After being outshot 17-7 in the first period, but thanks once again to the heroics of Miikka Kiprusoff able to escape the frame deadlocked at 1, one had to think the Flames would come out gangbusters in the second...
Unfortunately, one would have been gravely mistaken as the Flames dominance over their provincial rivals came to a screeching halt last night at the dome. In fact, for an encore after their dismal first, the Flames managed to muster the exact same amount of shots in the second period as the Oilers had goals and limped off after 40 minutes down 5-1 and the game all over but the crying. It was a baffling performance for a team that has owned the Oilers in the last few seasons and certainly finds itself in desperate need of points as they battle for a post-season spot.
For their part, the Oilers certainly relished the role of spoiler. Sometimes you can pinpoint an event or play that turned the tide in a game, a bounce or circumstance that shifted the momentum to one side that became too much of an obstacle for the other team... Last night is was the drop of the puck.
For some inexplicable reason the Flames simply came out flat. No, that isn't fair. They came out less than flat. They came out looking like a team who expected that they could win simply by showing up. Well, come to an NHL game with an attitude like that and you'll be shown up by your opponent, which is exactly what happened to the Flames last night.
Combine that atrocity with the other results last night and the Flames now find themselves on the outside looking in once again since the Yotes and Kings managed to make it to the shootout and create another beloved 3 point game. Since Phoenix ultimately prevailed in said shootout, the Flames now sit 3 points in arrears of the Coyotes and also trail the Kings by a single point in the playoff quest.
At many points in a season a game like last-nights can be considered to be a throw-away, a one-off where things just all went wrong and there's no real point in reliving the game and it's assumed that the team can just forget it and move on. Unfortunately, with the battle the Flames are in, losing a game to the 29th ranked team in the league in simply unacceptable in this fashion. Last night's game marked the 8th game in a row that the Flames have been outshot, and the fact that there seemed to be ZERO push-back has to concern the coaching staff, the organization, and the fans...
That being said, a win tomorrow at home against the Coyotes could refresh all the hope that was lost last night.
Have a great day!
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