Photo Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports
Well, we knew it wouldn’t be easy – and it wasn’t. It never is. Even after being up by two goals, the Flames are getting really good at losing games in the final minutes of play.
The first period started off rough as Cammalleri and then Brodie took penalties in the first few minutes of the game. Some of the calls by the refs were questionable at best, considering the lack of icing calls against the Blackhawks and sending Cammy to the box for “hooking.” Luckily, our penalty-kill teams were up to the challenge and both PKs ended without any goals being scored by Chicago.
But that didn’t stop the Blackhawks from putting a lot of pressure on the Flames net. Once Cammalleri was back on the ice, he seemed hungry for a goal, but wasn’t able to bury one in the first period. There were a few nice chances for the Flames, but newcomer, Antti Raanta, stoned every shot that Calgary took.
A hard hit on Stajan was answered by Blair Jones and the Hawks player backed off. Momentum stared to wane as the second half of the period started. McGrattan took it upon himself to take care of that with just over five minutes left in the period. McGrattan took on Bollig in a fisticuffs that was hard-hitting and resulted in lighting a fire under the Flames that filtered into the second period.
The Flames started off the second period with good pressure on the Chicago net but couldn’t seem to get one past Raanta. It was just a matter of time until the momentum was lost and that’s exactly what happened. The offence took a break from playing and it was time for the defense to step up. Smid did a great job of blocking shots in front of Berra, but he’s not a one-man team. Kane rang one off the Flames post, which must have woke the Flames up a bit. After an unsuccessful PP, a bad turnover by Chicago resulted in a Flames goal by Stajan. The score was 1-0 for the Flames to end the second.
Right at the start of the third, the Flames’ most powerful line made their way down the ice to pot another goal. A beauty pass by Hudler landed on the stick of Monahan who took his shot and widened the gap between the Flames and the defending Stanley Cup Champions. It was 2-0 for the Flames.
And then it happened. The “what if” goal – the goal that never happened – haunted us fans as we sat back with jaws agape. Monahan held the puck in the Hawks zone, made a great pass to an incoming Baertschi, and, when Baertschi took a shot on net, the vibrating sound of the puck hitting the post would resonate with the team and fans for the rest of the game. It haunted us as Kane continued his 12 game point streak with a goal later in the period and again when Sharp would score to even the score. And that “what if” goal that never happened would haunt us once again with barely 18 second left in the third period when Kane would go on to score the game winning goal for the Chicago Blackhawks. Ouch.
My 1 Star
I’m giving this one to #22 Lee Stempniak. His presence on ice during this game was stellar. He hustled in the opposing end, he made himself available in front of the Hawks net, and he forced himself into position as often as he was needed. He was a rocket on ice and he has been a very underrated player this season.
My Thoughts
It’s nice to see the Flames standing up for each other this year. After the past few seasons, I’ve noticed that some of the players have hesitated to stick up for each other. Hits were going unanswered, showering the goalie (in particular, Kiprusoff) was barely acknowledged, and it was like watching a group of players who all wanted to be the star instead of working together as a team. This year is much different and I’m happy with the changes. It’s refreshing to see Blair Jones step up to the plate when his teammates take hits by the opposition. I am starting to feel that this group of players wants to be more than just a group of single all-stars. Instead, they are working together to achieve a bigger goal. It’s been a long time since we’ve seen this Flames team work together as…a team.