Okay, maybe not. The Flames are still in first place in the North West and in strong position to make the playoffs. They haven't lost 8 in a row and JF Jr. isn't the GM. That said, last night's bowel-knifing loss to a bunch of schmo's wearing Blues uniforms still really sucks. In fact, the Moday Blues debacle clearly hilighted many of Calgary's shortcomings this season:
- Poor Road Efforts. Despite being an impressive 14 games above .500 at home, the Flames are a mediocre even keel (.500) on the road so far (that's ignoring the SO losses). I can't name the source of this relative ineptitude away from the 'dome, but it's starting to grow rather tiresome. The Jekyl and Hyde act tends to showcase the "November" manifestation of the Flames at home and the "October" manifestation on the road. At home, Calgary is typically a fast, mean, tight-checking group who grind out wins (see: November). On the road, more often than not, Calgary is an un-focused, apparently weary and bleary-eyed group who waste opportunities, fall to inferior teams or lose large to more demanding foes (see: October). The most recent roadtrip is a fine example: 7-4 blow-out to Colorado, shut-out by Chicago, loss to the depleted Blues.
Proviso: The only time this DOESN'T seem to prove true is against close rivals like Vancouver and Edmonton. At least we can be thankful for that.
- The 2 goal lead curse. Starting in December, a team built on stingy defense and solid goaltending started to surrender 2 goal leads like Ralph mails out rebate checks. It happened against Edmonton. And Los Angeles. And Nashville. And Edmonton again (though we won that one). And Vancouver. And New York, New York. And now, against the Blues. After the mid-January 4 game-winning streak, I kinda thought that this lamentable penchant for bequeathing 2 goal advantages was behind us. Apparently not. On top of (and often in concert with) point #1 above, Calgary has this ugly psychological vulnerability to "keeping a lead" to deal with. Ugh...
- Sputtering Offense. Despite boasting names like Amonte, Iginla, Langkow, Huselius, Kobasew, Simon, Phanuef and Leopold, Calgary still languishes near the bottom of the league in offensive production. In fact, the Flames currently sit 26th overall in the NHL, with 139 goals in 52 games (2.67 GPG). Consider that several sub-.500 teams like Pittsburgh, Montreal and the New York Islanders are ahead of the Flames in the GPG category. In fact, the next lowest division leader, Dallas, has an average of 3,12 GPG - good for 13th in the league; a full 13 spots ahead of Calgary.
So, after getting shut-out by the lowly Blackhawks last Thursday, the Flames responded with a 5 goal performance Sunday afternoon. Was it too much to expect another 5 against an AHL quality squad last night? Apparently so. No wonder we have trouble with 2 goal leads. And Speaking of sputtering...
- An average Jarome Iginla. First it was the "slow start" thing. Then it was because he didn't play during the lock-out. Recently it's become the lack of a #1 center. The excuses for Jarome's mediocre season in light of his $7 million contract keep piling up, but none seem satisfactory. As of today, Iginla is 67th in league scoring in terms of points and 22nd in terms of goals. He goes for long stretches without registering a point and often disappears from contests altogether - it's not just a dominant player hitting posts or missing chances: Jarome is all too often completely MIA. For example, after being a nonfactor in Calgary's 3 previous contests, on Monday Iginla was faced with a team anchored by the likes of Christian Backman and backed by a goalie named Curtis Sanford. He responded by firing all of 2 shots on net in regulation. Two Shots! The two-time Rocket Richard winner and Olympian was on the ice for 22 minutes (6 PP minutes) against an AHL quality foe - and he gets as many shots as the 3rd line checking center. Had he carried the team through the majority of the roadtrip till then, it would be understandable. If he were a league leader in points and goals, it would be excusable. But neither are true. I keep hoping for the former to occur more regularly, even if the latter is now all but out of reach. Of course, there have been brief stretches of Iginla-like play this season - Mid-Janurary, Mid-November, a couple of games in December...however, by and large those stretches are few and far between. Yes, it's been a very ordinary Jarome (by Jarome's standards) this year. I've resigned myself to hoping he re-emerges as the Iggy of old in April...
Those are my complaints. The bright-side? We're #1 in the division, we're in prime play-off position, we're league leaders in goals against and Jarome does lead the team in points. So it's not all doom and gloom. Phaneuf is kicking some ass, and Kipper is a Vezina contender. Now, let's see if Sutter and the boys can address the above *ahem* issues and ascend into the leagues elite...
Game Positives and Negatives:
Positives:
- Perfect Penalty Killing.
- The Dion hammers former Calder-winning d-man Barrett Jackman...and then beats him up for good measure.
- Iginla finally gets on the scoresheet...albeit an assist.
Negatives:
- Pretty much everything else. (Another road loss to a terrible team, 1-9 PP, squandered 2 goal lead, average Jarome and Kipper...etc.)
- News that Hamrlik is sidelined for another month due to a broken hand. Talk about unlucky.
Side-note...how odd is it that Bosoton shut-out Ottawa again?
Next-up...the streaking Blue-Jackets.
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
Monday, January 30, 2006
BofA Blog Props!
Hello Hockey Fans was given some love by the incomparable Battle of Alberta Weblog recently. If you like hockey blogs and the Alberta rivalry thing, I suggest you check it out. Not only are the principle contributers (Matt and Sacamano) knowlegable, but their (and their readers) constant bickering is both witty and amusing. Give it a read and leave some comments if you get a chance...Matt definately needs some more Flames fans to aid him in his cause there.
Weightless Flames
Not too sure if anyone saw the Carolina-Weight situation coming until it actually happened. This trade effects (affects?) Calgary in two distinctly seperate ways:
1.) Calgary was a front-runner in the Doug Weight Sweepstakes, largely in hopes of solving their "#1-center-to-feed-Iginla-sweet-passes" issue. No dice. Considering that the Hurricanes gave up 3 players and 3 draft picks, including a 2006 first round pick, it's clear that the asking price was too high. Granted, the 3 players are largely fringe-types (Boulerice, Zigomanis, Kahnberg) and the Hurricanes got another player besides Weight in return (Rajamaki), it still sounds like too much future being traded for an aging play-off rental. I, personally, would have been distressed if Calgary had have traded their #1 draft pick for Weight...considering the unimpressive record of the Omaha Knights, the Flames need all the #1 draft picks they can get (or have). That said, Im somewhat glad Weight went to a team as far from Calgary as possible - he's still good enough to do some damage...
...oh well. The search for Calgary's #1 center continues...
2.) Calgary also happens to play the NHL-worst St. Louis Blues today, who are now less their two top centermen (Sillinger, Weight). While there is always the shake-up karma that seems to effect teams the day of/after big transactions like this, I dont expect it can possibly make enough of a difference tonight. St. Loo has gotten considerably worse than they were before - and they were really bad before. The fact that they acquired almost no one that can step in and make a difference from the Carolina deal further benefits Calgary...
Of course, the ever-present danger of "not taking thy foe seriously" a la the Canucks/Blues this year is always an issue. However, I can't see a Sutter-coached team making THAT same mistake twice in less than a week. I'd say tonight's 2 points are "MUST GETS": facing a gutted opponent in the midst of a fire-sale is as good an opportunity as there ever will be to close out a road-trip on a winning note. Hear that Jarome?? WORST TEAM IN NHL=SCORES SOME GOALS!
Gameday Threat - "WIN FLAMES. OR SUTTER WILL TRADE FOR BELFOUR."
1.) Calgary was a front-runner in the Doug Weight Sweepstakes, largely in hopes of solving their "#1-center-to-feed-Iginla-sweet-passes" issue. No dice. Considering that the Hurricanes gave up 3 players and 3 draft picks, including a 2006 first round pick, it's clear that the asking price was too high. Granted, the 3 players are largely fringe-types (Boulerice, Zigomanis, Kahnberg) and the Hurricanes got another player besides Weight in return (Rajamaki), it still sounds like too much future being traded for an aging play-off rental. I, personally, would have been distressed if Calgary had have traded their #1 draft pick for Weight...considering the unimpressive record of the Omaha Knights, the Flames need all the #1 draft picks they can get (or have). That said, Im somewhat glad Weight went to a team as far from Calgary as possible - he's still good enough to do some damage...
...oh well. The search for Calgary's #1 center continues...
2.) Calgary also happens to play the NHL-worst St. Louis Blues today, who are now less their two top centermen (Sillinger, Weight). While there is always the shake-up karma that seems to effect teams the day of/after big transactions like this, I dont expect it can possibly make enough of a difference tonight. St. Loo has gotten considerably worse than they were before - and they were really bad before. The fact that they acquired almost no one that can step in and make a difference from the Carolina deal further benefits Calgary...
Of course, the ever-present danger of "not taking thy foe seriously" a la the Canucks/Blues this year is always an issue. However, I can't see a Sutter-coached team making THAT same mistake twice in less than a week. I'd say tonight's 2 points are "MUST GETS": facing a gutted opponent in the midst of a fire-sale is as good an opportunity as there ever will be to close out a road-trip on a winning note. Hear that Jarome?? WORST TEAM IN NHL=SCORES SOME GOALS!
Gameday Threat - "WIN FLAMES. OR SUTTER WILL TRADE FOR BELFOUR."
Revenge!
Let's tackle Calgary's Sunday afternoon redemption...
I gotta admit, after the team managed to flush a lead down the toilet in no less than 30 seconds 3 minutes into the game, I was a bit worried. Not to mention the Warenner "own goal" that put the bad guys up 3-1 in the first. Of course, given that Calgary seemingly prefers to play catch-up, I shouldn't have been too worried.
It was an odd reveral of the previous match between the two teams. It took a mere period to score 5 goals in this contest, versus the 2 that were scored in the final ten minutes of the previous game. Not only did the Flames solve Munro 5 times, but they scored their first only 40 seconds in. Of course, Calgary's defensive game was technically (marginally) worse than Thursday's set-back...not that it mattered. Gotta say though - the Warenner and Ference duo still make me nervous (see 2nd Chicago goal).
In addition, the news was first very good and then very bad for Calgary and Hamrlik. Hammer scored 3 points, including an assist on the game winning goal - only to go down to injury again. This time the culprit is a swollen hand thanks to a blocked shot. No one knows how long he'll be out of the line-up...again. ARGH! On a related note, Calgary called up farm stand-out Mark Giordano to fill in while Roman's down. Should be interesting to see how he performs tonight against the Blues...
Positives and Negatives:
Positives:
- Reinprecht with a strong outting. Scores 3rd goal and draws 2 penalties that lead to the Dion Phaneuf GW PP goal. Speaking of which...
- Dion Phaneuf. Another PP GWG. I've heard some rumblings about The Dion being included in the Olympic roster AND some potential Norris nominations. Wow. Leads the team in assists and PP goals.
