Photo Credit: Candice Ward-USA TODAY Sports
With seven goals, four of which came in the first period, the Calgary Flames won last night at the Saddledome over the Anaheim Ducks.
After the first three goals in the first period by Mikael Backlund, Mike Cammalleri, and T.J. Galiardi, Jonas Hiller was pulled out of net and replaced by Frederik Andersen. It didn’t seem to help much as the Flames went on to score four more goals throughout the rest of the game.
It was another night of first as Ladislav Smid earned his first goal as part of the Flames franchise. Corban Knight, one of the newest Flames rookies, tallied his first NHL goal as well.
Brian McGrattan threw a few punches at Bryan Allen of the Ducks and, even though he didn’t physically salute the crowd at the Dome, we all saw the Big Ern grin that told us he saluted us anyway.
Tyler Wotherspoon and Lance Bouma each took a puck to the face and went down the tunnel to the dressing room, only to be back on the bench soon afterwards. Mikael Backlund blocked a shot with his foot, which left him in some pain as he hobbled off the ice, but he returned to the bench soon after as well.
Throughout seven goals by Backlund (2), Cammalleri, Galiardi, Giordano, Smid, and Knight, assists were handed out to Brodie (2), Byron (2), Bouma (2), Backlund, Giordano, Russell, Westgarth, Hanowski, and Ortio. Yes, Joni Ortio collected his second assist in six games with the Flames so far this season. Will he assist more goals as we near the end of the season?
Mikael Backlund opened the scoring for the Flames and Corban Knight closed it out as the final score ended up 7-2 in favor of the home team.
You can read all about the game recap on the Flames website.
My 1 Star. Lance Bouma.
Not only is he an offensive juggernaut, he’s also a defensive warrior. He blocks shots like defense is his natural position and, after taking pucks to the face, he’s back on the ice for his next shift to grab an assist on the next goal. This third round pick for the Flames in the 2008 Entry Draft was a steal of a deal considering that Bouma has progressed by leaps and bounds this season alone. At the young age of 23, he’s hitting new heights in his hockey career and he has a long, exciting road ahead of him in the NHL. I’m happy he’s part of the Flames youth movement, where he can evolve into the best player possible. With each game, Bouma proves his worth as a hockey player and as part of the Flames family.