Photo Credit: Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports
It was a battle of back and forth as the Calgary Flames visited the Edmonton Oilers in a game that wasn’t decided until the very end in overtime.
The first period was a fast-paced game of cat and mouse as the pressure shifted from the Flames to Oilers and then back again. The Sean Monahan, Joe Colborne pair opened the scoring early, further proving that the fate of the Flames is falling into the hands of the younger players on the team. From behind the net, Mony made his way in front, grabbed a feed from Colborne, spun around, and shot the puck at Ilya Bryzgalov, finding the back of the net and opening the scoring for the Flames. With the effort and skill of the Monahan, Colborne, Granlund line, I knew it was just a matter of time until another goal would be ours.
The Oilers seems frustrated and Luke Gazdic took it upon himself to change momentum by taking a few swings at Kevin Westgarth. I didn’t think much about the tilt at first until Westy fell to the ice in a heap and was escorted off by Mark Giordano and others and didn’t return to the game. It was announced that Westgarth will be further evaluated in Calgary. Get better Westy, we’ll be waiting for your return. I can’t imagine what Brian McGrattan must have been thinking during that tilt. I have a feeling the last match-up between these two teams will be a physical one while trying to find retribution for the Westgarth tilt.
The second period was split in half. The Flames faded to the background in the first half, depending on their defensive lines to keep them in the game while the Oilers took over. When Chris Butler almost kicked the puck into the Flames net, I could hear the gasping all the way from Edmonton. Ladislav Smid always seems to block shots every game that stand out and last night was no exception as he took a hard shot to the ribs in order to keep the Flames on top for another period.
The second half of the middle period was more Flames, less Oilers as the team came back together offensively and attempted to win the shots on net battle. No scoring in the second frame led to an intense third period.
The third period opened with an intensity to win and the Oilers proved that when Perron scored in the beginning to tie the game at one. And they didn’t let up. Edmonton put a lot of pressure on the Flames net during the entire period but just couldn’t find the back of the net. A defensive breakdown by the Flames led to the Oilers dominating the period. Reto Berra was stellar in net and kept the Flames alive long enough to move into an overtime period.
Not even two minutes into the OT period, Monahan again got his stick on the puck from a feed by Paul Byron, leading the Flames to win with a score of 2-1. Overall, the Flames won the shots on net with 30 compared to the Oilers 22.
My 1 Star
Sean Monahan
With both goals during the game, including the game winner in overtime, Monahan is quickly proving that the Flames are doing a rebuild right. He’s been a constant source of dependability, speed, and goal-scoring ideology. He shines at the most opportune times, and he’s always in the right place at the right time. He reads plays well and he works well within the Flames systems. He’s not afraid to try new things on the ice and take chances in order to help the team. His natural abilities have been a shining example of excellence on the NHL platform. With 16 minutes of ice time, Mony made the best of every second and received both goals for the Flames.
Go Flames!