- Roman Hamrlik. 3 point night shows what we've been missing for 6 weeks...and will continue to miss, apprently.
- Kobasew. Scores his 4th in 3 games on a nifty "swat outta mid-air" kind of play. Tied for 2nd on the team with 15 goals.
- PP goes for an impressive 3for6.
- Chris Simon is back to 3rd and 4th line minutes, where he belongs.
Negatives:
- Ference and Warenner. Just plain stupid during the first period. Caused the 2nd and 3rd goals against.
- Jarome Iginla. That makes 3 straight games Jarome has been left off of the scoresheet. After his mid-January revival, he seems to be sinking back into the ineffectual play that has dogged him this whole season.
- First period. The Flames surrender 3 goals and 15 shots to the lowly Hawks. Hardly the best way to iniate revenge...
Next up - Blue(s) Monday.
I gotta admit, after the team managed to flush a lead down the toilet in no less than 30 seconds 3 minutes into the game, I was a bit worried. Not to mention the Warenner "own goal" that put the bad guys up 3-1 in the first. Of course, given that Calgary seemingly prefers to play catch-up, I shouldn't have been too worried.
It was an odd reveral of the previous match between the two teams. It took a mere period to score 5 goals in this contest, versus the 2 that were scored in the final ten minutes of the previous game. Not only did the Flames solve Munro 5 times, but they scored their first only 40 seconds in. Of course, Calgary's defensive game was technically (marginally) worse than Thursday's set-back...not that it mattered. Gotta say though - the Warenner and Ference duo still make me nervous (see 2nd Chicago goal).
In addition, the news was first very good and then very bad for Calgary and Hamrlik. Hammer scored 3 points, including an assist on the game winning goal - only to go down to injury again. This time the culprit is a swollen hand thanks to a blocked shot. No one knows how long he'll be out of the line-up...again. ARGH! On a related note, Calgary called up farm stand-out Mark Giordano to fill in while Roman's down. Should be interesting to see how he performs tonight against the Blues...
Positives and Negatives:
Positives:
- Reinprecht with a strong outting. Scores 3rd goal and draws 2 penalties that lead to the Dion Phaneuf GW PP goal. Speaking of which...
- Dion Phaneuf. Another PP GWG. I've heard some rumblings about The Dion being included in the Olympic roster AND some potential Norris nominations. Wow. Leads the team in assists and PP goals.
- Roman Hamrlik. 3 point night shows what we've been missing for 6 weeks...and will continue to miss, apprently.
- Kobasew. Scores his 4th in 3 games on a nifty "swat outta mid-air" kind of play. Tied for 2nd on the team with 15 goals.
- PP goes for an impressive 3for6.
- Chris Simon is back to 3rd and 4th line minutes, where he belongs.
Negatives:
- Ference and Warenner. Just plain stupid during the first period. Caused the 2nd and 3rd goals against.
- Jarome Iginla. That makes 3 straight games Jarome has been left off of the scoresheet. After his mid-January revival, he seems to be sinking back into the ineffectual play that has dogged him this whole season.
- First period. The Flames surrender 3 goals and 15 shots to the lowly Hawks. Hardly the best way to iniate revenge...
Next up - Blue(s) Monday.
Fantasy Pics
Since no one believes me that I said to pick Bulis before his 4 goal night against the Flyers I will put down who will be the big winner for tonight in Fantasy Points. Jozef Stumpel. Why you ask? I like his name. And he is due for a big game. I mean he hasn't had one all season so why not do it against the Leafs who suck nuts. That's all. And in goal, pick any goalie but Belfour.
Friday, January 27, 2006
Road -Trip Puzzle
Well, since the last post (ironically demanding respect for the Flames), Calgary's dropped another 2 on the road. The Colorado game had it's excuse - weariness thanks to a merciluess travel schedule - but the loss against Chicago is just, well, strange.
The game was, in a word, boring. Chicago used a tight-checking, conservative type game-plan that the Flames couldn't seem to override. Granted, Calgary had multiple chances in the first period to score - Donovan, Huselius and Kobasew were all sniffing around the net... but the team seemed infected by the offensive ineptitude that cursed them back in late October and early December. Pucks shot into the chest or off the post. passes into the feet or bouncing over the stick. In fact, no play exemplifies last nights contest more than the Amonte 2on1 later in the third period - Amonte gathers in the puck deep in the Chicago zone and realizes it's a two-on-one opportunity. In an effort to creat a play, he stops short, briefly loses the puck in his feet, then falls down. On the ensuing break-out by the 'Hawks, Amonte gets a hooking penalty. Yes, it was THAT kind of night.
With the loss, the Flames drop below the 0.500 mark on the road for the year. I, along with Sutter no doubt, am rather puzzled as to why the Flames can't seem to bring their "A" game on the road with the same consistency they do at home. On this trip, and like many before it, the Flames seem unable to fight through checks and finish off chances like they do when they are in the Saddledome. If Calgary wants to stay in possession of the NW Division lead and remain an elite club, they're going to have to figure out their road woes - sooner rather than later.
As for game last night, I should give some credit to Chicago, however. They managed to execute their gameplan perfectly, and their young (3rd string goalie) Munro made the stops when he had to. For whatever reason, the Blackhawks have the Flames number this year (akin to the Blues/Canucks situation). They stopped Calgary's 8 game winning streak in it's tracks and nearly stole one from us a few weeks ago (the game was won by Kipper and McCarty, basically). To be honest, I dont relish the idea of playing them again on Sunday, despite the fact that Calgary has 23 more points in the current standings. Ugh...
...here's hoping the Flames manage to actually score on their chances on Sunday.
Positives:
- Krisitan Hueslius. Looked dangerous all night and made some great offensive plays. If only he'd buried a few of them...
- Chuck Kobasew. Was one of the fastest and hardest-working Flames all night long.
- Robyn Regehr. Handed out some punishing bodychecks.
- Vancouver loses again.
Negatives:
- Horrible special teams. 0-8 on the PP, while allowing the 2nd short-handed goal in as many games. Chicago scored the GWG on the powerplay as well.
- No finish. Multiple scoring chances wasted thanks to a team-wide inability to bear down.
- Jarome Iginla. After coming alive for awhile, Iggy has disappeared the last 2 games again. In a contest where Calgary needed an offensive burst to break them out of the doldrums, Jarome was nowhere to be seen. Managed all of 2 shots on the night.
- Roman Hamrlik. Returns to the line-up and promptly assists on Chicago's short-handed goal with a brutal give-away.
- Rhett Warenner. He's been simply terrible the last 2 games. Seems dazed in his own end.
- More horrible officiating. Lots of phantom calls...but when Langkow is hit from behind into the boards in the offensive zone (in front of the ref, no less)...no call. Frustrating as hell.
- Edmonton wins again.
On an unrelated note, the Oil managed to dump some garbage on the Penguins (Rita, Cross) for the PP specialist Dick Tarnstrom yesterday. More proof that they still don't really know what they're doing over in Pittsuburgh. With the added acquisition of that cheap-shot artist (but, admittedly, decent defenseman) Spacek, look for KLowe to make a deal for a goalie involving one his young rear-guards (MA Bergeron, probably) soon.
The game was, in a word, boring. Chicago used a tight-checking, conservative type game-plan that the Flames couldn't seem to override. Granted, Calgary had multiple chances in the first period to score - Donovan, Huselius and Kobasew were all sniffing around the net... but the team seemed infected by the offensive ineptitude that cursed them back in late October and early December. Pucks shot into the chest or off the post. passes into the feet or bouncing over the stick. In fact, no play exemplifies last nights contest more than the Amonte 2on1 later in the third period - Amonte gathers in the puck deep in the Chicago zone and realizes it's a two-on-one opportunity. In an effort to creat a play, he stops short, briefly loses the puck in his feet, then falls down. On the ensuing break-out by the 'Hawks, Amonte gets a hooking penalty. Yes, it was THAT kind of night.
With the loss, the Flames drop below the 0.500 mark on the road for the year. I, along with Sutter no doubt, am rather puzzled as to why the Flames can't seem to bring their "A" game on the road with the same consistency they do at home. On this trip, and like many before it, the Flames seem unable to fight through checks and finish off chances like they do when they are in the Saddledome. If Calgary wants to stay in possession of the NW Division lead and remain an elite club, they're going to have to figure out their road woes - sooner rather than later.
As for game last night, I should give some credit to Chicago, however. They managed to execute their gameplan perfectly, and their young (3rd string goalie) Munro made the stops when he had to. For whatever reason, the Blackhawks have the Flames number this year (akin to the Blues/Canucks situation). They stopped Calgary's 8 game winning streak in it's tracks and nearly stole one from us a few weeks ago (the game was won by Kipper and McCarty, basically). To be honest, I dont relish the idea of playing them again on Sunday, despite the fact that Calgary has 23 more points in the current standings. Ugh...
...here's hoping the Flames manage to actually score on their chances on Sunday.
Positives:
- Krisitan Hueslius. Looked dangerous all night and made some great offensive plays. If only he'd buried a few of them...
- Chuck Kobasew. Was one of the fastest and hardest-working Flames all night long.
- Robyn Regehr. Handed out some punishing bodychecks.
- Vancouver loses again.
Negatives:
- Horrible special teams. 0-8 on the PP, while allowing the 2nd short-handed goal in as many games. Chicago scored the GWG on the powerplay as well.
- No finish. Multiple scoring chances wasted thanks to a team-wide inability to bear down.
- Jarome Iginla. After coming alive for awhile, Iggy has disappeared the last 2 games again. In a contest where Calgary needed an offensive burst to break them out of the doldrums, Jarome was nowhere to be seen. Managed all of 2 shots on the night.
- Roman Hamrlik. Returns to the line-up and promptly assists on Chicago's short-handed goal with a brutal give-away.
- Rhett Warenner. He's been simply terrible the last 2 games. Seems dazed in his own end.
- More horrible officiating. Lots of phantom calls...but when Langkow is hit from behind into the boards in the offensive zone (in front of the ref, no less)...no call. Frustrating as hell.
- Edmonton wins again.
On an unrelated note, the Oil managed to dump some garbage on the Penguins (Rita, Cross) for the PP specialist Dick Tarnstrom yesterday. More proof that they still don't really know what they're doing over in Pittsuburgh. With the added acquisition of that cheap-shot artist (but, admittedly, decent defenseman) Spacek, look for KLowe to make a deal for a goalie involving one his young rear-guards (MA Bergeron, probably) soon.
Tuesday, January 24, 2006
R-E-S-P-E...well, you know the rest.
Rather than post a glowing entry lauding the Flames recent victory in the continuing Battle of Alberta, I think I'd rather address some of the whining and accusations I continually hear coarsely and bitterly muttered by some opposing fans this year...
