Just wanted to share this article (H/T Illegal Curve) from Ray Ratto of the San Fransico Chronicle. It's filled with all sorts of complimentary things about the Flames after last nights victory, which is notable coming from the (figurative) mouth of the enemy.
The Flames are 18-5-3 since their hesitant start, and they showed San Jose and the rest of the conference that the dream conference final between the Sharks and Red Wings goes through Calgary, and not easily.
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Calgary's emergence has broadened the West from the fait accompli that would be a Detroit-San Jose final, because the rest of the conference is either too young (Chicago, Phoenix), too old (Anaheim, Vancouver), two one-dimensional (Minnesota, Columbus) or no-dimensional (Edmonton, Nashville, Colorado, Dallas, Los Angeles and St. Louis) to figure into the debate.
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San Jose would take any of those rather than a debilitating second-round series with the new Flames; indeed, the team that draws Calgary has a far smaller chance of reaching the Finals, making the race to win the top seed more vital than usual.
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Thursday's game elevated the Flames into the greater debate...They may not be strong enough to match the Sharks' top line of Thornton, Devin Setoguchi and Patrick Marleau, but are close enough everywhere else that ... well, put it this way: If San Jose wants to face Detroit in the conference final to end all conference finals, the best way to do so is to avoid Calgary in the Round of Death.
It feels wonderful to be feared again.
