Things could be worse. Tomorrow is the final day of first round NHL playoff action, and up to this point the Flames are still alive. Games four and five were winnable hockey games for us, so we could be in better shape than we are, but given the pre-series outlook, a seventh game can hardly be considered disastrous.
So what does game seven mean? For Calgary, a loss would not be catastrophic. Disappointing, yes, but most pundits didn’t expect the season to last this long. The Sharks, on the other hand, have been perennial playoff blunders, seemingly unable to reach their potential on the NHL’s biggest stage. It’s safe to assume that big changes could be afoot in San Jose should they fall to the Flames tomorrow night. The same cannot be said of their counterparts. A first round departure would likely result in the typical minor off-season tweaks for which Darryl Sutter is known. But let’s not dwell on the “what if we lose” scenario. Instead, let’s ask “what do we need to do to win?”
Here are my keys to victory on Tuesday night:
Shut down the stars - when the Sharks have been successful, it’s been on the efforts of Thornton, Cheechoo, and Marleau. The Flames can win this game if they continue to pay close attention to shutting those guys down.
Keep the shots down - it’s hard to win games when you’re getting outshot 40-15. Make life easy for Kipper by keeping the shots down to low 20’s.
Energy through all the lines - all four lines need to contribute, as they did last night. Guys like Lombardi, Nystrom, and Vandermeer providing a spark could be the difference.
Let’s get physical - as we saw in game three, big hits can swing the momentum of a game. Laying the body to the Sharks early and often will set the right tone for the Flames.
There’s too much snow to golf, so let’s keep playing hockey!
What a night, eh? I’m glad we don’t play again until Tuesday so that I can enjoy this victory for an extra day before getting caught up in the emotion of another game.
After a Habs loss and three Sharks goals in the first 3:33 of the Calgary game, I was ready to start drinking a little harder. Indeed, Trevor and I were counting the Flames out of game three. A friend of mine who happens to be a Flames fan transplanted to Vancouver watched the game with us in our hotel out here on the coast. A diehard he must be, for he kept the faith, regardless of the bleak outlook. What’s worse than the 3-0 deficit is that the transplanted Vancouver Canuck supporting Brit we brought along with us insisted “you guys will come back from this.” What does he know, right? He’s a limey, and this is hockey; he doesn’t know what he’s talking about.
And then the hit. And then THE HIT! You know the ones I’m talking about. First Dion Phaneuf introduces Patrick Marleau to the end boards, cutting him above the right eye. Good tough Canadian boy that he is [nod to Don Cherry here], he gets it taped shut and heads back out on the ice. Soon after he starts up the ice, into the trolley tracks with his head down. Corey Sarich makes Marleau pay for it, crushing him with one of the biggest hits I’ve seen this season, bloodying the Shark captain’s nose.
I know you want to see it again:
Go ahead, rewind it and watch it a few more times. Savour this beauty of that bone crunching and momentum changing hit. I can wait.
That hit got the crowd back into the game, and by extension, it got the Flames back into the game. Once they scored that first goal, they knew they could win the game. Once again it was Owen Nolan pulling the trigger on the big goal (you’ll recall he scored the goal to eliminate the Oilers from playoff contention).
So who do we call the hero of this game? Is it Sarich for his timely hit? How about Nolan for the winning goal and two assists? Maybe Cujo for being perfect in relief for Kipper? I think the answer here is that Calgary is most successful when no single player is the hero. Heroic efforts from several players contributing to the collective is what makes any hockey team truly great. If Calgary’s key players can share the hero role around like this some more, this will be a very winnable series.
Any what of Kiprusoff? I would contend that he didn’t stand much of a chance on those three goals. That said, I think Captain Hook was wise to pull his star goalkeeper after that third goal. Allowing a goaltender to be shelled behind a weak defensive effort can hurt his confidence and potentially catapult him into a rut. Sitting Kipper down before things got ugly somewhat allows Mikka to save face and rebound with confidence in the next game. Meanwhile, a new goalkeeper provides a different look for the Flames, causing a situation that the Sharks may not have been fully prepared for. I can’t see why Keenan wouldn’t go back to Kiprusoff in game four, but regardless of who starts between the pipes, I think it’s clear that Calgary has two goalkeepers who can rise to the occasion.
Now get some rest, and bring back these heroics again on Tuesday. I’ll be watching from Vancouver, wishing I was in the Sea of Red.
