Photo Credit: Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports
The Calgary Flames won another game against one of the top teams in the NHL again last night when they took on the Tampa Bay Lightning.
First period
It started off strong, the Flames got the first shot on net, but the Lightning pushed back. A big mistake by Ben Bishop, putting the puck right on the tape of Mike Cammalleri‘s stick, ended up in an easy goal by the Flames. Barely a few seconds later, Kevin Westgarth netted another one to put the Flames up by two goals in the first period. The Lightning had their chances on the Flames net, but Karri Ramo stood solid and wouldn’t allow a single goal in the first period.
Second period
The first half of the second was pretty even with a lot of back and forth play. The second half turned much more interesting as the first penalty of the game was handed out to T.J. Brodie which gave the Lightning the chance to score. No goals were scored on the power play, but Ondrej Palat would bring the Lightning within one goal of the Flames before the end the period.
Third period
The Flames held onto the lead throughout the period as the play was back and forth in both zones. But on a power play, Curtis Glencross scored to put the Flames up by two again. With the last few seconds dying down in the third, and Bishop on the bench, Glennie scored an empty netter to take the Flames over the Lightning by a score of 4-1.
Confession: I didn’t think we’d win this. Considering that half our team was left off last night’s roster, and a handful of rookies led the team, I thought the Flames would be schooled in the fine art of hockey the Stamkos way. To my surprise, this young team took a step in the right direction and proved that they can be counted on even when adversity strikes in the form of Steven Stamkos.
Will this be the norm for the Calgary Flames from now on, or is this just a fluke that they seem to be doing well in their first year of a rebuild?
My 1 Star
Curtis Glencross. With a powerplay goal and an empty net goal in the game against Tampa Bay, he’s one of those players who is understated when he plays well yet seems to be crucified when he doesn’t produce quite as well as he could. He earned himself a hat trick against the Oilers soon after his return from an injury that forced him to miss 29 games this season. He’s not a flashy forward, he doesn’t celebrate every goal as though he won the cup, and he doesn’t seem overly vocal on the bench. But his no-quit attitude is admirable and obvious by the way he plays. Instead of taking a step back, he’s always one of the first to take a step forward in an effort to make things better when the going gets tough. Understated, productive, and ambitious, Glennie deserves my first star for his role in taking the team over the Lightning last night.
Go Flames Go!