As a Flame fan, you've probably heard it too:
1.) Flames are nothing without Kiprusoff.
2.) The Flames are a talentless collection of plumbers and 3rd liners.
3.) The Flames play boring, trap-style hockey that is designed to stifle talent (since they have none).
- Etc.
Frankly, I am entriely weary of these epithets and half truths thrown out by whiners and sore losers. So let's look at each of these accusations in turn:
1.) Yes, Kipper is a big reason for Calgary's success. He leads the league in shut-outs and wins and is a front runner for the Vezina trophy. He has the ability to shut the door and steal games.
Of course, most hockey fans know that good goaltending is simply not enough to carry a team long term. Not GREAT goaltending even. Just ask Luongo in Florida. Or look to Brodeur's struggles after the departure of Stevens and Niedermeyer. The Bulin Wall discovered just how important his T-bay teammates were to his success once he landed in Chicago. The point is, there are plenty of highly skilled #1 goalies in the league who are not enjoying any real measure of success thanks to the marginal team standing in front of them each night. A goalie's success and a team's success are inextricably intermingled - a good team makes a goalie better and vice versa. While a certain, and perhaps sizeable, degree of Calgary's current fortunes can be credited to Kipper's stellar play, it's a fallacy to claim he is the ONLY instrument behind the Flames success...
2.) I think the near decade of hapless Flames teams headed by the likes of Valeri Bure while trading away Fleury, St. Louis and JS Giguere has conditioned Calgary's opponents and their fans to think that the Flames are doomed to forever remaining a shallow talent pool. Not so...
Besides the aforementioned Kiprusoff, Calgary also boasts, of course, Jarome Iginla. Two time Rocket Richard winner, Hart finalist, All-star and Olympic gold medalist, Iginla is considered one of the best forwards and leaders in the world.
Need more proof?
Calgary's #1 defensive pairing, Jordan Leopold and Robyn Regehr are both Olympians and are just starting to enter the prime of their career. Leopold was a Hobey Baker award winner and Regehr a top 20 draft pick. Also, Roman Hamrlik is a former #1 overall draft pick and all-star. He would be a top 2 d-man on most NHL clubs. Dion Phaneuf won the CHL defensemen of the year twice and is currently considered one of the top 3 rookies, despite being part of perhaps the thickest crop of NHL rookie talent in 20 years. He is currently tied for first in PP goals by defensemen with 10.
What else?
The Flames have 2 more proven 20 goal scorers in Amonte and Langkow. Amonte is a former 30/40 goal scorer and all-star...he's no spring chicken at 34, but is hardly washed up or over the hill. Consider that Sundin, for instance, is 35. Langkow was a 5th overall pick in '95 and has scored 20 goals in 3 straight seasons, despite being part of a losing Coyotes squad.
Plus, the Flames have the up and coming Matthew Lombardi, who scored 16 goals in his rookie year and looks to be continuing his maturation this season. Both he and Kobasew, who was one of the top point getters in the AHL and a top 20 draft pick, are under 25 and have the potential to become decent offensive threats at the NHL level. With the addition of Kristian Huslelius, a calder trophy finalist and top European scorer, the Flames have a decent crop of talent. "Beetlejuice", as he's called, has averaged more than point per game since coming over from Florida and is proving to be a steal.
To say nothing of Stephane Yelle, an excellent face-off man and premier penalty killer. Or Steven Reinprecht, currently a +12 and on course for 50 point season (and skilled enough to be reportedly covetted by the Ottawa Senators).
Overall, it's folly to consider the Flame's "unskilled". Certainly, the Flames don't have a Senator's-type lineup - but neither does anyone else (except the Senators). Do detractors mean that the Flames are "offensively challeneged" when they say "unskilled"? Do they base this on the Flames admittedly uninspired Goals For stats, because it certainly can't be based on the team's standings...
3.) Finally, I come to the accusation of "boring" hockey. The last-ditch insult attempt. Now, for the record, every NHL team uses the trap. Some more than others and some better than others. The Flames, like many other teams, tend to clog up the neutral zone when they're leading, especially by several goals. However, Calgary's primary strategy is based on a high-pressure forecheck system designed to wear down opposing defenseman over the course of a game and to generate turnovers. Notice that the Flames scored 16 seconds after the Oilers tied it up last night? That was accomplished thanks to a speedy and tenacious forecheck.
Further, anyone who witnessed Calgary's games (both victories and defeats) against Edmonton and Vancouver over the last 5 weeks and STILL calls Calgary boring is either blind or totally dishonest. In fact, I've heard many a hockey pundit and fan claim that the Flames/Canucks Christmas matches were some of the best games played this year...
Anyways, that's my ranting rebuttle to those whiners and Flames detractors. I don't expect opposing fans to love or even like the Flames...but, at this point, I'd think Calgary has earned some respect by now.
Anyhoo, maybe I'll squeeze in some positives and negatives anyways:
Positives:
- Jarome Iginla. Scored 2, but could have had 4. Finally rounding into the dominating presence we expect.
- Kipper. Incredibly cool and solid, continues his Vezina bid.
- Huselius. Ho-hum, another 2 point night, including the game-winner.
- Lombardi. Another 2 assists. I like the Lombo-Iggy duo.
- Penalty Kill comes through and shuts down the Oilers.
- Shean Donovan. No points, but is simply flying.
-Extend the winning streak to 4.
- Take sole possession of first in the NW and move 7 points up on the Oil.
Negatives:
- Officiating. Inconsistent and often baffling. Missed obvious calls and called phantom hooks.
- Chuck Kobasew. Isn't playing badly, but still can't seem to finish on his chances.
Next up - Colorado!
As a Flame fan, you've probably heard it too:
1.) Flames are nothing without Kiprusoff.
2.) The Flames are a talentless collection of plumbers and 3rd liners.
3.) The Flames play boring, trap-style hockey that is designed to stifle talent (since they have none).
- Etc.
Frankly, I am entriely weary of these epithets and half truths thrown out by whiners and sore losers. So let's look at each of these accusations in turn:
1.) Yes, Kipper is a big reason for Calgary's success. He leads the league in shut-outs and wins and is a front runner for the Vezina trophy. He has the ability to shut the door and steal games.
Of course, most hockey fans know that good goaltending is simply not enough to carry a team long term. Not GREAT goaltending even. Just ask Luongo in Florida. Or look to Brodeur's struggles after the departure of Stevens and Niedermeyer. The Bulin Wall discovered just how important his T-bay teammates were to his success once he landed in Chicago. The point is, there are plenty of highly skilled #1 goalies in the league who are not enjoying any real measure of success thanks to the marginal team standing in front of them each night. A goalie's success and a team's success are inextricably intermingled - a good team makes a goalie better and vice versa. While a certain, and perhaps sizeable, degree of Calgary's current fortunes can be credited to Kipper's stellar play, it's a fallacy to claim he is the ONLY instrument behind the Flames success...
2.) I think the near decade of hapless Flames teams headed by the likes of Valeri Bure while trading away Fleury, St. Louis and JS Giguere has conditioned Calgary's opponents and their fans to think that the Flames are doomed to forever remaining a shallow talent pool. Not so...
Besides the aforementioned Kiprusoff, Calgary also boasts, of course, Jarome Iginla. Two time Rocket Richard winner, Hart finalist, All-star and Olympic gold medalist, Iginla is considered one of the best forwards and leaders in the world.
Need more proof?
Calgary's #1 defensive pairing, Jordan Leopold and Robyn Regehr are both Olympians and are just starting to enter the prime of their career. Leopold was a Hobey Baker award winner and Regehr a top 20 draft pick. Also, Roman Hamrlik is a former #1 overall draft pick and all-star. He would be a top 2 d-man on most NHL clubs. Dion Phaneuf won the CHL defensemen of the year twice and is currently considered one of the top 3 rookies, despite being part of perhaps the thickest crop of NHL rookie talent in 20 years. He is currently tied for first in PP goals by defensemen with 10.
What else?
The Flames have 2 more proven 20 goal scorers in Amonte and Langkow. Amonte is a former 30/40 goal scorer and all-star...he's no spring chicken at 34, but is hardly washed up or over the hill. Consider that Sundin, for instance, is 35. Langkow was a 5th overall pick in '95 and has scored 20 goals in 3 straight seasons, despite being part of a losing Coyotes squad.
Plus, the Flames have the up and coming Matthew Lombardi, who scored 16 goals in his rookie year and looks to be continuing his maturation this season. Both he and Kobasew, who was one of the top point getters in the AHL and a top 20 draft pick, are under 25 and have the potential to become decent offensive threats at the NHL level. With the addition of Kristian Huslelius, a calder trophy finalist and top European scorer, the Flames have a decent crop of talent. "Beetlejuice", as he's called, has averaged more than point per game since coming over from Florida and is proving to be a steal.
To say nothing of Stephane Yelle, an excellent face-off man and premier penalty killer. Or Steven Reinprecht, currently a +12 and on course for 50 point season (and skilled enough to be reportedly covetted by the Ottawa Senators).
Overall, it's folly to consider the Flame's "unskilled". Certainly, the Flames don't have a Senator's-type lineup - but neither does anyone else (except the Senators). Do detractors mean that the Flames are "offensively challeneged" when they say "unskilled"? Do they base this on the Flames admittedly uninspired Goals For stats, because it certainly can't be based on the team's standings...
3.) Finally, I come to the accusation of "boring" hockey. The last-ditch insult attempt. Now, for the record, every NHL team uses the trap. Some more than others and some better than others. The Flames, like many other teams, tend to clog up the neutral zone when they're leading, especially by several goals. However, Calgary's primary strategy is based on a high-pressure forecheck system designed to wear down opposing defenseman over the course of a game and to generate turnovers. Notice that the Flames scored 16 seconds after the Oilers tied it up last night? That was accomplished thanks to a speedy and tenacious forecheck.
Further, anyone who witnessed Calgary's games (both victories and defeats) against Edmonton and Vancouver over the last 5 weeks and STILL calls Calgary boring is either blind or totally dishonest. In fact, I've heard many a hockey pundit and fan claim that the Flames/Canucks Christmas matches were some of the best games played this year...
Anyways, that's my ranting rebuttle to those whiners and Flames detractors. I don't expect opposing fans to love or even like the Flames...but, at this point, I'd think Calgary has earned some respect by now.
Anyhoo, maybe I'll squeeze in some positives and negatives anyways:
Positives:
- Jarome Iginla. Scored 2, but could have had 4. Finally rounding into the dominating presence we expect.
- Kipper. Incredibly cool and solid, continues his Vezina bid.
- Huselius. Ho-hum, another 2 point night, including the game-winner.
- Lombardi. Another 2 assists. I like the Lombo-Iggy duo.