One night down in the NHL playoffs, and what a start it’s been. Let’s take a look around the league at the series that opened this evening:
It’s been 19 years since Gary Roberts won a Stanley Cup with the Flames, and he looks like he wants to win another. It also looks like he enjoys playing the Senators. Adding his performance to those of Crosby, Malkin, Sykora, and Hossa and these guys really have the firepower to make this a short series.
Didn’t see much of the Rangers/Devils game, but it looks like Sean Avery is having an impact in this series already.
Minnesota/Colorado made for an exciting start to the playoffs; A penalty shot and eventual overtime make for plenty of drama. If I had to pick an Avalanche player to score in OT, Joe Sakic would be my pick every time.
Big play from Jarome Iginla and Miikka Kiprusoff came to play tonight. The final few seconds of the game seemed to last an eternity as the Flames fought to keep a tying goal off the board. As Eklund said in his predictions, when Iggy and Kipper are involved anything can happen. If the Flames can play full series like that it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them win this series. So far it’s been a much better start than last season in Detroit.
And in the WHL: The Calgary Hitmen and Lethbridge Hurricanes moved a step closer to meeting in the conference finals. Each with 3-1 leads in their respective series now, my dream series is starting to look like a reality. And yes, I’ll think about the road trip to support the ‘Canes in Calgary in that series.
Here we go, it’s playoff time! The time of the year when televisions in homes across the world are illuminated for hours each day with the exciting sport that is Hockey. Sports bars everywhere are filled with crazed hockey fans, cheering on their team and jeering the rival fans. And I go into hiding each night in front of my Television, remote in hand, flipping giddily between games.
This year, the Flames have the daunting task of taking on the San Jose Sharks, who have been outstanding lately with only three regulation losses in their last 23 games. The addition of Defenseman Brian Campbell at the trade deadline seems to have heightened the skill level the already extremely talented San Jose Sharks turning them into the hottest team down the stretch.
Although the Flames have a winning record this year against the Sharks (3-1), they are definitely the underdogs going into this series. The Flames slid butt-first into 7th place in the Western Conference (thanks Oilers!) and are really going to need to pick up their game play this first series if they want to move on. What do the Flames need to do if they want to win this series? (1) The Defense will need to be stellar and (2) the forecheck will need to be intense. (3) They will need at least their top 2 lines (3 would be nice) contributing to the scoresheet on a nightly basis and (4) they need to out-play the Sharks physically.
Tonight’s victory against the dastardly Oilers reignited my hatred for those blue shirted devils. Okay. Maybe it was their beer swilling tube jockeys that punctuated a predominantly Flames crowd tonight at the Zoo. Playoff hockey began for the Calgary Flames last week and by my count we are still down 2 games to 1. This was a character win for the Flames who had their hands full with an energetic Oiler crew. Make no mistake about it, the Oilers would be in the playoffs if they did not lose 3 to 4 of their veteran players for the season. They will be a better team next year. For now, i’ll savor in our victory and cross that other bridge when we get to it.
Mikka Kiprusoff responded as usual with a sparkling performance after a lackluster performance in the last game against Vancouver. Matthew Lombardi is contributing more to our offense as the playoffs looms (always a good time to get hot). The ‘cagey’ vets have elevated their game as well; Owen Nolan came up big when the team needed him the most. We played a disciplined game tonight, limiting our time spent in the box and capitalizing on the PP as well. These are all metrics for success for the Calgary Flames.
Jarome Iginla is sure passing the puck a lot for a guy trying to net his 50th of the season
According to my stomach, this one felt like a playoff game
Oilers suck as much as ever
Commentators are saying “can’t clear it” way too often
I know Iggy’s our leading scorer, emotional leader and all that, but can we give Nolan the team MVP for bouncing the Oilers?
Why is SportsNet telling me that I’m watching ‘Oilers Hockey’ … I’m watching FLAMES hockey!
I know I wasn’t supposed to be cheering for Nashville tonight, but it’s worth it for the consequences to Edmonton
SportsNet is calling this a ‘heartbreaking ending’ … I call it a flattering ending. Any team winning as many games in OT/shootout as in regulation time doesn’t deserve to be in the playoffs.
Flames work isn’t done. Let’s get some wins in Minnesota and Vancouver to lock up that playoff position.
I think I’ll be able to bring myself to cheer for the Oilers against the Canucks this week. If they’re going to be spoilers, they might as well do it in Vancouver.
If anyone would have suggested to me 1 month ago that the Flames would be fighting for the 8th spot in the Western Conference at this time of the year I would have laughed hysterically. However, after a horrendous road trip, this is the situation they currently find themselves in. Picking up a measly 2 out of a possible 8 points on a trip where they played 4 teams who are out of the playoff picture has really put this team behind the 8 ball.
