Mason Raymond Answers MayDay, Calgary Flames Win
By Len Nunes
Oct 9, 2014; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Calgary Flames goalie Karri Ramo (31) and Mason Raymond are the stories from the 4-2 win over Edmonton. Mandatory Credit: Chris LaFrance-USA TODAY Sports
Mason Raymond’s goal at the 4:23 mark of the 3rd period was the answer to the “mayday” call many Calgary Flames were desperately trying to send through their TV’s and computer as the Oilers had dominated the game until then.
The Edmonton Oilers defeated the Calgary Flames 2-1 in better played periods. The Edmonton Oilers outshot the Calgary Flames 40-26. The Calgary Flames reverted back to last season’s faceoff circle woes only winning 41% of the draws.
THIS IS NOT THE RECIPE FOR SUCCESS! Oh well, I’m still going to wake up with a smile on my face after a 5-2 win over a provincial rival!
1st Period Firewood
The Brandon Bollig–Matt Stajan–Lance Bouma line combination had a terrible period. Simply stated, every time you saw the trio on the ice, you were only looking one way. Thank goodness Karri Ramo was on his “A game” right from the opening whistle.
Giordano–UPDATE–Mason Raymond and Jiri Hudler scored goals a minute apart to put the Flames up 2-0. Both goals were scored because the Edmonton Oilers communication level on dump ins of the puck was still in preseason mode.
Laddy Smid made a nice defensive play to cover up for defensive partner TJ Brodie turning the puck over trying to gain the Oilers blueline. The rest of the period for Mr. Smid was an attempt to earn an Oscar nomination for the performance of a pylon on ice.
2nd Period Firewood
Paraphrasing Sportsnet Kelly Hrudey “Oilers tried catching the Flames defensemen on a change, so all Kris Russell and Deryk Engelland could do is skate backwards and rely on Karri Ramo“. For the second night in a row, a Calgary goaltender faced 25 plus shots on net before the 2nd intermission. May I suggest even when the Flames defensemen are not skating backwards, they are still relying on their goalie!
The article posted hours before this game professed my admiration for Brandon Bollig‘s and Curtis Glencross‘ performances in the season opener. Both have had subpar evenings thus far. Sorry bout that!
3rd Period Firewood
The line of Mason Raymond–Joe Colborne–Lance Bouma accounted for the games sole BIG hit (Bouma at approximately the 6:15 mark), the goal that broke the Oilers spirit (Raymond at 4:23) and the goal that broke the Oilers will (Raymond at 14:42).
The Calgary Flames managed 15 shots in the 3rd period, which is four more than they had the first two periods combined. The increased offense did not lead to a decrease in shots against though. Karri Ramo stopped 15 3rd period shots.
With the Oilers net empty, David Jones clears the Flames zone and gets hauled down while trying to work the puck into the Oilers zone. I was shocked to see Mr. Jones had over 16 minutes of ice time to his credit but pleased to see the hustle in trying to preserve the win.