- Penalty Kill comes through and shuts down the Oilers.
- Shean Donovan. No points, but is simply flying.
-Extend the winning streak to 4.
- Take sole possession of first in the NW and move 7 points up on the Oil.
Negatives:
- Officiating. Inconsistent and often baffling. Missed obvious calls and called phantom hooks.
- Chuck Kobasew. Isn't playing badly, but still can't seem to finish on his chances.
Next up - Colorado!
Monday, January 23, 2006
Vote for a 4 Game Winning Streak.
Thanks to the Flames being ignored in favor of the two debacles that occured on Satruday, I have no primary information on their 4-1 victory. I do know, however, that the GWG was kicked in and shouldn't have counted. I know Regehr flipped Kotalik into the bench with a brutal check. I know Huselius and Phaneuf increased their impressive First-year-Flame-point-totals and I know Calgary is unbeaten in 3. Some friends of mine attended the game and reported that it was an overall impressive and rather dominating performance by the hometown team...Iginla was apparently quite the force, although his contributions didn't turn up on the scoresheet.
The last 3 wins have been welcome medicine after the short-lived illness that was our Eastern American roadtrip. Not only has Calgary returned to form defensively, allowing a mere 4 goals against in 4 games, but we've also been treated to (what seems to be) Iginla's return to form.
Of course, none of these things bode well for the Oilers, who host Calgary at Rexall place tonight. Edmonton has lost 4 of their 5 games, largely due to inconsistent team efforts (and, of course, questionable goaltending at times). Currently, the two teams are seperated by 5 points in the NW division - the Flames are tied for first with Vancouver at 61 points, while the Oilers sit in 4th spot with 56. Questions surrounding this evening's contest include whether or not Roman Hamrlik will make his return to the line-up and who will be the starting goalie in the revolving door that is the Oiler's crease. Place your bets on Morrison, although Jussi Rebounds is also a strong possibility. 50:1 odds on Conklin starting, though the odds are 1:50 that he gets pulled should the former prove true.
Personally, I think the Flames are gonna take this one. They have several of their superstars in top form (Kipper, Iggy) and several other players contributing consistently (Amonte, Huselius, Phaneuf). On the other hand, Edmonton is currently struggling with confidence and goalie issues. Whatever the result, I've no doubt the game will be an entertaining one.
Now the Gameday Threat - "WIN FLAMES. OR YOU SHALL BE INCLUDED IN THE CONSERVATIVES DREADED 'HIDDEN AGENDA'."
The last 3 wins have been welcome medicine after the short-lived illness that was our Eastern American roadtrip. Not only has Calgary returned to form defensively, allowing a mere 4 goals against in 4 games, but we've also been treated to (what seems to be) Iginla's return to form.
Of course, none of these things bode well for the Oilers, who host Calgary at Rexall place tonight. Edmonton has lost 4 of their 5 games, largely due to inconsistent team efforts (and, of course, questionable goaltending at times). Currently, the two teams are seperated by 5 points in the NW division - the Flames are tied for first with Vancouver at 61 points, while the Oilers sit in 4th spot with 56. Questions surrounding this evening's contest include whether or not Roman Hamrlik will make his return to the line-up and who will be the starting goalie in the revolving door that is the Oiler's crease. Place your bets on Morrison, although Jussi Rebounds is also a strong possibility. 50:1 odds on Conklin starting, though the odds are 1:50 that he gets pulled should the former prove true.
Personally, I think the Flames are gonna take this one. They have several of their superstars in top form (Kipper, Iggy) and several other players contributing consistently (Amonte, Huselius, Phaneuf). On the other hand, Edmonton is currently struggling with confidence and goalie issues. Whatever the result, I've no doubt the game will be an entertaining one.
Now the Gameday Threat - "WIN FLAMES. OR YOU SHALL BE INCLUDED IN THE CONSERVATIVES DREADED 'HIDDEN AGENDA'."
Friday, January 20, 2006
Dion Goes Killing
This made me laugh so much I had to close the door to my office...
Acquired from the messageboards at www.calgarypuck.com
Acquired from the messageboards at www.calgarypuck.com
A Present for Alex
Look what I found! A GREG MILLEN HOCKEY BLOG.
That's right. Genius and Insight abounds within. Check it out. Alex, consider this an early birthday and Christmas present(s).
That's right. Genius and Insight abounds within. Check it out. Alex, consider this an early birthday and Christmas present(s).
Jarome Iginla - The Awakening
I think it's finally safe to say the Monster is stirring. After almost single-handedly beating the Canadiens last night, Jarome has 6 goals in 7 games, including 2 game winners in a row. Not only was Iginla a presence on the scoresheet with 2 goals, 1 assist and 7 shots, he was a dominating entity in the offensive zone all night. For evidence see: the last 2 minutes of the 3rd. Iginla's line including Lombardi and Rhino caged the Habs in their own end, disllowing them to enter Calgary's zone and pull Theodore. In fact, Iginla walked out from the corner and very nearly scored another one to ice the victory. Kudos to Iggy for his performance! I'd say last night's was easily one of his best so far this season.
Beyond gushing about Iginla, I have to give credit to the Flames as a whole for their cohesive team play yesterday. They outshot Montreal 30-18 and dominated the action most of the time. In fact, Montreal went for a span of roughly 20 minutes without registering a shot! It was, I'd suggest, a nearly textbook example of an ideal "Flames game" - tight defense, hard working and relentless forechecking, big saves and opportunistic scoring. The lone blemish would have to be the give-away that lead to Kovalev's late 3rd period goal (beyond the fact that Kipper stops that shot 9 out of 10 games)...
Positives and Negatives:
Po's:
- Jarome. Stepping it up in the second half again. The lack of Souray and Markov really hurt Montreal thanks to Iginla's performance.
- Dion Phaneuf. Remarkably good. Great assist on Langkow's goal and physically punishing. Seems to get better every day.
- Chuck Kobasew. Worked well with Simon/Donovan and created some great scoring chances. Was robbed of a goal thanks to the post.
- Shean Donovan. Skated and forechecked extremely well. His rush on the PK often generated chances while killing off time.
- Kipper. Makes the big saves on Bulis (diving glove) and Bonk (toe kick) when it matters most. 24 wins leads the league.
- Powerplay. Took advantage of opportunities when it needed to. 2-5 on the night.
- Overall Defense. Stifling and well-positioned, Calgary allowed only 18 shots against. The 3-2 score flatters the Canadiens.
- Huselius with another point. 20 in 19 games with the Flames I believe.
- McCarty battles it out with Souray and misses nary a shift despite getting cut deep during the altercation. Also, the fight removed Souray from the contest.
Neg's:
- The officiating in the first period. It actually benefitted Calgary in the end...but wow was it bad. First 3 penalties were bogus, especially the so-called "tripping" call against Dion. It thankfully seemed to get better as the game went on though.
- Calgary only wins by 1. It's an extremely small complaint, but the score shouldn't have been close. It would be nice if the Flames could have removed all doubt before the final buzzer.
- Chuck Kobasew. Yeah, he's gets a + and -. Had 2 glorious opportunities to score and comes away empty-handed. Should be putting those away.
- Both Vancouver and Edmonton win. Boooooo.
On a related, and oddly familiar note, The Chicago Blackhawks halted Colorado's win streak at 8 games by defeating them 4-2 last night. Consider that it was the 'Hawks that ended Calgary's bid for 9 straight in November with a similar 5-2 victory. Weird.
Next up - Surging Sabres on Saturday.
Beyond gushing about Iginla, I have to give credit to the Flames as a whole for their cohesive team play yesterday. They outshot Montreal 30-18 and dominated the action most of the time. In fact, Montreal went for a span of roughly 20 minutes without registering a shot! It was, I'd suggest, a nearly textbook example of an ideal "Flames game" - tight defense, hard working and relentless forechecking, big saves and opportunistic scoring. The lone blemish would have to be the give-away that lead to Kovalev's late 3rd period goal (beyond the fact that Kipper stops that shot 9 out of 10 games)...
Positives and Negatives:
Po's:
- Jarome. Stepping it up in the second half again. The lack of Souray and Markov really hurt Montreal thanks to Iginla's performance.
- Dion Phaneuf. Remarkably good. Great assist on Langkow's goal and physically punishing. Seems to get better every day.
- Chuck Kobasew. Worked well with Simon/Donovan and created some great scoring chances. Was robbed of a goal thanks to the post.
- Shean Donovan. Skated and forechecked extremely well. His rush on the PK often generated chances while killing off time.
- Kipper. Makes the big saves on Bulis (diving glove) and Bonk (toe kick) when it matters most. 24 wins leads the league.
- Powerplay. Took advantage of opportunities when it needed to. 2-5 on the night.
- Overall Defense. Stifling and well-positioned, Calgary allowed only 18 shots against. The 3-2 score flatters the Canadiens.
- Huselius with another point. 20 in 19 games with the Flames I believe.
- McCarty battles it out with Souray and misses nary a shift despite getting cut deep during the altercation. Also, the fight removed Souray from the contest.
Neg's:
- The officiating in the first period. It actually benefitted Calgary in the end...but wow was it bad. First 3 penalties were bogus, especially the so-called "tripping" call against Dion. It thankfully seemed to get better as the game went on though.
- Calgary only wins by 1. It's an extremely small complaint, but the score shouldn't have been close. It would be nice if the Flames could have removed all doubt before the final buzzer.
- Chuck Kobasew. Yeah, he's gets a + and -. Had 2 glorious opportunities to score and comes away empty-handed. Should be putting those away.
- Both Vancouver and Edmonton win. Boooooo.
On a related, and oddly familiar note, The Chicago Blackhawks halted Colorado's win streak at 8 games by defeating them 4-2 last night. Consider that it was the 'Hawks that ended Calgary's bid for 9 straight in November with a similar 5-2 victory. Weird.
Next up - Surging Sabres on Saturday.
Thursday, January 19, 2006
Theodore Traded to Edmonton!?
Just kidding. As if that will ever happen.
Anyways, finally the wait ends as the Flames 4 day post roadtrip holiday comes to a close tonight against the Canadiens. Both teams are desperate for victories, but for very different reasons.
The Canadiens, after starting the season off strong, have fallen to 10th place in the Eastern conference and are looking to climb back into playoff contention. Of course, the Habs have won both games since firing Claude Julien last week, largely upon the back of their special teams play. Since "the sacking of Claude", Montreal has 10 goals in 2 games, 7 of them on the Powerplay and 2 shothanded. The hottest Hab right now, Mike Ribeiro, was previously maligned for his lacklustre play so far this year. He posted 3 goals in the 2 victories. The bad news for the Canadiens tonight? They've lost their #1 d-man (Markov) to injury, they're post-coach-firing karma may be used up, and the Flames have won 4 in a row at the Dome.
