Last night the Calgary Flames accomplished something they haven’t been able to do in over a month, earn a win in regulation. That’s right! The Flames last win without extra time was way back on December 4th when they were able to outlast the Phoenix Coyotes 4-1. The Yotes of course ironically being the team the Flames will face tonight, but that’s a topic for later.
When Mike Cammalleri was able to bury his powerplay marker with just 3:30 left in the third on a nice feed by Jiri Hudler, it gaves the Flames a third period lead that they were able to protect for the final 210 seconds and gave the team a big win after being stymied offensively for the last 4 games since the Christmas break.
The team’s last win, versus the Blues, featured a similar final score of 4-3, but in that game the Flames had to wait until the shootout to earn the 2 points. Given the option, a win in regulation is always preferred.
Although the Flames did manage to break out of their offensive schnide, it’s not as though they peppered Avs goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere with shots, managing only 18 the entire game. That being said, they certainly made their opportunities count with the help of some fortunate luck that has been severely lacking in recent games. When Sean Monahan had a fortuitous deflection off of Jamie McGinn’s skate, it was almost like a weight had been lifted from the team’s collective psyche and even though they ended up trailing after the first period, the optimism that they “could… actually score seemed higher than in recent games for sure.
Of course, the fear that they could manage to lose another third period lead also crept in after 40 minutes when they carried a 3-2 lead, which has been a bit of an issue this season. In this case the stats don’t lie in this case as the Flames have the 3rd lowest win percentage in the league when leading after 2 periods at just .643 (9-3-2), so if any fans were a little nervous, it’s understandable. Thankfully, however, their late powerplay goal earned them a victory and a little momentum going into tonight’s game with the Coyotes, which can hopefully carry over on the flight down to Phoenix.
One last note about yesterday: Jiri Hudler (who had a goal and an assist and was +1) was not named to the Czech Olympic team… Now… People get left off Olympic teams, I get that… But when he’s left off so that Stalwarts like Roman Czervenka have a spot, you have to wonder about the logic. I mean, if we learned NOTHING ELSE last year as Flames fans watching this guy play, it was that he was as much of a perimeter player as you’re likely to see. Sure, the ice is bigger in the Olympics, but at some point if you want to win the big games you need to go to the dirty areas. Just a fact. Pretty ridiculous snubbing of Jiri after the way he’s played this season. On the flip side, Ladislav Smid did get the call, so congrats to him.
Also worth noting that Sven Baertschi was left off the Swiss team, and Berra made the Swiss (update. It was an early morning. ;P). It has really been a tough year for Sven, hopefully he can find a way to bounce back and show what he's capable of.
Team Canada gets named in a couple of Hours. Mark Giordano should be on the team but I’d be shocked to see it happen. Jay Bouwmeester shouldn’t be, but people are sure having a JBo lovefest as he’s once again the talk of the town and heralded as a difference maker after he was paired with Alex Pietrangelo…
Oh, how quickly we forget…
Yes, he’s looked great playing with a superstar… So do most people… That’s why they’re superstars… After all, Dave Lumley once scored 32 goals playing along side Wayne Gretzky.
The point is… Some players are able to look good without being surrounded by superior talent on an elite team because they’re actually starts in their own right. Now, there has always been a fascination with Jay because his size, skill, and abilities are off the charts… His play, however, has never lived up to his physical gifts. When you look at the amount of success he’s managed to carry his teams to… Let’s just be nice and say it’s a VERY short list. Had to get that out.
Have a great day!
Shaune.vetter@hockeybuzz.com