They had only 12 shifts together on the ice, yet the line of Brandon Prust, Eric Nystrom and Freddie Sjostrom continue to get the job done.  3 of Calgary’s 4 goals in a 4-3 win over the Canadiens came with that line on the ice, and all 3 members finished +3.  The line continues to turn heads, and for good reason…they just keep playing good hockey.

The keys to success for the line is work ethic.  They’re hard on the puck and are unrelenting in puck pursuit…and more often than not, they are first to the puck.  What’s good about them is that they keep it simple.  Once the puck is in the offensive zone, the trio goes to work and sticks to basics when it comes to puck support and the cycle.  And they also throw the puck on net…which, on this night, ends up paying off.  If it wasn’t for fights (1 each from Prust and Nystrom), we would have seen the line together for even more than they were on Saturday in Edmonton.

Also on the efficiency theme…how about that Flames powerplay.  They were 1 for 1 on Tuesday, thanks to Jarome Iginla’s first of the season…through 3 games, the Flames are 5 for 7 with the man advantage.  You can tell there is a system there when a man up for the Flames, and with the talent assembled on the ice, it’s going to be a real nice weapon for the Flames if they continue sticking with that system.

Overall, I thought a fairly complete game from the Flames.  There was a 10 minute span in the 1st period where the Flames let the Habs play their game, and that’s when Montreal took over.  Their slick passing and smooth skating was able to carry things for a little bit, and they score 2 goals and controlled posession.  But it seemed like the Flames got back to it in the 2nd and 3rd periods, using their physical edge to their advantage.

On the individual side, I thought Jarome Iginla improved as the game went along.  He barely saw the ice in the first period, getting just 3:48 of ice time in the opening frame.  He finished with 16:30, but you could tell things improved as the game progressed.  Jokinen finished with 16:37 of ice time.  Once again, a nice, consistent, strong game from the line of Langkow-Dawes-Bourque, as they were able to generate a few opportunities with their forecheck.

Was a little surprised with the Habs…they looked really good at points and were far less soft than they were when they were here last season.  The top line of Cammalleri-Gionta-Gomez was real nice, and you can see a developing chemistry.  But you can tell Head Coach Jacques Martin has installed a real smart system, and it’ll be interesting to watch this team as the season progresses.

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