Calgary, on the other hand, managed to salvage some dignity from their 4 game American excursion by defeating the Wild 4-1 on Saturday. In contrast to Montreal, Calgary needs to win tonight in order to stay atop the perilous peak that is the NW division lead. Both Colorado and Vancouver have recently pulled into a tie with the Flames for leadership of the division, with the slumping Oilers only 4 points back. Of particular interest to Flames fans tonight will be whether Jarome Iginla can continue his modest nominal surge against the Habs. Iggy has 4 goals in his last 6 games, including the game winner in Minnesota. It's rumored that he will play on a line with Lombardi and Rhino this evening, while the Wildly (get it?) successful combination of Hussy-Langkow-Amonte will look to contribute secondary offensive flair. In addition, Flames faithful will most likely witness the (re)return of Hamrlik tonight, which should help contain Montreal's quick and shifty forwards...
And now for a gameday threat: "WIN FLAMES. OR I WILL VOTE FOR THE GREEN PARTY."
Anyways, finally the wait ends as the Flames 4 day post roadtrip holiday comes to a close tonight against the Canadiens. Both teams are desperate for victories, but for very different reasons.
The Canadiens, after starting the season off strong, have fallen to 10th place in the Eastern conference and are looking to climb back into playoff contention. Of course, the Habs have won both games since firing Claude Julien last week, largely upon the back of their special teams play. Since "the sacking of Claude", Montreal has 10 goals in 2 games, 7 of them on the Powerplay and 2 shothanded. The hottest Hab right now, Mike Ribeiro, was previously maligned for his lacklustre play so far this year. He posted 3 goals in the 2 victories. The bad news for the Canadiens tonight? They've lost their #1 d-man (Markov) to injury, they're post-coach-firing karma may be used up, and the Flames have won 4 in a row at the Dome.
Calgary, on the other hand, managed to salvage some dignity from their 4 game American excursion by defeating the Wild 4-1 on Saturday. In contrast to Montreal, Calgary needs to win tonight in order to stay atop the perilous peak that is the NW division lead. Both Colorado and Vancouver have recently pulled into a tie with the Flames for leadership of the division, with the slumping Oilers only 4 points back. Of particular interest to Flames fans tonight will be whether Jarome Iginla can continue his modest nominal surge against the Habs. Iggy has 4 goals in his last 6 games, including the game winner in Minnesota. It's rumored that he will play on a line with Lombardi and Rhino this evening, while the Wildly (get it?) successful combination of Hussy-Langkow-Amonte will look to contribute secondary offensive flair. In addition, Flames faithful will most likely witness the (re)return of Hamrlik tonight, which should help contain Montreal's quick and shifty forwards...
And now for a gameday threat: "WIN FLAMES. OR I WILL VOTE FOR THE GREEN PARTY."
Monday, January 16, 2006
1-3 is better than 0-4 I guess
I can't speak too intelligently about the Flames most recent win, having neither watched nor listened to any of the available broadcasts Saturday night. Therefore all I have is the faint chalk-outline of the game that is the boxscores and stats, as well as the minor hilights I could find.
That said, the much needed victory over 'Soda seemed to play out a lot like the victories of a few months past (See November). Specifically, the strategy was for Calgary to start out slowly and then gain momentum as the game went on. Unlike some of December (and the rest of their non-too-succesful 4 game road-trip), the Flames actually fell behind by a goal only to storm back with 4 unanswered tallies of their own. Of course, Calgary did manange to eventually build a 3-1 (2 goal) lead...but their penchant for blowing leads seems diminshed whenever they are on the comeback trail. Considering this curious habit, I may have to actually start cheering for opposing teams to score the first goal...
Positives and Negatives:
+'s:
- Huselius gets back on the scoresheet after going scoreless in 4 games. Another 3 points, including the game-clinching 3rd goal.
- Iginla scores the game winner by mucking it up in front of the net. Has goals in back-to-back games for the first time awhile.
- Chris Simon finally wins a fight. Against a 6 foot 7 sasquatch of a man no less.
- Damond Langkow scores the game tying goal and sets up Huselius. They seem to have some decent chemistry.
- Finally limited an opponent to less than 30 shots in a game. An improvement, although the Wild aren't known for their relentless attack.
- Calgary get's back in the win column and stays ahead of the rest of the NW division.
-'s:
- Jordan Leopold has another tough game. Leo has taken 3 penalties over this roadtrip that have lead to goals. The previous 2, prior to Saturday's contest, were game winners. Ended the night with 4 penalty minutes and an even rating.
- 0-6 on the Powerplay. The PP fizzles which is somewhat disappointing, although not that uncommon against the Wild, who are among the top teams in the league in PK.
- Too many break-aways. There are still some lingering defensive issues with this team, as evidenced by the number of times Gaborik and the Wild were allowed to break-in and/or alone in front of the net. Thank God we have Kipper.
Calgary has a few days rest before taken on the potentially re-energized Canadiens back in the Dome on Thursday. Hopefully the break gives Hamrlik time to fully recover from his knee injury and get back into the line-up.
That said, the much needed victory over 'Soda seemed to play out a lot like the victories of a few months past (See November). Specifically, the strategy was for Calgary to start out slowly and then gain momentum as the game went on. Unlike some of December (and the rest of their non-too-succesful 4 game road-trip), the Flames actually fell behind by a goal only to storm back with 4 unanswered tallies of their own. Of course, Calgary did manange to eventually build a 3-1 (2 goal) lead...but their penchant for blowing leads seems diminshed whenever they are on the comeback trail. Considering this curious habit, I may have to actually start cheering for opposing teams to score the first goal...
Positives and Negatives:
+'s:
- Huselius gets back on the scoresheet after going scoreless in 4 games. Another 3 points, including the game-clinching 3rd goal.
- Iginla scores the game winner by mucking it up in front of the net. Has goals in back-to-back games for the first time awhile.
- Chris Simon finally wins a fight. Against a 6 foot 7 sasquatch of a man no less.
- Damond Langkow scores the game tying goal and sets up Huselius. They seem to have some decent chemistry.
- Finally limited an opponent to less than 30 shots in a game. An improvement, although the Wild aren't known for their relentless attack.
- Calgary get's back in the win column and stays ahead of the rest of the NW division.
-'s:
- Jordan Leopold has another tough game. Leo has taken 3 penalties over this roadtrip that have lead to goals. The previous 2, prior to Saturday's contest, were game winners. Ended the night with 4 penalty minutes and an even rating.
- 0-6 on the Powerplay. The PP fizzles which is somewhat disappointing, although not that uncommon against the Wild, who are among the top teams in the league in PK.
- Too many break-aways. There are still some lingering defensive issues with this team, as evidenced by the number of times Gaborik and the Wild were allowed to break-in and/or alone in front of the net. Thank God we have Kipper.
Calgary has a few days rest before taken on the potentially re-energized Canadiens back in the Dome on Thursday. Hopefully the break gives Hamrlik time to fully recover from his knee injury and get back into the line-up.
Friday, January 13, 2006
The Living Impaired
Well, it's now an out-and-out slump. The Flames did their best zombie impressions last night to fall to the Islanders 3-2 and extend the losing streak to 3 straight. So now after ripping up the NHL for nearly 2 full months, it looks like Calgary has decided to take a "mental vacation" from the game. What else can account for the total, team-wide lack of focus and the sudden inability to execute fundamental plays that seems to have stricken them recently? Examples? Jordan Leopold's 2 blatant and uncharactarisitc gaffe's that lead to a couple of break-aways and the game winning powerplay goal last night. How about Amonte missing an open night on a 5on3 PP? Or 6 Flames players alone in their end with the game winding down...staring at the puck, each waiting for the other to start the play. Shudder! Even Kipper looked skyward in frustration last night.
Gotta say, the only two players who looked like they WEREN'T significantly hung over were Kiprusoff and Phaneuf last night. Huselius was decent at times as was Lombardi. The Yelle line had some okay shifts. Aside from that, the team appeared timid, tired and mediocre, at best. Simon finally decided to fight Thursday night...problem is he lost both bouts. His stock is definately falling in my eyes. And then there's Ference. As Sutter pointed out in the paper today, he's a pathetic -8 on a team that is 12 games over .500. I've mentioned Leopold's game (worst he's had in a long time, I'd say), so no need to go over it again. Iginla did score, his 2nd in 4 games...but, let's face it - it was a tip in. No blazing top corner shot from the slot, and no battling through traffic to jam it in. In fact, he spent the majority of the contest shooting it wide and playing on the perimeter. Again.
...(SIGH)...
That said, every team goes through slumps. Just ask Edmonton, Vancouver or even Ottawa. I expect Calgary to rediscover what makes them successful - high pressure forechecking and tight defense - relatively quickly and get back in the winning column. However, until that happens, Im not sure how many more of these "Night of the Living Dead" games I can stomach...
(No Positives and Negatives today. It'd alllllllllllllllllll be negatives).
Gotta say, the only two players who looked like they WEREN'T significantly hung over were Kiprusoff and Phaneuf last night. Huselius was decent at times as was Lombardi. The Yelle line had some okay shifts. Aside from that, the team appeared timid, tired and mediocre, at best. Simon finally decided to fight Thursday night...problem is he lost both bouts. His stock is definately falling in my eyes. And then there's Ference. As Sutter pointed out in the paper today, he's a pathetic -8 on a team that is 12 games over .500. I've mentioned Leopold's game (worst he's had in a long time, I'd say), so no need to go over it again. Iginla did score, his 2nd in 4 games...but, let's face it - it was a tip in. No blazing top corner shot from the slot, and no battling through traffic to jam it in. In fact, he spent the majority of the contest shooting it wide and playing on the perimeter. Again.
...(SIGH)...
That said, every team goes through slumps. Just ask Edmonton, Vancouver or even Ottawa. I expect Calgary to rediscover what makes them successful - high pressure forechecking and tight defense - relatively quickly and get back in the winning column. However, until that happens, Im not sure how many more of these "Night of the Living Dead" games I can stomach...
(No Positives and Negatives today. It'd alllllllllllllllllll be negatives).
Wednesday, January 11, 2006
Double the Displeasure. Double the Pain.
The Flames played out what is becoming an all too familiar script in last night's 4-2 loss to the Rangers. Another 2 goal lead blown. Another game of "come out strong" followed by "fade down the stretch". Eerily similar to their mini-two-game slump in December, during which Calgary lost to Edmonton and Los Angeles, the Flames current struggles cannot be blamed on injury issues this time around. With very nearly a full roster and still smarting from a somewhat emabarassing collapse against a division rival, the Flames were able to muster little more than a mediocre effort against the New Prague Rangers (almost exactly like the aforementioned losses in December). Spotted with an early advantage thanks to some fortunate bounces, the Flames apparently found themselves outmatched for the rest of the contest...which has come to be expected by Flames fans anytime the team manages to go up by two goals these days.
