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The Calgary Flames got a big win last night at home against the Dallas Stars. They silenced a few critics by scoring early, and often with a final score of 7-4.
Jay Boumeester found the net on the rebound about four minutes in and it started a scoring frenzy. Mike Cammalleri, back from an injury, played a rebound nicely later in the game to make it 5 – 2. Capitalizing on rebounds is proof that the Flames have been reviewing game tapes and have some life in them yet. Not giving up on the puck often results in goals which was proven throughout last night’s game.
Cammalleri, who has been a slight upset of late, scored his fifth career hattrick which would also put the Flames comfortably past the Stars to secure the win. Mike would also notch his 200th career goal…overall a solid night for the forward. If all the Flames players on injury reserve can come back like that, the long list of injuries isn’t so bad!
With respect to injuries, unfortunately Byron left the game early with a fractured left hand, so the fans rooting for Horak may see him sooner than expected.
The best part of the game had to be the passing between Cervenka, Hudler and Tanguay, which was nothing short of brilliant. Those three could make a point to be considered the top line in Calgary, although Cammalleri and Iginla found their own chemistry last night, too.
Iginla showed some life; his assist on Cammalleri’s first goal was a beauty and so was his pass to Glencross. He answered any questions about his fight…by fighting! He would register 7 penalty minutes; a fighting major and a roughing major. Seeing Iginla aggressive is exactly what Calgary needs and perhaps a sign that Iginla is back.
Despite the win, the Flames did allow four goals, it came down to a couple weak goals and the defensive breakdowns, like Morrow’s goal to give Dallas 3. Overall Irving had some good saves especially at the end of the game. He made a great save in the first to avoid going 1-1. His rebound control needs some work, but at the end of the night Irving made 30 saves outplayed Bachman for the win.
Perhaps the thought for Dallas playing Bachman was due to Calgary’s recent struggles…but allowing 6 goals on 22 shots (1 goal was an empty net) proves that Calgary is not done and won’t be walked over. It’s been a though year for Flames fans because there have been moments of brilliance in addition to taking two top teams like the Blackhawks and Canucks to shoot outs, and there has also been moments of disarray and struggle.
At the end of the day, the Flames dominated the game against Dallas and proved that they have the ability to work hard and score. They will need to find more consistency in their game, as they have shown they can also be very flat footed at times as well. Last night the Flames scored seven goals against a top ranked defense, which is the first time this year they have scored more than four goals. The real test for the Flames will be continuing this energy into the next game and to inch their way out of the bottom of the standings.
I spoke yesterday about the Iginla rumors which have been surfacing due to the struggles from the Flames, but as I said…it’s nowhere near time to start panicking. Although I expressed most GM’s as beginning to assess their team’s strengths and weaknesses, I don’t expect much to be done for another 10 games or so. The Flames will need to begin to shift into a positive streak, and play beyond .500 hockey if they hope to make a push for playoffs.
We will see the Flames next at home against the Blues tomorrow night, which is another tough challenge. No game tonight means that you don’t have to miss the game for Valentine’s Day plans with your significant other…for those who celebrate ;)
Thanks for reading!
Calgary Flames Blogger • 
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