Yeah I've used this image before. So sue me*.
(*this is a figure of speech. If you are the owner/creator of the above image, please do NOT sue me).
With Anaheim hobbling into town, the Lame Duck graphic was simply too appropriate to be left idle. Particularly since both marquee Anaheim defensemen now have foot related injuries.
Not that that has stopped Carlyle from leaning on Special Nieds extra hard while Pronger's been laid up. As Sleek recently pointed out, the better of the two Anaheim brothers has been averaging well over 30 minutes a night since the felling of the gap-toothed giant. And that's even after it was discovered that Scott the Greater has a stress fracture in his foot. Yeesh.
It's somewhat of an intelligible strategy given that Kent Huskins (gah?) and Ric Jackman (eww) are the current 5th and 6th d-men for the Quackers. Especially in light of the fact that Ilya (Flame Killer) what's-his-face has been ordinary in relief of the also injured (Former Flame) JS Giguere.
Not that riding Scotty N into the ground has been a particularly successful strategy thus far. After using and degrading the competition for the first half of the season, the Mallards have crashed back down to Earth. Winners of only 2 of their last 10 games, Anaheim's sudden penchant for losing even has ardent fan Earl Sleek refering to them derisively as the Anaheim "Sucks". BWAHAHAH! How the Mighty have fallen (get it?)!
Not that the Flames can afford to take tonight's foes lightly. After spitting in the face of fate (with contempt) by winning 5 straight games (sans Iginla) Calgary has looked decidedly crappy in their last 2 matches and, as result, are still stuck in the middle of the sordid NW dog-fight.
Keys to tonights game:
1.) Attack Anaheim's crappy defense. No Pronger. No Beauchemin. Exhausted, injured Niedermayer. Shitty stand-ins. High tempo forecheck = good.
2.) No Andrei Zyuzin. Word is the useless former #2 draft pick is headed back to scratchville with Jamie Lundmark. Eric Godard is getting a trip to the bigs and will dress in his stead. Expect Godard to smack the porn 'stache right off Parros' face tonight.
3.) Play some...you know...defense. Anaheim still has a dangerous attack boasting the NHL's leading scorer Teemu Selanne. The Flame's last 2 losses have featured some ugly performances from most of their top 4 d-men, so a turn-around will need to occur in order to ensure a victory.
4.) Quality minutes from the *other* guys. Huselius and Langkow have been great in Jarome's absence. Tonight Calgary will need some decent performances from the bottom-enders to compete: Ritchie, Friesen, Yelle, Nilson and Amonte Im looking at you. In addition, the Flame's 2nd line will need to better as well. Lombardi, in particular, will have to be more of a factor than he has been recently.
5.) Line matching. Carlyle has a hell of shut-down group in Pahlsson, Moen and Marchant. Hopefully Playfair can get Juice and Langkow out against some of Anaheim's weaker lights by employing the last change tonight.
6.) Special teams. Calgary's suck. It would help if they didn't suck quite as much.
Finally, it's home game this evening and we all know what that means...
Let's go with a 3-1 Calgary victory. Amonte, Tanguay and Juice for the Flames, Brian Burke for the Ducks.
Go Flames!