How bad is this bad habit? Peter Mahr reported on the radio this morning that Calgary has managed to squander 6 two goal leads in their past 11 games! Consider that they only did that once in their first 30 games (against Chicago). What is the source of this baffling numb-skullery??
Defense:
Suffering from a number of key injuries, we forgave the Flames for some of their more lax defensive outings in December. Lacking characters like Hamrlik, Yelle and Nilson, it was somewhat plausible that Calgary might start giving up more shots and goals than usual. However, even with a fuller roster Calgary seems to be giving up a lot of quality shots on a nightly basis. In addition, there have been games where Calgary's penalty killing (versus Edmonton and Vancouver recently) has been worse than average, at best. During those contests, Calgary seemed to have difficulty pressuring puck holders and reducing shots from the point. Also, I've noticed in the past couple of weeks an almost total inability to clear the puck from the Calgary zone at times (be it 5on5 or otherwise). Whether this is due to player characteristics (bad first pass, losing battles, etc.) or coaching characteristics (easily stuffed break-out pattern), the Flames need to start to clean up their defensive zone play overall.
Offense:
No killer instinct. With struggles afflicting the likes of Chuck Kobasew, Chris Simon, Tony Amonte and, of course, Jarome Iginla, the Flames don't seem to have the ability to bear down and put opponents out of their misery. For example, Iginla blew a glorious chance in last nights contest to put the Flames up 3-0 and the game further out of reach. Short moments later, the Rangers scored to make it 2-1 and change the complexion of the game. Like the LA and Nashville losses in December, Calgary let control of the match slowly slip between their fingers with nary more than a whimper. In fact, the Flames got both of their goals from defensemen last night, meaning the forwards were all but MIA. Calgary managed a grand total of 21 shots on goal, 7 of which came from Phaneuf and Hamrlik alone. Warrener and Regehr also had one each...meaning that the Flames collective forward unit put a mere 12 shots on Lundqvist over 60 minutes. Hardly an inspired effort, for sure.
At this point in the season, and certainly in these kinds of contests, a lot of the blame should be shouldered by Jarome Iginla. His current point total for the season, 33, is frankly ridiculous for someone of his ability (and pay scale). His play frequently is inconsistent from game to game (and sometimes from shift to shift). It ranges from passionate and inspired (and dangerous) to ineffectual and invisible. Iginla, at his best, makes a habit out of turning nothing into something - by scoring suddenly and inexplicably thanks to his strength along the boards or his quick release. This year, however, Iginla has had problems burying even the most glorious of opportunities. He misses on break aways and shoots wide on 2on1's. Some games he doesn't get any scoring chances at all. A superstar forward granted primo powerplay time every single game should almost NEVER get no scoring chances.
As a result, Calgary's 7 million dollar man has put up 2nd/3rd line winger numbers and is close to 70th in NHL scoring. He's had zero hat tricks and only a small sample of multiple point games (the last of which came against the Devils in early December I think...). He struggles to score points in consecutive games. A couple of seasons ago, Jarome had a relatively bad game if he only scored 1 goal in it. Nowadays Jarome scores 1 goal every five games. His slump is even more glaring in light of the "new" NHL, where more than 15 players are on track for 100+ point seasons for the first time in a decade and where 20 year old rookies accumulate 20 goals in under 40 games. Heck, Calgary's 20 year old defenseman (Dion) has only 6 less than Iginla (but has more PP goals). The result for the Flames (up till now) is an offensive attack being led by what was formerly one of the most danergous players in the game - but what is currently one of it's most frustrated and inconsistent. The product is a below average offensive unit and easily bequeathed advantages...
So when will Iginla, the real Iginla, turn up? Hard to say. One has to hope that he appears, at the very latest, in early April.
Positives and Negatives now-
Positives:
- Hmm...Phanuef scores again?
- The return of Roman Hamrlik to the line-up. Assisted on Dion's goal.
- Not too much else.
Negatives:
- Another win converted to a loss thanks to the Flames inability to capitalize on (another) 2 goal lead.
- Lack of effort. Calgary gets outplayed for most of the contest at both ends of the rink.
- Tony Amonte. Poor effort lead to 3rd Ranger goal. -3 on the night.
- More inopportune penalties. Specifically Huselius near the end of the third for high-sticking.
- Jarome Iginla. Missed a great chance to put the game away and was -2 on the night.
- Forward unit. No forechecking, a little backchecking, no goals. Terrible night.
- Sykora's fluke goal from behind the night. Boo.
- Edmonton and Vancouver and Colorado and Minnesota are all winning right now. Calgary's grasp on first in the division becomes more tenuous.
Calgary visits the drooping Islanders tomorrow night. Losers of 8 of their last 9 games, the Islanders are reeling and SHOULD be quite the opportunity for Calgary to pick up some points as well as some confidence. Whether that will happen or not remains to be seen.
How bad is this bad habit? Peter Mahr reported on the radio this morning that Calgary has managed to squander 6 two goal leads in their past 11 games! Consider that they only did that once in their first 30 games (against Chicago). What is the source of this baffling numb-skullery??
Defense:
Suffering from a number of key injuries, we forgave the Flames for some of their more lax defensive outings in December. Lacking characters like Hamrlik, Yelle and Nilson, it was somewhat plausible that Calgary might start giving up more shots and goals than usual. However, even with a fuller roster Calgary seems to be giving up a lot of quality shots on a nightly basis. In addition, there have been games where Calgary's penalty killing (versus Edmonton and Vancouver recently) has been worse than average, at best. During those contests, Calgary seemed to have difficulty pressuring puck holders and reducing shots from the point. Also, I've noticed in the past couple of weeks an almost total inability to clear the puck from the Calgary zone at times (be it 5on5 or otherwise). Whether this is due to player characteristics (bad first pass, losing battles, etc.) or coaching characteristics (easily stuffed break-out pattern), the Flames need to start to clean up their defensive zone play overall.
Offense:
No killer instinct. With struggles afflicting the likes of Chuck Kobasew, Chris Simon, Tony Amonte and, of course, Jarome Iginla, the Flames don't seem to have the ability to bear down and put opponents out of their misery. For example, Iginla blew a glorious chance in last nights contest to put the Flames up 3-0 and the game further out of reach. Short moments later, the Rangers scored to make it 2-1 and change the complexion of the game. Like the LA and Nashville losses in December, Calgary let control of the match slowly slip between their fingers with nary more than a whimper. In fact, the Flames got both of their goals from defensemen last night, meaning the forwards were all but MIA. Calgary managed a grand total of 21 shots on goal, 7 of which came from Phaneuf and Hamrlik alone. Warrener and Regehr also had one each...meaning that the Flames collective forward unit put a mere 12 shots on Lundqvist over 60 minutes. Hardly an inspired effort, for sure.
At this point in the season, and certainly in these kinds of contests, a lot of the blame should be shouldered by Jarome Iginla. His current point total for the season, 33, is frankly ridiculous for someone of his ability (and pay scale). His play frequently is inconsistent from game to game (and sometimes from shift to shift). It ranges from passionate and inspired (and dangerous) to ineffectual and invisible. Iginla, at his best, makes a habit out of turning nothing into something - by scoring suddenly and inexplicably thanks to his strength along the boards or his quick release. This year, however, Iginla has had problems burying even the most glorious of opportunities. He misses on break aways and shoots wide on 2on1's. Some games he doesn't get any scoring chances at all. A superstar forward granted primo powerplay time every single game should almost NEVER get no scoring chances.
As a result, Calgary's 7 million dollar man has put up 2nd/3rd line winger numbers and is close to 70th in NHL scoring. He's had zero hat tricks and only a small sample of multiple point games (the last of which came against the Devils in early December I think...). He struggles to score points in consecutive games. A couple of seasons ago, Jarome had a relatively bad game if he only scored 1 goal in it. Nowadays Jarome scores 1 goal every five games. His slump is even more glaring in light of the "new" NHL, where more than 15 players are on track for 100+ point seasons for the first time in a decade and where 20 year old rookies accumulate 20 goals in under 40 games. Heck, Calgary's 20 year old defenseman (Dion) has only 6 less than Iginla (but has more PP goals). The result for the Flames (up till now) is an offensive attack being led by what was formerly one of the most danergous players in the game - but what is currently one of it's most frustrated and inconsistent. The product is a below average offensive unit and easily bequeathed advantages...
So when will Iginla, the real Iginla, turn up? Hard to say. One has to hope that he appears, at the very latest, in early April.
Positives and Negatives now-
Positives:
- Hmm...Phanuef scores again?
- The return of Roman Hamrlik to the line-up. Assisted on Dion's goal.
- Not too much else.
Negatives:
- Another win converted to a loss thanks to the Flames inability to capitalize on (another) 2 goal lead.
- Lack of effort. Calgary gets outplayed for most of the contest at both ends of the rink.
- Tony Amonte. Poor effort lead to 3rd Ranger goal. -3 on the night.
- More inopportune penalties. Specifically Huselius near the end of the third for high-sticking.
- Jarome Iginla. Missed a great chance to put the game away and was -2 on the night.
- Forward unit. No forechecking, a little backchecking, no goals. Terrible night.
- Sykora's fluke goal from behind the night. Boo.
- Edmonton and Vancouver and Colorado and Minnesota are all winning right now. Calgary's grasp on first in the division becomes more tenuous.
Calgary visits the drooping Islanders tomorrow night. Losers of 8 of their last 9 games, the Islanders are reeling and SHOULD be quite the opportunity for Calgary to pick up some points as well as some confidence. Whether that will happen or not remains to be seen.
Monday, January 09, 2006
Egad!
Yes, the Flames blew another 2 goal lead Saturday night when they fell to the Canucks 4-3 in overtime. While it was simply a matter of time before a team of Vancouver's strength finally edged out one of the Alberta squads, Calgary fans and faithful can rest easy in the knowledge that it took 24 minutes in penalties, 4 PP goals and an overtime to do it. In fact, 3 of the Canucks 4 PP goals occured with only 3 Flame defenders on the ice...Sami Salo scored a 4on3 goal in the second period and a 6on3 goal with 30 seconds remaining in the 3rd period. Vancouver then scored the winning goal on another 4on3 advantage in overtime.
Of course, given that the Flames were winning 3-1 with less than 10 minutes to play and ended up yielding the contest in overtime (thanks, in part, to a highly dubious penalty call on Huselius), it was a none to pleasant sight to behold. The excessive penalty minutes and extremely inopportune calls (end of the third/overtime) handed to the Flames were an issue, but one has to give credit to the Vancouver Canucks - They played a tough, high-tempo game and managed to take advantage of the opportunties that were given them. While inconsistent officiating was definately a factor in this contest, the Flames penchanct for sitting resolute in a passive defensive shell once they obtained a 2 goal advantage was equally to blame for the loss. The Canucks failed to fold after Iginla's tally and pressed the issue for the rest of the period. The Flames responded by trapping and taking penalties. Which leads me to wonder if there is some sort of systemic root cause of Calgary's total inability to hold onto 2 goal leads. Consider that Calgary has lost to Chicago, Edmonton, Los Angeles, Nashville and now Vancouver. In every game, the Flames held a 2 goal lead at some point. In fact, Calgary also enjoyed a 2 goal advantage over the Oilers in their most recent contest; a game in which the Flames only to managed to claim victory thanks to a last minute bank-shot. That's 6 games (5 in the last month) where a team built on strong goaltending and "team defense" has squandered multiple goal leads...
Considering the Flames success over the course of the first half the season, it's hard to complain too loudly. However, the above trend is a rather disturbing one - and whether it's cause is coaching or psychology - Im hoping it's banished and burned as quickly as possible.
Some Positives and Negatives -
Positives:
- Miikka Kiprusoff. Was outstanding despite the 4 goals against. Making a bid for both the Vezina and Hart trophies at this point.
- Dion Phaneuf. Collects his 10th(!) goal of the year, only half way through his rookie season.
- Jarome Iginla. Starting to look more and more like the Jarome of old. Scored what should have been the deciding goal.
- Stephane Yelle. Did everything he could to prevent the Canucks from scoring. A true team player and warrior. Also scored the opening goal.
- Still gain a point and remain in first place in the division.
Negatives:
- Too many penalties. While the Flames were victims of a couple phantom calls, they still managed to take too many legit. penalties. Need to learn to ignore that scum-bag Ruutu.
- Penalty-Killing. While it's hard to fault the PK unit(s) since they were short-handed so much (and so often), the numbers don't lie - 60% effeciency on the night.
- Fall after leading by 2. Again. See above.
- Officiating. I just have to complain about the Huselius call again. GRRRRR.
- Jarko Ruutu. He truly is a smarmie, gutless punk.
Anyways, with that out of my system, I look forward to seeing how Calgary manages against Team Czech Repu...I mean the New York Rangers tomorrow night.
Of course, given that the Flames were winning 3-1 with less than 10 minutes to play and ended up yielding the contest in overtime (thanks, in part, to a highly dubious penalty call on Huselius), it was a none to pleasant sight to behold. The excessive penalty minutes and extremely inopportune calls (end of the third/overtime) handed to the Flames were an issue, but one has to give credit to the Vancouver Canucks - They played a tough, high-tempo game and managed to take advantage of the opportunties that were given them. While inconsistent officiating was definately a factor in this contest, the Flames penchanct for sitting resolute in a passive defensive shell once they obtained a 2 goal advantage was equally to blame for the loss. The Canucks failed to fold after Iginla's tally and pressed the issue for the rest of the period. The Flames responded by trapping and taking penalties. Which leads me to wonder if there is some sort of systemic root cause of Calgary's total inability to hold onto 2 goal leads. Consider that Calgary has lost to Chicago, Edmonton, Los Angeles, Nashville and now Vancouver. In every game, the Flames held a 2 goal lead at some point. In fact, Calgary also enjoyed a 2 goal advantage over the Oilers in their most recent contest; a game in which the Flames only to managed to claim victory thanks to a last minute bank-shot. That's 6 games (5 in the last month) where a team built on strong goaltending and "team defense" has squandered multiple goal leads...
Considering the Flames success over the course of the first half the season, it's hard to complain too loudly. However, the above trend is a rather disturbing one - and whether it's cause is coaching or psychology - Im hoping it's banished and burned as quickly as possible.
Some Positives and Negatives -
Positives:
- Miikka Kiprusoff. Was outstanding despite the 4 goals against. Making a bid for both the Vezina and Hart trophies at this point.
- Dion Phaneuf. Collects his 10th(!) goal of the year, only half way through his rookie season.
- Jarome Iginla. Starting to look more and more like the Jarome of old. Scored what should have been the deciding goal.
- Stephane Yelle. Did everything he could to prevent the Canucks from scoring. A true team player and warrior. Also scored the opening goal.
- Still gain a point and remain in first place in the division.
Negatives:
- Too many penalties. While the Flames were victims of a couple phantom calls, they still managed to take too many legit. penalties. Need to learn to ignore that scum-bag Ruutu.
- Penalty-Killing. While it's hard to fault the PK unit(s) since they were short-handed so much (and so often), the numbers don't lie - 60% effeciency on the night.
- Fall after leading by 2. Again. See above.
- Officiating. I just have to complain about the Huselius call again. GRRRRR.
- Jarko Ruutu. He truly is a smarmie, gutless punk.
Anyways, with that out of my system, I look forward to seeing how Calgary manages against Team Czech Repu...I mean the New York Rangers tomorrow night.
Wednesday, January 04, 2006
Nada. Zero. Zip. Zilch.
No, the title isn't just echoing an annoying Roger's Video radio ad. here in Calgary. It actually points to the (improbable) number of shut-outs that occured in the NHL last night. That's right...out of the 6 contests played on Tuesday, 4 ended in a zero on one side of the board. Speaking of echoing, one might have expected a night of zeros perhaps 2+ years ago in the NHL, but given the current offensive landscape it makes last night's results all the more odd.
Even stranger are the architechts behind the various shut-outs. Edmonton's Ty Conklin and Colorado's David Aebischer are both tenders who have been cast the jaundiced eye by their respective fans thanks to their poor/inconsistent play. Similarly, Tampa Bay's John Grahame was also perfect last night, while the struggling Marty Brodeur (finally) authored a 1.00 save percentage in a game...
I must say, Im certainly glad I dont wager on the outcomes of NHL games this year. The totally unpredictable outcomes would make that a fools game this year.
On a Calgary Flames front, I heard on the local radio earlier today that as many as 4 Flames maybe back from sick bay for the game against Toronto on Friday. Apparently Nilson, Yelle, Amonte and Warrener are all close to returning to action. Only Hamrlik is still one to two weeks away from being totally healed (Byron Ritchie's status is still "unknown"). Of course, this is very good news for a Calgary club that has struggled to keep the shots and goals against down recently. The addition of even one or two of these players will probably help out significantly...to say nothing of Hamrlik's inevitable return near the end of the month.
Even stranger are the architechts behind the various shut-outs. Edmonton's Ty Conklin and Colorado's David Aebischer are both tenders who have been cast the jaundiced eye by their respective fans thanks to their poor/inconsistent play. Similarly, Tampa Bay's John Grahame was also perfect last night, while the struggling Marty Brodeur (finally) authored a 1.00 save percentage in a game...
I must say, Im certainly glad I dont wager on the outcomes of NHL games this year. The totally unpredictable outcomes would make that a fools game this year.
On a Calgary Flames front, I heard on the local radio earlier today that as many as 4 Flames maybe back from sick bay for the game against Toronto on Friday. Apparently Nilson, Yelle, Amonte and Warrener are all close to returning to action. Only Hamrlik is still one to two weeks away from being totally healed (Byron Ritchie's status is still "unknown"). Of course, this is very good news for a Calgary club that has struggled to keep the shots and goals against down recently. The addition of even one or two of these players will probably help out significantly...to say nothing of Hamrlik's inevitable return near the end of the month.
Tuesday, January 03, 2006
Of Flames and Other Things
Want to briefly touch on the Calgary victory over the Hawks yesterday as well as some of the surprising upsets that occured around the NHL on Monday...
Calgary managed to fight off a determined Chicago team to win their 3rd in a row and go 4 points up on Edmonton for the division lead. I was only able to watch the latter half of the contest during my lunch break, so any events occuring in the first half of the game aren't familiar to me. From what I saw, though, Kipper held the fort, Iginla played more like himself, and a tired and depleted Calgary squad managed to win by the skin of their teeth. Not that I mind terribly. I didn't really expect Calgary to win, given their tough recent schedule and bevvy of injuries. However, some great goaltending and a slumping opponent conspired to give the Flames the 2 points...
As for the Senators and Canucks...what the...? Granted both teams have some injury issues (Bochenski, Havlat, Alffie, Hasek vs. Cloutier, Salo, Jovo) but I dont think anyone could have predicted yesterday's outcomes. The Senators have a very capable back-up and one of the best bluelines in the league. I NEVER would have guessed that Ottawa would absorb an 8-3 drubbing, even at the hands of the relatively high powered Thrashers. In some strange and petty way, it's somehow nice to know that even the mighty Senators can be blown-out now and again. Not that I anticipate the "again" happening any time soon.
And then there are the sinking Canucks - I was pretty stunned to see them bow to the Blues by 3 goals. It's sounds like things are getting pretty ugly in Vancity...and bound to get uglier if Salo's injury lasts any longer than a game or two. Given their lack of a #1 goalie and thin back-end, expect the Cancuks to make a deal to right the ship soon. Anything less than a decent #1 tender and a gritty, stay-at-home defenseman would be a surprise (to me at least). Of course, as already mentioned in this blog (and elsewhere), the demand for goalies is currently very high round these parts (Colorado, Edmonton,Vancouver), which will probably result in an appropriately high asking price should the Canucks look to deal. Expect Morrison and a draft pick to be part of the package (at least)...
And now for the Calgary games PandN:
Positives:
- Darren McCarty. Great play to set-up the game-winning goal. Speaking of which...
- Lombardi. Scores a timely (and nifty) goal for the second time in as many games.
- Kristian Huselius. 2 points, including another tricky goal from behind the oppositions goal-line. 16 points in 14 games since coming to Calgary.
- Jarome Iginla. Looked much more like himself. Needs to continue to play like he did against the Hawks.
- Shean Donovan. Another assist to stretch his modest streak to 3 games.
- Miikka Kiprusoff. Steals another win. Currently leads the league with 21 wins and 5 shut-outs.
Negatives:
- Lose both Nilson and Ritchie to injury. Calgary's injuries just keep piling up.
- The cheap-shot submarine by Spacek on Ritchie. he richly deserves the 2 game suspension for that bonehead play.
- Outshot and outplayed. A tired Calgary club frequently looked to be on their heals against the Hawks. Thankfully, Chicago never seems to win when they outshoot their opponent.
- 0-4 on the PP. After rolling along nicely the last few weeks, the Flames powerplay hit a snag yesterday. A chance to put the game away in the 3rd on a 5on3 was squandered.
Next up - Toronto!
