For the 4th and final time this season, the Flames hooked up with the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday night at the Saddledome.  For a 3rd time this season, the Flames beat the Calgary Flames, on this night by a 2-1 score.  It’s the third straight game between these 2 teams which ended in a 2-1 score, with Calgary winning 2 of those 3 games.

It was a physical affair and it started early, with Dion Phaneuf running Anze Kopitar into the end boards at 5:26 of the 1st period.  The officials gave Phaneuf a 5 minute major for boarding and added a game misconduct, but after the game there didn’t seem to be many people who agreed with the call.  Head Coach Brent Sutter said there shouldn’t have been a call, as the linesman waved off icing and it was a battle for the puck.  Phaneuf wouldn’t say much, just that it was a fast play with 2 guys going into the boards.  And Kopitar didn’t seem too unhappy or anything like that, so it seems as if there won’t be anything more coming from the incident.

Terry Murray and Sutter got into it on the benches…and Brent made it very clear that he’s going to stick up for his players.  He said sometimes he’s a calm guy, but when it comes to his players he’ll always defend them, and made a point to reiterate that.  It was an emotional game the entire way, with a ton of physicality and bad blood.  It’s a shame the Flames and Kings don’t play a couple more games.  I asked Craig Conroy after the game why that is…he just said with the close nature of the standings, all of the games they play have the potential to be that tight.

Speaking of Conroy…he scored his first goal.  And got a well deserved standing ovation from the Dome faithful.  Good for him, damn classy act by the Calgary faithful, and lets home Conroy gets on a roll.  Love that guy.

Powerplay was no good.  0 for 5 on this night, and it could have really put the game away a couple of times.  Over their last 4 games, they’ve had 16 opportunities on the man advantage and scored just once.  That’s clicking at 6.3%.  It CAN be better, it had gone 4 straight games with a PP goal very recently, but tonight it wasn’t so good.  PK has really been awesome lately though.  Now 19 for 20 at 95% over the last 5 games.

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