With only 9 games left in the regular season, the Flames desperately need to pick up their game. They need to abandon their lazy habits that have been slowly forming like a malignant tumor. The team seems to become less inspired with each game. In recent matches they have been badly out-shot, out-played, out-chanced, and out-worked. Down the stretch they will ultimately control their own destiny as their final 9 games are ALL against division rivals - 2 vs. the Avalanche, 2 vs. the Wild, 2 vs. the Oilers, and 3 vs. the Canucks.
Thursday’s game is critical. Historically the Flames have had problems against the Aves (last years playoff race instantly comes to mind). Let’s hope they can come out strong and get a big home win. That would be a giant step in the right direction for the team. The key to winning this game will be intensity. If the the entire team “shows up” and can put in 60 full minutes of intense hockey, and battle for every puck, they should be able to put this game in the win column. However, if they come out and play another lethargic game, and let the Ave’s control the play, then I fear it could get ugly. There is so much talent in the Colorado lineup that you can’t take your mind of the game for a minute or the puck will be in the back of your net.
Watching tonight’s game I’m reminded of the old Don Henley song “How Bad Do You Want It?” The song answers that question with “not bad enough.” Outshot 38-18 by a team that’s nine points back of a playoff spot? The Flames aren’t looking like a hungry team lately, and it’s got me a little scared.
The Flames’ inability to keep star players off of the score sheet is more than a little disconcerting. Ovechkin, Kovalchuck, and Nash have all burned Calgary recently. The formula seems pretty simple: have a look at the opposing team’s stats before the game and pay a little more attention to shutting down the key players. Obviously you can’t shut guys like these down 100%, but right now we’re at the opposite end of the spectrum, and that needs to improve.
That doesn’t begin to address the paltry 18 shots on goal, but I think a stronger commitment to defense would be a welcome starting point.
Some other thoughts that came to mind during the game:
Ken Hitchcock is sure looking old without that mustache
The SportsNet announcers called the Blue Jackets “Nashville” when they were talking about Rick Nash. I wonder how often that happens.
Iginla was anything but clutch today. He was absolutely invisible in the final ten minutes.
Sunday’s win against the Blackhawks was obviously a big one for the Flames. A loss in Chicago and there would have been some serious panicking in the Flames camp. The win places them in a 3-way tie for first place in the tight Northwest Division with Colorado and Minnesota. With only 10 games left in the season, every win is critical and every loss is painful.
Now, a win is a win, and I really shouldn’t complain but this team just doesn’t seem hungry enough. They don’t seem like a team that is ready for the playoffs. Like an unfocused sixth grader in science class, the Flames just can’t pay attention for the full 60 minutes. It’s either a strong start, and a lazy finish (as we witnessed on Sunday) OR they don’t start playing until halfway through the game (in which most games they are too far behind and can’t catch up).
Is it too much to ask to see a full 3 periods of quality hockey? Other teams can do it! With the caliber of players that are on the roster, the Flames should be considered an “elite” team, however, other elite teams seem to be able to play strong for the entire game.
Watch out - if the Flames can figure this out, they will be deadly!
Before we sound the alarms and start preparing for playoffs without the Flames lets remember how good this team is. We can’t forget that the Flames scored four goals last game, easily enough to win the game…so why didn’t they, because our d-core were still in Washington looking for their jock straps…which were later found in Ovechkins locker.
Last night the team was celebrating a huge win over the lowly Thrashers on the bench during the second period. Hand shakes, high-fives, and good game taps where going around when the Flames realized that a player wearing the #17 had other plans (by the way that player got me 4 points in my draft :)…back to business). Like an unwanted guest, he ate our food, drank our booze and ravaged the women. By the time the Flames realized what had just happened it was too late. Their skates were already off and most of them were already making their way to the airport with two points in their pockets, including Iron Mike.
What’s the moral of the story? Work hard for 60 minutes and the rest will take care of itself (and the women will come back!).
So do we panic? Big fat NO! Lets just play some solid D (like the Flames have a rep of doing), the forwards need to keep scoring, and don’t let Huselius try to defend Iggy with his stick, and we’ll be fine. But I can’t stress enough how much we need the next 4 points (against Chicago and Columbus)…which we WILL get. And the only way to do this is to bring your lunch pale, boots and your hard hats (this includes you Lombardi…if you jump over one more shot Iron Mike will shoot you). If not, the button will be pressed!
