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The first matchup between the Flames and Blackhawks was a game that the Flames managed to win in overtime despite the fact that they were thoroughly outplayed all game long.
Last night’s game ended up being a 4-3 loss for the Flames, but unlike the first contest between these two teams, this game looked to be a battle between equals.
The game started poorly for the Flames, as they took a penalty early and managed to give up 2 goals to the visiting Blackhawks before even registering their first shot on net. The Flames displayed their resiliency early in this one though, battling back to even the score at 2 before the end of the first period, nearly evening the shots out over that same period of time.
The second period was more of the same, as the Hawks regained the lead thanks to a beautiful feed from Patrick Kane to Brent Seabrook in the high slot that Seabrook wired over the glove of Jonas Hiller. Once again, the Flames responded in kind as Sean Monahan blasted a one-timer past Cory Crawford on a pretty feed from Glencross.
The game was decided in the third period when a bouncing puck found its way off the end boards and onto the stick of the most dangerous player on the ice. Patrick Kane showed off his insanely quick hands, pulling the puck between Sven Baertschi’s legs and sliding it underneath Jonas Hiller before anyone else even had a chance to react.
The Flames kept pressing, but ultimately ran out of time as they were unable to beat Cory Crawford before the buzzer sounded to end the game.
Watching the contest last night, it was obvious that this was a game that could have gone either way. The Flames outshot the Blackhawks 27-22, outhit them 15-4, and managed to score 2 powerplay goals against a team that had only given up 4 on the season prior to last night.
If these games are truly a measuring stick for the Flames, at this point I think it’s fair to say that there’s a lot more at work here than simply good fortune. This team can play with any team in the league. Don’t worry about what Mirtle writes… If you want to know how good this team is, ask the Blackhawks and the Ducks. The Flames are for real. I can’t wait to see what happens when they get healthy.
Thanks for reading!