Photo Credit: Candice Ward-USA TODAY Sports
Calgary visited Rexall Place last night to take on the Edmonton Oilers. Is the Battle Of Alberta a thing of the past? Last night’s final score would lead me to believe it is – and it’s been over for a long time. It no longer holds the fireworks it once had. Now it’s just a matter of goal differences.
The first period was lacklustre as the Oilers opened the scoring to take an early lead. But it didn’t take the Flames long to even the score and take complete control of the game. After Kevin Westgarth dropped the mitts with Luke Gazdic again and found retribution in wake of their last match-up, when Westy ended up leaving the game with a concussion, Mark Giordano opened the scoring for the Calgary team a minute later.
Even though the score was tied after the first period, 1-1, Mike Cammalleri, true to form, sniped the second goal for Calgary in the beginning of the second period. When Matt Stajan was allowed a penalty shot, to which he emotionally dedicated the goal on ice to baby Emerson up in heaven, he led the cavalry in gaining momentum and exposing the cracks on the Oilers team. Paul Byron and Curtis Glencross would close out the period with a couple more goals to widen the scoring gap by four goals going into the final frame.
The floodgates opened in the third period and brought on total domination by the Flames team and a lot of frustration on the Oilers bench as Taylor Hall slammed a water bottle on the floor, the remnants of which splashed coach Dallas Eakin. After a minor verbal dispute, the Oilers looked shaken and stirred as the Flames went on to score three more goals and take the win.
My 1 Star
Curtis Glencross. He missed 29 games with a broken ankle and it seemed to take him forever to heal. Even with his team being up by four goals against Edmonton, netting one of those goals himself, he did not give up. He scored a hat trick on away ice and confirmed that he’s not just on the team to win, but to win by a large margin. I’ve been watching Glennie for a lot of years on the Flames team and I believe the no-quit attitude started with him. With the Oilers in the cellar by the end of the second period, Glencross could have eased up – but he didn’t. Or maybe it’s that he can’t. When he gets out on the ice, he’s in it to win, whether by one goal or by seven goals.
Go Flames Go!