The Flames continued their October rope-a-dope routine last night, falling to the Red Wings 4-2. I use the term assuming the club will at some point snap out of their stupor and start counter-punching, but, watching them right now, it's hard to fathom when - or how - that'll actually happen.
I was worried about the bottom half of the roster going into the Joe last night, but it seems my anxieties were misplaced: it was the Flames heavy hitters that were the weak links on this particular evening. Keenan went power on power last night, deploying Iginla, Langkow and Tanguay against Zetterberg et al. and Babcock was more than willing to oblige him. For good reason. Zetterberg, Datsyuk and Holmstrom dominated the match-up. The Detroit trio ended the night with 2 goals, 4 points and a +4 rating, while Iginla and co. were all pointless, minus players (pun intended). Beyond the stats, the Flames difference makers seemed out-classed pretty much every time they were on the ice. They rarely managed to maintain any offensive pressure and were often hemmed in their own zone. Iginla was thrust aside like a wet piece of paper in a hurricane. The puck may as well have been a tennis ball on his stick. Not that Tanguay or even team leading goal getter Langkow were much better.
Of course, there's plenty of blame to go around. "October Kipper" was also in attendance, allowing a softy through the pads and manufacturing the first goal against by delivering a perfect pass to Datsyuk during a PK (Creating a 2on0 rush). Im sure Kipper will turn it around at some point. It would just be nice if that happened sooner rather than later.
Another game, another batch of PP goals against.
Kristian Huselius was the lone bright spot last night. The game would have been out of reach by the third except for his creativity and finish. Pass some of whatever you've got Jarome's way, will you Juice?
Let's face it kids...this road trip is going to be torturous. It includes all the Flames nemeses at a time when the club can't execute basic plays even though they appear to be stuck in 2nd gear. It'll take some grand bounces, some favorable officiating and probably a return to form by at least one of the Big Guns to eke out a victory. 0-5-1 is looming large on the horizon. The question will be whether the Flames can pull out another miracle November to right the ship.
