In the final meeting of the season between the Calgary Flames and Minnesota Wild, Miikka Kiprusoff faced off with Josh Harding in the battle of 8th place. While the Wild have returned to reality since their stellar start of the season and have lost the last 4 to the Flames, the struggling team is seeing the return of Mikko Koivu, after 15 games, which seemed to change the momentum snagging two points from the Flames while the Flames only walked away with two points.
However, the story of the game was not the Flames loss (that should have been expected when Matt Stajan, Lee Stempniak, Blair Jones, and Blake Comeau are in the shoot out) but rather the complete failure to capitalize on a 2-0 lead.
Going into this game, the Flames were 25-0-4 after leading for the first two periods. By that logic alone, a 2-0 lead half way through the second should be a sign that they needed to focus on keeping the puck out of Miikka Kiprusoff’s area. Instead, after being up 21-4 for SOG, the Flames slacked. Their inability to clear the puck and no turn over the puck in the neutral zone had the Wild snag their first goal by Dany Heatley. Heatley, mind you, had been on a 9 game goal drought. That’s one thing you can count on the Flames for, hit a rough patch? Suddenly find yourself in a goal or point slump? Start firing the puck, it’ll end quickly.
The tying goal was from the same mistakes. Darroll Powe, who had 4 goals going into this game, managed to make something happen with the Flames laziness, because really that’s what it had become with all those penalties.
Yes, the Flames have a lot of injuries, but so does everyone else at this point. They have a stellar goalie and a team that can score when they manage to get their butts into gear. So what’s the excuse? The Wild are a terrible team that runs a defensive heavy offense. The attempt to mimic the New Jersey Devils trap style that Jacques Lemaire made popular in his time there, but never really succeed in their efforts. On paper, the Flames are a better team. What gives?
And as I mentioned earlier, what gives with the shoot out selection? So Alex Tanguay, Olli Jokinen, and Jarome Iginla have hit a rough patch, they are still significantly better than the four knuckle heads that took shots. You put your three best shooters in, plain and simple. When two points are so desperately needed, they should not be put in the hands of 4 less than stellar players.
Flames should have walked away with two points tonight. Picking up one point here and there will not see them into the 8th spot.
Puck drops Saturday in Dallas at noon.
Go Flames Go!