After being run out of the rink by the San Jose Sharks last week, the Flames apparently decided to adopt the Detroitian strategy of "control puck, limit chances against, shoot from everywhere". To say that it worked is an understatement.
The Flames ran the Avs out of the rink.
It was a very different look to Calgary last night. Not only did Keenan institute the trap for a majority of the contest, but the lines and match-ups were juggled.
Bert-Langkow-Iginla
Bourque-Boyd-Cammalleri
Glencross-Conroy-Moss
pluggers
Aucoin-Regehr
Phaneuf-Giordano
Sarich-Pardy
The Iginla trio spent most of the night against the Avs first line (Stastny, Hejduk, Smyth), with the remainder of the time going to Conroy et al. Boyd's line saw cherry minutes and ate them up.
Most surprising to me was the promotion of Aucoin at the expense of Sarich. Regehr/Auocin ended up with the tough match-ups while Sarich and Pardy played against guys like Tucker and McCormick (ie; nobodies).
What's even more surprising to me is it worked! After beating up on Shinpad all year, the guy probably had his best game as a Flame (at least in recent memory) beside Regehr facing the big boys. I dont know if this was a "Sarich is struggling so let's move him down" issue or "Pardy is struggling, so lets give him a better partner" issue, but it's hard to argue with the results, however counter intuitive they might be.
Other stuff:
- Langkow should probably be Iginla's center going forward.
- Glencross is really starting to look like a massive steal to me. The guy was everywhere last night and was the Flames corsi leader (in terms of forwards) in just 11 minutes of ES ice. He got scored on, but was in no way at fault for the GA.
- 36 of the Flames 51(!) shots were at ES. They had another 17 shots blocked at 5on5. Budaj must have felt like he was target in a shooting gallery.
- I gave short shrift to the "flu/travel weary" excuse that was peddled by the team last week, but...maybe there was something to that.
- The only mediocre part of the evening for the Flames was their PP. 1-8, with the only goal coming at the end of the night when Colorado had already packed it in.
- David Moss and Rene Bourque are massive along the boards, especially in the offensive end. They may not have the best hands (ironic, I know, because they both scored last night), but they are invaluable when it comes to keeping the puck and moving it to good areas in the offensive zone.
- A play that few people probably noticed, but one that indicates his growth as a player, was Boyd's interception of the Av's clearing pass that led to the Flames first goal. Not only did he have the presence of mind to anticipate the play, he managed to move the puck out to a breaking Cammalleri, resulting in the 2on1 and subsequent goal.
- Craig Conroy looks like a better player when he's not expected to pass to Iginla or play the majority of the evening against the big guns.
- I was reminded last night just how much hockey is "a game of bounces":
After going up by one in the first period, the Avs managed to pen the Flames in their own end (one of the few times). Jordan Leopold got the puck at the point and rifled a shot that beat Kiprusoff cleanly. The puck raced towards the apparently empty net...and then glanced off a random Av forward that was drifting through the area. The puck bounced away, the threat was defused and the Avs weren't in the game after that.
In an alternate reality where that goal happens, the game turns into a vastly different one. At the very least, the Avs probably play the Flames into overtime or a shoot-out and probably steal a point or two. And, likely, everyone's perception of the Flames 51 shot effort are changed (for the worse).
