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The last time Calgary played the Edmonton Oilers, I believe it was the best all round effort for the Calgary Flames. I’ll say it again after their most recent game with the Oil, once again a win for Calgary. On Saturday night, the Flames took a convincing 5-2 win over the Oilers to improve their record to 7-2-1 on the season; Calgary is 3-0 against the Oilers this season.
The Calgary Flames accomplished a couple of firsts on Saturday…for the first time, they outshot an opponent and they also registered more than 30 shots for the first time this season. 19 of Calgary’s 38 shots came in the 2nd period, and it was by far Calgary’s best 2nd period this year. The 3 goals they scored in the middle frame matched Calgary’s best total in the 2nd period this year…they did it against in their 2nd game against the Canucks.
Overall, it was a solid game from start to finish for the Calgary Flames. They were physical and they were quick…and I really liked how they played even strength. Give Edmonton credit, they matched Calgary 5-on-5 for most of the opening frame, but Calgary really got things going in their direction in the 2nd period. That happened because they really started to use their speed and forecheck to their advantage. No question, Edmonton is sick and injured, but Calgary did what they did best and it started to turn the tide of the hockey game. I thought Calgary forced a lot of turnovers, and really made life difficult on Edmonton’s blueline. Grebeshkov, Gilbert, and Peckham were constantly under pressure and because of that, they made some poor decisions.
I know that Edmonton really turned on the jets in the 3rd period, and there were a few close calls including a Shaun Horcoff shot off the post. But the Flames, once again, closed out a hockey game. Calgary has lead after 40 minutes in 6 of their 10 games, and they’re 5-0-1 in those 6 games. Not every 3rd period has been perfect, but in the last few games, they’ve been real good in the final frame, and once again they were tonight. They outshot Edmonton 10-7, outscored the Oilers 1-0, and played very well in their own zone for the entire time. And, of course, when the Oilers had good opportunities, as per usual…Miikka Kiprusoff was lights out and made a couple big saves.
The line of Langkow, Bourque and Dawes was incredible on Saturday…Bourque was the best player on the ice. His play on Grebeshkov on the shorthanded goal was unreal and it lead to the 2-on-1. Another 3 points for Bourque…Dawes and Langkow were both really good as well. And give credit to Dustin Boyd, I thought it was by far his best game of the season. Boyd played 14:39, had an assist and was a factor all night long…he was skating and he was physical. And what else can you say about Eric Nystrom? 4 goals…he scored his 4th goal last season on March 18th.
Pat Quinn was not happy following the game…but they weren’t terrible. They were good in the 1st and did a nice job in trying to force the issue in the 3rd. But they were outplayed in the 2nd period, and Calgary did most of their damage then. The Oilers are in Vancouver on Sunday…Calgary’s back at it on Wednesday at home to Colorado.
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Great game tonight by the Flames. Easily the best total game by the Flames this year. Looking forward to them getting better and better! Go Flames Go!
PS: Yep, I think no question the best full on effort for the Flames this year. And it’s still not where they want to be…which is a good thing!
- Sean LeverettI agree Pat, that was the closest they’ve come to playing a complete game yet this season. As said by Pierre Maguire this morning, if they can play like that for 60 minutes every game, no other team in the NHL can touch them. As long as everybody is playing the system properly and we can stay healthy that could be the case. There is still a long way to go, but if we can keep seeing progress made the fans will stick behind them and it will feed the confidence of the team.
There’s still a long way to til the end of the season. IF they can take it game-by-game and keep trying to better each game it will hold promise. An interesting test this Wednesday as we have a Colorado team coming in currently exceeding all expectations. ARe they for real or will it collapse as the season progresses. We might get a little bit of insight into that in 2 days.
PS: Well, the Avalanche posted a nice little shutout on Tuesday night…so they’re coming in on a bit of a roll! The thing about the Flames is this…IF they’re able to keep improving, I think the “no one can touch them” quote is pretty close to legit. However, they can’t plateau or level off…it’s gotta continue to be an inclined slope. Because you know there will be other teams that keep their noses pointed upwards…San Jose, Detroit, Vancouver and Chicago come to mind.
- Bob in the Abbey