Calgary managed to fight off a determined Chicago team to win their 3rd in a row and go 4 points up on Edmonton for the division lead. I was only able to watch the latter half of the contest during my lunch break, so any events occuring in the first half of the game aren't familiar to me. From what I saw, though, Kipper held the fort, Iginla played more like himself, and a tired and depleted Calgary squad managed to win by the skin of their teeth. Not that I mind terribly. I didn't really expect Calgary to win, given their tough recent schedule and bevvy of injuries. However, some great goaltending and a slumping opponent conspired to give the Flames the 2 points...
As for the Senators and Canucks...what the...? Granted both teams have some injury issues (Bochenski, Havlat, Alffie, Hasek vs. Cloutier, Salo, Jovo) but I dont think anyone could have predicted yesterday's outcomes. The Senators have a very capable back-up and one of the best bluelines in the league. I NEVER would have guessed that Ottawa would absorb an 8-3 drubbing, even at the hands of the relatively high powered Thrashers. In some strange and petty way, it's somehow nice to know that even the mighty Senators can be blown-out now and again. Not that I anticipate the "again" happening any time soon.
And then there are the sinking Canucks - I was pretty stunned to see them bow to the Blues by 3 goals. It's sounds like things are getting pretty ugly in Vancity...and bound to get uglier if Salo's injury lasts any longer than a game or two. Given their lack of a #1 goalie and thin back-end, expect the Cancuks to make a deal to right the ship soon. Anything less than a decent #1 tender and a gritty, stay-at-home defenseman would be a surprise (to me at least). Of course, as already mentioned in this blog (and elsewhere), the demand for goalies is currently very high round these parts (Colorado, Edmonton,Vancouver), which will probably result in an appropriately high asking price should the Canucks look to deal. Expect Morrison and a draft pick to be part of the package (at least)...
And now for the Calgary games PandN:
Positives:
- Darren McCarty. Great play to set-up the game-winning goal. Speaking of which...
- Lombardi. Scores a timely (and nifty) goal for the second time in as many games.
- Kristian Huselius. 2 points, including another tricky goal from behind the oppositions goal-line. 16 points in 14 games since coming to Calgary.
- Jarome Iginla. Looked much more like himself. Needs to continue to play like he did against the Hawks.
- Shean Donovan. Another assist to stretch his modest streak to 3 games.
- Miikka Kiprusoff. Steals another win. Currently leads the league with 21 wins and 5 shut-outs.
Negatives:
- Lose both Nilson and Ritchie to injury. Calgary's injuries just keep piling up.
- The cheap-shot submarine by Spacek on Ritchie. he richly deserves the 2 game suspension for that bonehead play.
- Outshot and outplayed. A tired Calgary club frequently looked to be on their heals against the Hawks. Thankfully, Chicago never seems to win when they outshoot their opponent.
- 0-4 on the PP. After rolling along nicely the last few weeks, the Flames powerplay hit a snag yesterday. A chance to put the game away in the 3rd on a 5on3 was squandered.
Next up - Toronto!
Monday, January 02, 2006
First By Two
Another incredible NW Division game marked the end of the 2005 year for Calgary and Edmonton. This contest, like the last few Calgary/Edmonton, Edmoton/Vancouver and Calgary/Vancouver games, had a little bit of everything: end-to-end action, ceaseless lead changes, big hits and special team(s) scoring. Even the announcers for the last 2 Flames games aired on CBC have sounded both delighted and stunned by the near play-off intensity and entertainment value the games have offered.
From a Flames fan perspective, the most recent victory over the Oil had both very positive and negative aspects to it. Offense? Yay! Defense? Boo! Powerplay? Yay! Penalty Killing? Boo! Winning high scoring contests? Double Yay! Having to score 6 to win a game? BOOOOOOOOOOO.
Yes, December seemed to signal a bit of a reversal in Flames identity. Over the course of the month, the Flames averaged a little more than 3.15 goals per game. In addition, their Goals Against ballooned slightly to 2.46 per game. In the end, it's hard to argue the results: despite losing the likes of Hamrlik, Yelle and more recently Warrener and Amonte to injury, the Flames managed to go 9-3-1 during December to claim 1st in the NW going into the new year. What is perhaps even more encouraging for Flames fan's is the fact that neither Jarome Iginla nor Miikka Kiprusoff were particularly dominant over the last 13 games. There were brief flashes of brilliance for both (wins over NJ and Boston come to mind here), but neither can be credited with solely carrying the team for any length of time. In fact, Calgary has won their last couple of games despite the lackluster play of their captain.
More good news gleaned from December for Flames fans includes: the acquisition of Krisitan Huselius, the emergence of Damond Langkow and the re-awakening of Shean Donovan. Since being acquired from Florida, Huselius has 14 points in 12 games and is a +6 I believe. While his penchant for getting high-sticking penalities is annoying, Im sure no follower of the Flames can say they are disappointed with Sutter's latest trade. On a somewhat connected note, Langkow put together a very decent month in terms of offensive production. Due, perhaps, to some burgeoning chemistry with the aforementioned Swede, Langkow now sits with 27 points (4 behind Iginla for the team lead), including 13 goals and 14 assists. Significantly, Langkow has 7 PP goals and 4 Game Winners. His goal in overtime against Ottawa will be one of his more memorable tallies of the year - probably more due to it's significance than it's esthetic qualities.
And finally there's Shean Donovan. After going scoreless for a near eternity (35 games?), Dono has stepped it up big time the last week or so. He has 5 points in his last 2 games (3 goals, 2 assists), and has been a dynamic and almost dominating force on the ice. In the absence of an "Iginla-like" Iginla, Donovan has been a much-needed offensive spark recently. One can only hope he continues the streak as long as possible - or at least until Iginla awakens from his own particular slumber.
And now for the BofA Positives and Negatives -
Positives:
- Score in the last 2 minutes to seal the victory and claim sole posession of first in the division.
- Shean Donovan. Wow.
- Chris Simon. Seems to have developed chemistry with Dono and is making the most of it.
- Balanced Attack. The Flames score a variety of goals (PP, SH and even-strength) from a variety of sources (Langkow, Huselius, Donovan, Lombardi).
- Jordan Leopold. Still not scoring, but plays big minutes and ends the night +3. Now co-leads the team in +/- with a +11.
- Damond Langkow. Putting points up despite Iginla's slump. Another 2 PP goals.
Negatives:
- Still highly allergic to 2 goal leads. Allowed 3 unaswered after going up 2-0 (again).
- Undisciplined. 8 PP chances given up over the course of the evening. Spotted the Oilers 2 seperate 5 on 3 advantages.
- Penalty Killing. Rather abysmal. Only 50% on the evening.
- Team Defense, overall. Lacking 2 big defenseman (Warrener, Hamrlik) and their top defensive centerman (Yelle) is clearly hurting the Flames defensive-zone capabilities.
- Miikka Kiprusoff. Solid but hardly spectacular. Ales Hemsky's tying goal in the 3rd period should have been a routine save.
The Flames start the new year off tonight against the struggling Chicago Blackhawks. I earnestly hope Calgary can continue to overcome their various injuries and avoid duplicating the result from the last meeting with the 'Hawks (5-2 loss).
From a Flames fan perspective, the most recent victory over the Oil had both very positive and negative aspects to it. Offense? Yay! Defense? Boo! Powerplay? Yay! Penalty Killing? Boo! Winning high scoring contests? Double Yay! Having to score 6 to win a game? BOOOOOOOOOOO.
Yes, December seemed to signal a bit of a reversal in Flames identity. Over the course of the month, the Flames averaged a little more than 3.15 goals per game. In addition, their Goals Against ballooned slightly to 2.46 per game. In the end, it's hard to argue the results: despite losing the likes of Hamrlik, Yelle and more recently Warrener and Amonte to injury, the Flames managed to go 9-3-1 during December to claim 1st in the NW going into the new year. What is perhaps even more encouraging for Flames fan's is the fact that neither Jarome Iginla nor Miikka Kiprusoff were particularly dominant over the last 13 games. There were brief flashes of brilliance for both (wins over NJ and Boston come to mind here), but neither can be credited with solely carrying the team for any length of time. In fact, Calgary has won their last couple of games despite the lackluster play of their captain.
More good news gleaned from December for Flames fans includes: the acquisition of Krisitan Huselius, the emergence of Damond Langkow and the re-awakening of Shean Donovan. Since being acquired from Florida, Huselius has 14 points in 12 games and is a +6 I believe. While his penchant for getting high-sticking penalities is annoying, Im sure no follower of the Flames can say they are disappointed with Sutter's latest trade. On a somewhat connected note, Langkow put together a very decent month in terms of offensive production. Due, perhaps, to some burgeoning chemistry with the aforementioned Swede, Langkow now sits with 27 points (4 behind Iginla for the team lead), including 13 goals and 14 assists. Significantly, Langkow has 7 PP goals and 4 Game Winners. His goal in overtime against Ottawa will be one of his more memorable tallies of the year - probably more due to it's significance than it's esthetic qualities.
And finally there's Shean Donovan. After going scoreless for a near eternity (35 games?), Dono has stepped it up big time the last week or so. He has 5 points in his last 2 games (3 goals, 2 assists), and has been a dynamic and almost dominating force on the ice. In the absence of an "Iginla-like" Iginla, Donovan has been a much-needed offensive spark recently. One can only hope he continues the streak as long as possible - or at least until Iginla awakens from his own particular slumber.
And now for the BofA Positives and Negatives -
Positives:
- Score in the last 2 minutes to seal the victory and claim sole posession of first in the division.
- Shean Donovan. Wow.
- Chris Simon. Seems to have developed chemistry with Dono and is making the most of it.
- Balanced Attack. The Flames score a variety of goals (PP, SH and even-strength) from a variety of sources (Langkow, Huselius, Donovan, Lombardi).
- Jordan Leopold. Still not scoring, but plays big minutes and ends the night +3. Now co-leads the team in +/- with a +11.
- Damond Langkow. Putting points up despite Iginla's slump. Another 2 PP goals.
Negatives:
- Still highly allergic to 2 goal leads. Allowed 3 unaswered after going up 2-0 (again).
- Undisciplined. 8 PP chances given up over the course of the evening. Spotted the Oilers 2 seperate 5 on 3 advantages.
- Penalty Killing. Rather abysmal. Only 50% on the evening.
- Team Defense, overall. Lacking 2 big defenseman (Warrener, Hamrlik) and their top defensive centerman (Yelle) is clearly hurting the Flames defensive-zone capabilities.
- Miikka Kiprusoff. Solid but hardly spectacular. Ales Hemsky's tying goal in the 3rd period should have been a routine save.
The Flames start the new year off tonight against the struggling Chicago Blackhawks. I earnestly hope Calgary can continue to overcome their various injuries and avoid duplicating the result from the last meeting with the 'Hawks (5-2 loss).
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