The Calgary Flames took on the Minnesota Wild last night…a game which left many yawning. Similar to their last matchup, neither side were overly aggressive, the play was kept very systematic, and there was not an abundance of offense.
The Good
Joey MacDonald played very well last night against the Wild, stopping 28/30 shots faced and provided more than ample opportunity for his team to secure the win. MacDonald continues to demonstrate that he can be a very reliable backup goaltender in this league, something the Flames have not had much of in recent years…mostly due to Kiprusoff playing 70+ games, but still.
“We wasted our best goaltending performance that we have all year…” – Hartley
Kiprusoff is likely to return to the lineup in the next game or two and the two together could provide the best type of defense a team needs in order to be successful. I am waiting on an update regarding Joey’s mask as his theme should be leaked soon!
Outside of Macdonald’s play, the only added positive to come out of last night’s game for Calgary was the point they received for making it to overtime. The fact that the team made it to OT, for me, was a stroke of luck due to the amount of chances the Wild had.
The Flames have taken 5/6 points and not lost in regulation over their past three games. That’s a step in the right direction…
The Bad
The Wild more than doubled their attempted shots(65-29)…even with seven total powerplay opportunities for Calgary. In the last 40 minutes of play the Flames were outshot 20-9…not something you want to see from a team fighting for wins.
That being said, Minnesota was just as bad, though it didn’t matter because in the end Minnesota wanted the win and fought harder for it. The Flames did not score on several powerplay chances. It’s disheartening, it’s upsetting, and a little too familiar. The Flames have been so off and on this season. Consistency is something that needs to be worked on with this group.
The Ugly
Normally a coach is disappointed that his team is unable to convert on a 4min powerplay during such a close game, but the Flames were not even able to muster up a (single) shot throughout their man advantage. You wouldn’t know after last night’s specialty teams that the Flames were ranked top five in PP opportunities, and this stat has moved down a few notches after going 1/7.
Outside of their lackluster attempts at shots on goal throughout their 5on5 and 5on4 play, the only other “ugly” occurrence to note from last night’s game was Charlie Coyle’s shoulder to the head of Matt Stajan which left several fans worried. It appeared Stajan was badly hurt after the hit after being slow to get up, but he would return to the game. No word on his condition since, but this screams potential concussion to me.
Coyle will likely face disciplinary actions for his hit, but nothing has been released so far. Hopefully Stajan is fine as he has been one of the more consistent players for the Flames of late.
For those who missed it, here is the hit in question.
The Flames will take on the Colorado Avalanche next on Thursday night and will hopefully show up with a better effort.
Thanks for reading!
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Calgary Flames Blogger • 
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