Oh...and Phaneuf was impressive again! An assist and ton of shots on the PP. He currently leads the team in SOG with 20! Can't wait to see Phaneuf in mid-season form...
