The Flames have only won 2 games out of their last 7. They have a bunch of injuries, Iginla and Tanguay are suddenly ice cold and Miikka Kiprusoff has been no better than mediocre.
Contributing factors to the slide? With all the injuries on the back end, Dion Phaneuf has been called upon to play nearly 30 minutes per night, often with 5th and 6th type d-men as partners. And he has struggled mightily. I would wager Phaneuf is tired and his confidence is ebbing. Further, Robyn Regehr has continued to be just good but not great. In the absense of Hamrlik, I was expecting Regehr to step up and be the stalwart I know he can be. Hasn't happened.
In addition, after ripping the competition asunder for the last 6 weeks or so, Iginla and Tanguay are bafflingly out of sync once more. Tanguay has reverted to his earlier season form - the one that features tentitive board play and forced plays everywhere. Tanguay's been so underwhelming recently he was dropped to the 2nd line with Lombardi and Kobasew.
Speaking of Kobasew, is this guy ever going to step up and actually start scoring some goals?
A few brights spots appeared to illumine the darness, however. David Moss seemed like an unlikely call-up at the time, but has managed to score 3 goals in his first 3 NHL games. That's more than Friesen, McCarty and Lundmark combined. Further, Mark Giordano continues to make a name for himself on the back-end. It's going to be tough to sit him when and if Zyuzin makes it back from injury.
Tonight Calgary have an ideal opportunity to turn their misfortunes around. The LA Kings come to town after beating up on Rolli and the Oilers 7-4 last night. In addition to being road-weary, the Kings will be playing their 4th string goaltender Berry Brust. If Kipper can't outduel Brust, something is VERY wrong. A final bit of good news for the Flames is Roman Hamrlik will be returning to the ice. Hammer was probably Calgary's best d-man before he was injured, not to mention he tends to settle Phaneuf's game down significantly. His 20+ quality minutes will be a welcome addition tonight.
So hopefully the Flames can recapture their 5on5 dominance and come out with a much needed victory tonight. Keep in mind, a win=1st place in the NW division. For now anyways.
Let's say 4-2 Flames. Huselius, Amonte, Phaneuf and Iginla.
Go Flames!
