Coming away with only one point from the desert, the Calgary Flames needed those two points from the Phoenix Coyotes going into this weekend. With the night off tonight, and a game against the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday, having the momentum of a win would have been more than helpful for the teams morale.
What should be noted was the goaltending in each of these games. After the jump, take a look at how the Flames’ goalies did over the past two games.
Despite the struggling in last night’s game, Leland Irving should not be faulted for his playing skills. The young goalie was really on top of his game, considering two previous games he played, he gave up the 300th goal for Daniel Alfredsson of the Ottawa Senators and gave the Boston Bruins a 9-0 win. There was no hint of that Irving in last night’s game, making saves and keeping the Flames afloat for three periods. Irving didn’t even flinch when faced with the odd man rush, multiple times. Take a look at this save:
And you can’t talk about skill under pressure without mentioning Miikka Kiprusoff’s “scorpion” save in the game against the San Jose Sharks. As minutes ticked down in the third period, Kip never let up. Check out this save:
I know I’ve been one to shout “Trade Kipper!” in a crowded room, but this is just simply impressive.
On Sunday, the Flames take a pause to have a little fun with each other in the Skills Competition, check out what the Flames have to say about each other’s skills: