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Hockey is finally back after taking nearly two weeks off due to the Olympic games and the Calgary Flames would be challenged with facing the LA Kings.
Unfortunately for the Flames, they were riding a five game winning streak before taking on the Kings last night and it would have been nice to carry their momentum into the final stretch of the season. That said, it should be expected that the Flames suffer through some of their games, all things considered, and last night was a true testament to this after being shutout.
All things considered, fans shouldn’t hang their heads in disappointment given the effort which was evident from their team. Not only did they get a chance to see a potential future Flames netminder in action in Joni Ortio, but rookie Markus Grandlund was also given a chance to see some ice time.
With respect to Ortio, I felt that he had a very good, relaxed game, despite letting in a quick goal which was a result of a bad turn over. Fact is, the Flames couldn’t beat a team with strong goaltending of their own, when the opposing netminder is even stronger.
To put that into perspective, being down 1 goal in the second period the Flames outshot the Kings 15-6 and Quick was all over each shot. The tender had an answer for every opportunity the Flames had and ultimately kept his team in it.
“He’s probably one of the most athletic — if not the most athletic — goalie in the league. He’s unbelievably quick — quick to recover from saves and going from go side-to-side. I think that’s what makes him as good as he is.… This is what Ortio had to say after the game, not sure if there was any pun intended there, but certainly sounds like it.
All things considered, the two young players who joined the team last night looked good. While they both have very limited experience with the team in their young careers, they both showed a lot of promise which is certainly nice to see for the Flames organization. Given that they are in just their second year of the rebuild…though some argue its’ their first…any positive updates with respect to any and all prospects are warmly welcomed.
With respect to the loss, the Flames have not, in my opinion, lost their style of play over the break. There was no evidence that the group was missing a desire to skate hard and work for their win, they merely could not oust the goaltending of Jonathon Quick.
A strong game will be required when the Flames take on their Albertan rivals on Saturday night as the Edmonton Oilers play host to Calgary. Both teams hold similar records over their previous ten games played and they were both shutout in their losses last night. That said, the Oilers currently lead the division rivalry as they hold two wins of the three games played against the Flames this year.
With respect to injuries and missing players, Chris Butler has been noted to be suffering from a lower body injury but no updates have been provided outside of that. Lee Stempniak is currently in Boston as his wife gives birth to their first children (twins) and is expected to return for tomorrow night’s game.
Outside of the game itself, fans were greeted to some new security procedures at the Saddledome with metal detectors and extra security “pat downs… have been put into place. The team described these as “enhanced guest security and safety measures… which is the first for this particular rink. Not a big story, but I thought it was interesting nonetheless.
If you do require "bigger news", however, reports are surfacing once again that the Devils continue to be scouting Mike Cammalleri. With the trade deadline day approaching, expect more and more scouts to be present as they make their final notes on certain players.
That’s all for today folks, thanks for reading!