Flames Week In Review – Giordano, Hiller, Colborne, Gaudreau My Stars Of The Week

Photo Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

With four games this week, my stars of the week were hard-earned, but very well deserved by Giordano, Hiller, Colborne, and Gaudreau. The Calgary Flames took on some of their biggest contenders in the past few days to bring home a 4-2 road trip record.

October 14, the Nashville Predators hosted the prairie team. In spite of the Preds striking first with the opening goal in the first period, the Flames shot back with a quick one by T.J. Brodie to tie the game at 1-1 going into the second. With a nice wrister by captain Mark Giordano, the Flames squeaked ahead in the second only to have the Preds tie the game again. Mason Raymond and his stick handling were impressive throughout the game, therefore solidifying his credibility for me so far this year. He looks better and better as the games pass and I’m turning into a big fan of his productive wrister. The third period gave us a good scare as Lance Bouma was hit into the boards by Paul Gaustad. Even though Gaustad had no malicious intent, Bouma ended up slamming his face into the top of the boards where the glass meets the boards and he didn’t return that evening. Karri Ramo was solid in net and the defense came alive in the last frame to keep the Flames in the running for a win. Overtime solved nothing and the teams headed to the shootout. Joe Colborne scored, and Ramo made the saves that gave the Flames a win over the Predators with a final score of 3-2.

My 1 Star
With a goal and his stellar, consistent defensive play, I gave my 1 Star to Mark Giordano. In spite of a couple minor errors in the second period, Gio is a naturally skilled defensive player who worked hard to become an effective two-way player over the years.

I’ll be honest – I didn’t write a lot of notes on the game on October 15 against Chicago because I was so captivated. So, let me give you some minor stats that I feel were imperative to this game. Chicago took 50 shots on Jonas Hiller in net. Hiller, conversely, stopped 49 of them. In comparison, the Flames had a mere 18 shots on net throughout the entire game. No scoring in the first period had me on the edge of my seat in hopes that our defense could keep up their momentum in front of Hiller, our last impeccable line of defense. When Wideman opened the scoring, a few jaws dropped in my house considering he was a healthy scratch the night before. As the teams headed into overtime, I assumed the Flames would put on pressure in spite of losing the game. I was just happy that we stole a point out of that game. At that point, I was hoping to go to a shootout considering how well Hiller had been in net during the entire game. And then Mikael Backlund happened and the Flames won against the Chicago Blackhawks without having to go to a shootout.

My 1 Star
Jonas Hiller. Anyone who doesn’t appreciate what Hiller did in net that night needs to watch the game again. 49 saves on 50 shots. FORTY-NINE SAVES. If I didn’t believe in Hiller before that night’s game, I sure do now. He’s proven that he can be relied upon in the most pressurized situations – and taking on the Chicago Blackhawks, one of the leagues most skilled teams, is definitely a time to worry. Maybe it’s because I’m a goalie-lover or maybe it’s that I’ve been waiting for this moment but Hiller is my new saviour this season until Ramo can prove otherwise.

The Flames took on the Columbus Blue Jackets on October 17. Johnny Gaudreau was a healthy scratch that night as Josh Jooris was called up to take place on the front line. We saw the return of Lance Bouma in the line-up as well as a continuation of Brodie’s five-gave point streak. The Flames were down 3-0 after the second period, but they came back in the third with goals by Mason Raymond and Josh Jooris to even out the score a bit more. It was Jooris’s first NHL goal with the club after being called up since training cam. If ever there was a player who has earned a spot on the Flames roster, it is Jooris. He was productive and aggressive at training camp as well as showing off his skills in his first game of the regular season with Calgary. Final score, 3-2 Columbus.

My 1 Star
Joe Colborne. The confidence he’s acquired since becoming part of the Flames organization is unmatched in any other player. His two-way play is progressing, and he always seems to be in a good scoring position on the ice. At 6’5” he’s got a reach that results in a lot of scoring chances that smaller players may not have had. He’s quickly becoming one of my favourite players to watch.

Last night, the Flames ended their road trip with a stop in Winnipeg to take on the Jets. Josh Jooris was out of the line-up while Johnny Gaudreau was slotted back in. With an early Jets goal in the first period, it didn’t start out well for the Calgary team, but they rallied together in the second period and jumped ahead of the competition. Dennis Wideman tied the game while Johnny Hockey got the go-ahead goal and Mason Raymond again took the Flames ahead in the second with another of his powerful wrist shots. With rumours of a signing in the wings, T.J. Brodie netted the final goal of the game to take the Flames over the Jets with a score of 4-1. Instead of playing only one period of hockey for a final push, the Flames came out swinging in the second period and didn’t let up. Now, if they could start that push in the first period and allow it to carry throughout the entire game, they could actually have a hope of making playoffs this season.

My 1 Star
Johnny Gaudreau. With a goal, an assist, and a lesson learned while being a healthy scratch against Columbus, played hard, fearless hockey. He showed off the Boston College hockey mitts and speed while coach Hartley seemed to give him the freedom and space to do exactly what Johnny Hockey excels at. At this rate, hopefully the rumours of Gaudreau being sent to the AHL will dissipate.

Final Thoughts
With the rumours surrounding Brodie possibly being signed to a five-year deal, I think the Flames have the space and money to be able to give him whatever he wants. The progression of Brodie has been fun to watch from a fan perspective. With 27 assists and 4 goals last season, he was a steal of a deal at not even $2 million for a quickly rising defenseman. My prediction is that, considering the obvious chemistry and production he has while paired with Mark Giordano, he will soon become one of the top d-men in the league and we need to lock him up to a contract for as long as we can keep him. Sign him, and sign him now!

Go Flames Go!