Last night the Calgary Flames went head-to-head against one of the premier teams in the Western Conference and battled them to a stalemate through 3 periods and an overtime session only to fall in the shootout as neither Mike Cammalleri, nor Jarome Iginla was able to score during the showdown while Michal Handzus and Brent Burns were able to score for the Sharks.
Just as an aside to that point, how much do the Flames miss Alex Tanguay in the shootout?
The end result is a hard-earned single point in a tough road game and many are praising the Flames for their effort, yet at the same time frustrated by the fact that the team can't put this sort of quality play onto the the ice on a more consistent basis, but is that the reality?
Sure the Flames were nearly able to hold off a very good Sharks team in their own building where the Flames have traditionally struggled, and we all know about their massive road issues up to this point this season, but is there a chance that perhaps the team is getting too much credit for what essentially amounts to just another loss?
Of course all Flames fans would like to look to this game as a stepping stone, a positive move in the right direction that gives the team the confidence boost they need to hopefully be able to make a playoff push, but is that the reality, or just a positive spin used to maintain interest in what looks more and more like another substandard season as the games dwindle away.
Yes, the Flames had a chance to win which is positive, but make no mistake: The Flames got the bounces they needed early via a couple of Sharks posts and Miikka Kiprusoff was the only reason this game wasn't a lopsided Sharks victory.
Sure, Jarome Iginla displayed as much intensity as he has in a long time and was hitting everything he could in an effort to rally the troops and try to ramp up the team's intensity, but although the shot totals were a comparable 31-28 for San Jose, the honest truth is that the Sharks created the bulk of the true legitimate scoring chances and the Flames were simply hanging on for the most part.
It's not that the Flames should have to apologize for having the type of goalie that has the ability to steal a game for them, and there's no doubt that the effort was certainly higher last night than in almost any game the team has played this season, but the unfortunate truth is that if the Flames could have found a way to inject that compete level into their game 3 months ago, they likely wouldn't be sitting where they are: looking up at the playoff spots.
Bottom line is: It's too late for moral victories.
Have a great day!
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