Calgary on, the other hand, is likely on the bright side of their most recent slump...
AHAHAHA! Good one.
Calgary did their best to prove me wrong yesterday, twice blowing 2 goal leads and once again bowing out to an inferior team in the 3rd period. The defense was only marginally more effective than it was against Detroit and Kipper looked like the Kiprusoff of Octobers past.
The most disturbing - and baffling - component of this recent string of futility is the Flames incomprehensible penchant for standing around and watching their opponents in the defensive zone. And I mean, quite literally, they become nigh immobile in their own end. I think Millions ruefully exclaimed "and the Flame are caught standing around!" at least half a dozen times last night. Any Avs player who had the puck beyond Calgary's blueline suddenly became an unstoppable force. Despite boasting a formidable group of physical defensemen (Phaneuf, Hammer, Regehr, Stuart and Warrener) it may as well have been Rico Fata battling Cam Neely in the corners all game.
I can't let this latter point pass without bringing up Robyn Regehr's continued struggles. Not only was he relatively ineffective down low, but his incredibly stupid gaffe lead to Hejduk's game winner in the third...
on the play, Regehr lugged the puck back into Flames territory. Instead of head-manning it, or carrying it to safer ground behind the net, he decided to circle towards the boards where he was immediately accosted by an Avs player. A give-away ensued. To make up for his give-away, Regehr proceeded to chase the puck into the opposite corner (where it had been moved), despite the fact that his partner, Dion Phaneuf, was already on puck pursuit duty. The result was a quick pass back to the point, a shot on net and an easy tip-in hat-trick GWG for a totally unconvered Milan Hejduk.
DUH! Fuck. That is just a bad play to make at any given time. But, to make it in the 3rd period of a tied game? Indefensible. When did Cory Cross make the Flames and what has he done with Reggie?
Of course, Regehr wasn't alone. Warrener struggled all night as well. I don't think there was a forward on the ice that was better than "bad" on his own side of the redline.
Then there's Tony Amonte. Three steps right of useless. He can't seem to handle the puck to save his life. His shots are invariably from long range and wide. And yet, there he was during the last minute of play, in lieu of guys like Conroy and Juice, giving the puck away at the opposition's blueline multiple times...
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Dear Mr. Playfair;
Im glad the team is scoring a lot. And they're in first place (sort of) in the NW, and that's great. Now, can you please stop benching useful players when we're down a goal? Also, scratching Amonte was a good idea. Please dress Ritchie next game in his stead. And WTF is up with that road record?
Sincerely,
D.S.
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I guess it would be reticent of me to overlook the few positives that last night yielded. Tanguay and Iginla were dynamite in Colorado's end of the rink. And Lombardi burst out of his struggles with a convincing bang! as well, which is encouraging. And while the Flames allowed 7 goals against (5 ES), Hamrlik and Phaneuf managed to be a combined +5. So not everyone was completely useless at defense yesterday - just mostly everyone.
*Sigh* So clearly the slump continues, the Atlanta game being a mere minor aberration. The Flames in general, and Kipper in particular, will need to figure out what is plaguing their defensive proficiencies sooner rather than later if they wish to stay in the hunt for top spot in the NW. Like, by this Saturday, for instance.
