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The Calgary Flames were able to reward their fans with a 2 game win streak at home after beating the Coyotes 5-4 last night with a huge comeback win.
Normally it’s Calgary who lets a lead slip in the final minutes of a game and they almost did give away their 1 goal lead, but last night they rallied hard to win back the game in the final minutes. Iginla put away the tying goal and 23 seconds later Stempniak fed Glencross for the winner.
Jackman and Cammalleri had a goal a piece for the Flames but it was Iginla’s second goal which gave Calgary the win. It was the at home display which Flames fans have been waiting for; the Flames controlled the game and deserved the win.
One of the biggest stories of the night was Iginla, who literally doubled his scoring stats in 1 night. It has got everyone hoping that this is just the tip of the iceberg and now Iginla will start to produce offensively. Iginla moves 3 points within Fleury’s record for 59th in points during a career.
Outside of the top line, Cervenka and Hudler were unusually quite; and although it’s always nice to get on the board, tonights win shows that the Flames have two solid lines that can generate offensively.
Defensively the Flames made a lot of improvements, though they still seemed a little flat footed on some plays. They need to be anticipating plays more often to avoid openings which they often give away. They kept Pheonix to 27 shots, only allowing 6 and 8 shots against in the 2nd and 3rd periods respectively. Even though they walked away with the win, they were outshot in the 3rd allowing 14 shots. Staying tough in the 3rd has been their Achilles heel this season and that’s why tonight’s comeback was so big.
With Baertschi back, Kipursoff close to returning, and Iginla back on board it looks like the clouds are parting in Calgary’s rough start to the season. They have certainly proved they can withstand injury, adversity, and criticism but only time will tell. They will have to get through a two game road trip visiting Minnesota and Colorado and hopefully when they return to the Saddledome next Sunday, they will be greeted by a healthy Kipursoff.
For the first time this season, the Flames received good news because Kipursoff has been on the ice practicing over the last few days. This win gave Calgary a 4 point weekend and the Flames are now only two points back of a playoff spot. If the team we saw tonight can play in front of Kipursoff when he returns, the Flames have the ability to move up the ranks in the West.
In other news, Karri Ramo has risen in the goalie ranks since his NHL debut and many are wondering how he will fair in Calgary. He’s a quick butterfly goalie with good size and he is practiced and cool under pressure. With a little development on his coverage and positioning position, he has definite potential.
Back in 2007 to 2009 he played some games for Tampa Bay where he was decent although he didn’t record many wins. Since, his save % has improved to almost .900. So far this year in the KHL, he has only allowed an average of 1.96 goals against per game and was phenomenal in playoff action, winning 14 of 21 games played in previous years. His current team is currently down 2-1 in their playoff race and he might be available to the Flames sooner than some anticipated because of it.
Ramo is obviously improving every year and it seems he is ready to play – and win – in the NHL. There will be a transition becoming re-familiar with NHL and his opposition but overall, the ground work he has laid in his career should be a good enough foundation for him to make the conversion from the KHL to the NHL successfully.
Thanks for reading!
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