Going into the game last night, there were a few numbers that really stood out. Although many of them were discussed in the preview for the game, the result of said game was such that those numbers needed to be revisited as well as some new ones be added to the list.
1-9. That was Miikka Kiprusoff's record when facing Antii Niemi.
1. That was the number of hat-tricks posted by Olli Jokinen as a Calgary Flame.
299. That was the number of career wins Miikka Kiprusoff had entering the contest last night.
0. The number of wins Calgary had earned against the Sharks in their last 5 meetings.
26. The number of NHL netminders who have earned 300 or more victories.
Well, after last night, all of those numbers can be thrown out the window as the Flames were able to top the Sharks 4-3 in a great game in San Jose that featured a great start by the Flames, a comeback by the Sharks, some jostling for position and then ultimately a final goal by the night's hero, Olli Jokinen that lifted the Flames to victory. Of course special mention must be given to Miikka Kiprusoff for allowing that goal to stand for over 16 minutes to be the game winner.
The win makes Miikka Kiprusoff the league's 27th goalie to reach the 300 victories mark. His 3 goals now gives Olli Jokinen 2 hat-tricks as a Flame and he's chosen a great time to get hot as the Flames top line of Jokinen, Iginla and Tanguay looks to be heating up just as the Flames are making a push. Obviously the win ends the Flames losing streak against the Sharks, and since none of the other teams fighting for the final spot were in action last night, the Flames wake up this morning in 10th spot in the West just a single point in arrears of the Wild although the Wild do have a game in hand.
Other notable items are that with his 4 point night Olli Jokinen extended his scoring streak to 4 games and his totals to 4-3-7 over that span. Over the Same number of games, Alex Tanguay has also earned a point in each contest now sitting with 1 goal and 5 assists over those 4 games. For his part, Jarome Iginla has fashioned a 3 game goal and point streak with 3 goals and 2 assists in his last three starts. If the Flames top line can keep performing at a high level, their playing chances will increase exponentially as they ride the wave.
Speaking of playoff chances, although the Flames have a limited number of games left, 15 of them are against the four teams they're hypothetically fighting for the last post-season spot. If the Flames can earn points in the majority of those games, it will go a long way to helping them capture a post-season berth.
Last night Marc Crawford made a good point in the Flames telecast. He said when looking at the 5 teams battling for that final spot, it was clear to him that the Flames had the best goaltending with Miikka Kiprusoff between the pipes. He then stated that he believes the Flames have a good chance to make the post-season based on that fact. Now, obviously some of that was just fodder for the home crowd of the broadcast, but when you actually break it down, is their a puck-stopper on any of the Wild, the Yotes, the Avs, or the Stars that you'd rather have back-stopping your team than Miikka, especially the way he's playing right now? If you would, you may need to have your head checked.
The Flames will enter what's obviously another must-win game tonight as they'll face the Coyotes in Pheonix. With a win, the Flames could leap-frog the Yotes and depending on how the Wild fair against the Canucks, possibly even move into 8th spot by the end of the night.
Have a great day!
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