A few notes before this evening's Clash of the Kittens...
I was picking on Conroy again a couple of posts ago and noted that "it's only a matter of time now before we see Lombo as a permanent fixture among the top 6".
Voila.
According to recent practice lines and Keenan in the linked article, Lombardi will be starting the night out between Iginla and Tanguay, while Conroy will be moved down with Nolan and Nystrom. Now those are lines I can get behind. Sure, the Conroy trio probably won't score much, but they also won't be detrimental, especially if they're matched up against other 3rd or 4th lines. Heck, it might even give them a chance bust out of their slumps if they're played against softer competition.
In the above piece, Conroy mentions a psychological factor he claims was contributing to his struggles which I hadn't considered before:
Conroy admitted he was deferring the puck to Iginla and Tanguay too much because they were having more success.
"You know, when you miss a good chance with those two, you get upset. With Buster and I both struggling, neither is gonna feel worse, 'That guy's doing no better than me,' " Conroy said.
**(Side note - did anyone else know that Nolan's nickname was "Buster"?)
Lombardi can do himself and the team a world of good by taking advantage of his opportunity tonight. He won't be seeing the toughest competition, given he's playing the Oilers, so he has every reason to succeed. His emergence would solidify the top unit and make Keenan's power v. power strategy a little less of a gamble against elite competition going forward. It would also mark an important step-forward for Lombardi's career and the organization as a whole since the Flames desperately need him to continue to develop into a top 6 player and out-perform his contract over the next 3 seasons. Given the impending budget crunch, Calgary needs to squeeze as much value as possible out of Lombardi's 1.817M cap hit.
Word on the street is Garon will be in net for the Oilers tonight. He's been stellar recently and his play has conjured whispers of a goalie controversy in Oil country. He was the primary reason Edmonton won the last match between these two teams and was equally hot in the recent Oilers/Canucks contest. As such, let's hope that Kipper's return to eminence begins (continues?) this evening. Garon's in the zone and it may not matter how much better the Iginla trio is if Kipper gets handily outplayed by his counterpart again.
Prediction - I think the Flames are climbing out of the slump and are poised to go on a winning streak. Flames 4, Oil 1. Iginla, Lombardi, Nolan and Huselius for Calgary. Liam Reddox for the Oil.
