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The Calgary Flames fell 3-2 on Wednesday night at the Dome to the Colorado Avalanche in what was a really entertaining hockey game. It was a game where the Flames opened the scoring with 2 quick goals, scoring twice in 70 seconds…but they couldn’t hold on, as things were tied 2-2 at the end first period. Wojtek Wolski finished things off in the third period with his 8th of the season.
To me, it was a really hard fought game from start to finish. The Flames had gotten off to a 2-0 start so early, the Avalanche hadn’t even had a chance to start playing. For Calgary, their opening 2 goals was the fastest in team history…Colorado’s 10-2-1 start is the best in franchise history. First off, give Colorado a ton of credit in this one. They fell down 2-0 really early, and they didn’t panic or change a thing in their gameplan. Once they got started, they played a really good first period and generated both their opening goals with hard work. In the 2nd and 3rd periods, things were pretty even…it was a dog fight I thought, and Colorado was able to score early on in the 3rd period to put this one away.
Calgary was able to outshoot the Avs 32-14…now, I didn’t think the game was that lopsided, to me it was actually close throughout. But it wasn’t as if the Flames played a poor game to let this one slip. They weren’t perfect, but they had a good work ethic and generated a lot of shots. Overall, the Flames attempted 60 shots on net, which is good because generating shots was a problem at times earlier on. Now, they weren’t all quality shots, but still…it’s a positive. And I thought they played just fine in their own zone, for the most part…Regehr was great once again (he’s now +8 in 4 games), Bouwmeester, Sarich and Giordano were all good as well.
The 2 things the Flames lacked on Wednesady night were things that have given them success when doing them this season. First, they weren’t physical enough. Let me classify that…they were VERY physical in the second period, and I thought they won that period. It was tied 2-2 after 40, and I had made the comment that if the Flames kept playing physical, they’d eventually wear Colorado down. The problem is, they weren’t physical in the final frame. Only 2 of Calgary’s 18 hits came in the 3rd period, and Colorado kept a lot of possession.
The other thing is traffic…Calgary didn’t get enough in front of Avs goalie Craig Anderson as the game went along. They had some early, but Colorado did a nice job of clearing the front of the crease. But it was on the PP (0/3 on the night) where it was most evident. On their last 2 powerplay opportunities, the Flames were far too stationary and there wasn’t enough movement. Had we seen some traffic (and some shots) on those opportunities, this could have been a different game.
The Avs impressed me and a lot of others…they have a structure, they have speed, and they are very well coached. In a lot of ways, they remind me a lot of the 2004 version of the Calgary Flames; good in the neutral zone, speedy and simple. However, I still believe that had Calgary imposed their physical will in the final frame, they would have walked away with a win on this night. But that’s just me. Next up for the Flames is Saturday night at home to Detroit.
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I’d first like to say that I don’t like to knock Sports officials as it is a thankless job most of the time. BUt on Saturday I thought Edmonton got away with lots while the calls on the Flames were questionable. Despite that the Flames still won. Last night I thought the ref’s tried to just let them play but in some cases both teams got away with infractions. I think this can sometimes cause probelsm for teams as they have to test what they can and can’t do each game because the officiating is so inconsistent.
Now, lets give props to the Av’s and their coaching staff. Full marks for playing a good road game and knowing if they could just take the chances given to them they could get 2 points.
The Flames were not physical enough for the duration of the game and you could tell when they had mental lapses (that 3rd goal was a doosie wasn’t it)? Apparently, the supposed lesson learned in Chicago became a distant memory. That said, I expect a very ramped up, pissed off group to greet the Red Wings on Saturday. The Dome will seem like a Rob Zombie themed Haunted House to the Red Wings.
PS: Now watching the game against the Red Wings, once again the Flames were not physical enough Bob. Now, easier said than done to be physical against the slick skating Red Wings, but they had a chance to really get on the Avs small forwards, and they didn’t do a good enough job being physical enough against the Red Wings.
- Bob in the Abbey