15 - Points by the Hawks.
12 - The number of games the Hawks have played. Tied for fewest in the league.
10 - Chicago's goal differential.
5-0-2 - Chicago's home record so far.
4 - Bertuzzi's ES point total.
3-4-1 - Calgary's road record.
0.914 - The combined SV% of Chicago's goalies.
0.895 - Kiprusoff's SV%
-1 - Flames goal differential.
I was forwarded some questions by a Hawk fan in anticipation of the game tonight. Here they are, with my answers:
1. So what's the clock that counts down when the team tunes out Mike Keenan currently standing at?
Good question. It looked to be ticking down to it's final seconds when the team started 1-3-1, but the reversal of fortunes has stayed his execution.
Sutter got rid of two players the coach hated (Tanguay, Huselius) this summer and brought in more "Keenan friendly" players (see - Todd Bertuzzi). I think that added some time to the clock.
In the end, I think things will depend on results. The management and coaching staff are on a short leash this season and are expected to get results. If things start going badly, I can imagine the environment in the room turning poisonous, hastening Keenan's eventual firing. If not, he should stick around till then end of his contract (one year left after this one I believe).
2. Can Kiprusoff still handle all the minutes Keenan seems intent on giving him this season?
Hard to say. Kipper has been a work horse since he became the Flames starter, but Keenan's reliance on him has been pretty excessive thus far. Only time - and results - will tell, but I know I'd be far more at ease if the back-up got a start now and then.
3. Hawks fans turned on Vandermeer after a while, when his play wasn't nearly as nasty and tough as it used to be. Has he rediscovered that in Alberta?
4. Please tell us you haven't bought in to Rene Borque....
Vandermeer has actually been decent during his limited time here. He gets to play with Dion Phaneuf at even-strength, which helps, but he's also been fairly consistent in the nasty play/willing to drop gloves department.
My only complaint with Vandermeer is his cap hit, which I think is a tad too high ($2.3M). That's not really his fault, however.
I have. I dont know what his reputation was in Chicago, but I really like the guy. He has hands of stone, but his speed and forechecking have proven to be pretty valuable assets the first dozen games. He plays on both the PK and PP and doesn't get scored on too often at 5on5. For $1.3M, he looks a steal of a deal.5. The Flames won 6 in a row last month, what was the biggest reason why?
Three primary reasons:6. We thought Cammalleri was an astute pick-up this summer, has it been that way thus far into the season?
1.) Soft schedule. The Flames opponents during the streak were: Washington, Nashville, Phoenix, Colorado, Boston and Los Angeles. A couple of bottom feeders and nary an elite opponent in sight.
2.) Miikka Kiprusoff. He was dreadful for the first five or so games, but seemed to get in a groove during that span.
3.) Improved forward depth. Calgary has cobbled together some decent lines behind their primary guns (Iginla, Bertuzzi). Calgary's third unit of Boyd, Moss and Glencross have been particularly effective, while Mike Cammalleri is second on the team in points. Speaking of which...
7. Does it rile your rivals in Edmonton, and delight you, that two of your most important players, Iginla and Langkow, are from Edmonton?
So far, so good. Cammalleri has played on the "second line" with Daymond Langkow and has quietly been effective at both ends of the ice. He' been very efficient at scoring at both even-strength and the power play and hasn't been a defensive liability. If he ever starts playing with Jarome Iginla with any kind of regularity, his point totals will be even better.
Yes. And yes. Although both parties will tend to you use just about any leverage to rile the other.
Oh...and don't forget Dion Phaneuf. He's a native Edmontonian too ;). The best part is, they hate him the most up in Stinktown...
