Watched the Flames narrowly defeat the Penguins on Saturday night. Was the Nilson goal actually a goal? Not sure. Did the Penguins almost tie it up at the end of regulation? You bet. Should the game have been even close by that time?...NO WAY. Let's pretend the Nilson goal wasn't a goal and the game ended up 2-2 (plus overtime/shootout, etc.). In this scenario, every single Calgary fan would no doubt be looking back with remorse and sadness at the half dozen high quality scoring chances wasted by the Flames over the course of contest. Let's make a list:
- Due to an agressive forecheck, Calgary ends up with a 2on0 deep in the Penguins zone. The puck is fed in front to Simon who promptly shoots it into MAF's pads.
- Newcomer and saviour on the night Huselius feeds Iginla in the deep slot for a glorious opportunity. Again, the puck is directed harmlessly into the Penguins goalie.
- Iginla emerges from the penalty box to find the puck, Shean Donovan and open ice between him and the Penguins zone. They break in, and Jarome decides to pass to Donovan, who has all of one goal this year. The puck is awkwardly bashed wide of the net.
- Iginla breaks in on a partial break-away, but his back-hand is turned aside.
- Kobasew uses his speed to create a partial break-away. His backhand goes off the toe of MAF's skate and wide.
- Iginla breaks in on a completely open break-away, dekes MAF outright...and then shoots the puck wide of the open net.
- Iginla is the beneficiary of a brutal Lemieux giveaway in the Penguins zone. He blasts the puck at the net. It finds its way through MAF, but bounces harmlessly around in the crease before being cleared away.
Yup, that's right. Calgary had no less than 1 open breakaway, 2 partial break-aways and two 2on0's. And scored on exactly NONE of them...
So, I ask you...is this a good thing or a bad thing? Should I be happy that the Flames were able to generate so many scoring opportunities? Or worried that they couldn't finish them? Is it good that they won despite lack of finish, or just fortunate? I guess we'll see...
Positives and Negatives time...
Positives:
- Great first contest for Huselius. 3 Assists and seemed to generate some chemistry with Langkow. Speaking of which...
- Langkow with 2 goals, including the game winner. Now has 4 points in 2 games and is second on the team in points with 19.
- Robyn Regehr. 2 assists and hard-nosed defensive-play set the tone.
- Jarome Iginla. Both a positive and a negative. Created more chances to score in this game than he had in the previous five combined.
- Penalty Killing. Managed to hold the Penguins PP to 1-10.
Negatives:
- Lack of finish. See above. The game should have been a romp in favor of Calgary but ended up being a nail-biter.
- Jarome Iginla. Can't score on 3 break-aways and 2 other glorious opportunities. Should have had a 4 goal night (at least). Stuck in neutral with 3 points in 8 games.
- Jordan Leopold continues to struggle offense-wise. Huselius and Leopold have the same offensive stats with the Flames - 3 assists. Difference is, the former has only played one game for Calgary.
- Chris Simon muffs a 2on0. Only 6 points all year.
- Shean Donovan. Can't put the puck in the ocean right now.
- Powerplay. Still relatively toothless. 1-7 against the Penguins, the 28th ranked PK in the league.
The Flames meet the Flyers tonight in Philadelphia. This will NOT be the high powered Philadelphia team that has generated 101 goals in 25 games so far. Tonight, the Flames meet a Flyers team lacking their top center (Forsberg), top defenseman (Pitkanen) and number one goalie (Esche). While this all sounds like good news, keep in mind this year's Flames team has been unable to take advantage of opposition teams lacking their best players. See earlier losses to Minnesota, Anaheim and San Jose for proof. That said, perhaps tonight will be the night that the Flames reverse this lamentable tendency and take advantage of a debilitated Flyers club to come away with a victory.
