Week In Review – Calgary Flames Win Two Of Three Games

Photo Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports

The Flames went on to win two of three games this past week in some exciting preseason hockey. They travelled to Sylvan Lake, Alberta to take on the Arizona Coyotes in Hockeyville, then they took on the Vancouver Canucks, and lastly they played Jarome Iginla and the Colorado Avalanche for the first time this year.

The Flames started out the week in Sylvan Lake, Alberta to play the Arizona Coyotes. It was the preseason game to celebrate Hockeyville on CBC. What began as a shaky game turned out to be very exciting for Flames fans. The Coyotes were up by two goals when the Flames went on the power play and Deryk Engelland closed the gap with the first goal of the game. Brian McGrattan scored a beauty to start the second period which tied the game at 2. After another Coyotes goal, Sven Baertschi tied the game to finish off the second period. The third period solved nothing and the game was forced into overtime. When Curtis Glencross scored the game winning goal, the call was high-sticking and immediately called off. Because there’s no video review in preseason games, the refs all had to agree to a call change in order for the goal to count. After a few minutes of deliberation, the consensus on the ice was that the goal was good and the Flames took the game with a 4-3 win.

My 1 Star
Turner Elson. He shone brightly in Sylvan Lake and put his natural skills on display including his impressive skating and good positioning on the ice.

The second game of the week took place in Calgary as the Flames hosted the Vancouver Canucks. There were no goals in the first period in spite of Sam Bennett taking shot after shot on the Canucks net. Even though Vancouver was the first on the board, Bennett did not give up as he effortlessly walked past the Canucks defense with another shot on net. Generally, the Flames dominated the game but the Canucks got lucky and netted two goals in the first two periods. With the second period winding down, Sean Monahan did what he does best and potted a goal to break the shutout. With Ryan Culkin out of position, early in the third, the Canucks tallied another goal which led to a 3-1 Vancouver win.

My 1 Star
Sam Bennett. With seven shots on net throughout the game after sitting out due to a minor injury, he came back with a bang and proved his work ethic is exactly what the Flames offence needs. He was the best skater on the ice all night, created plays, and shot the puck as often as he could. He’s definitely making a case for keeping him in the NHL this season.

Special mention – Sven Baertschi. His position was good, he played well along the boards, and he took more shots on net than normal. If he could keep up the effort he showed in this game, I’d like to see him on the Flames roster this season.

The latest Flames game was in Colorado as they battled the Avalanche with a newly acquired Jarome Iginla. Jarome was signed to the Avs during the off-season to a 3-year, $16 million dollar contract. Matt Duchene dominated the first period, but the Flames were the first on the scoreboard as Michael Ferland opened the scoring. The shots on goal were 13-5 for Colorado after the first and the score was 1-0 in favour of the visiting team. The second period was a little more even as the Flames found their skating legs and put some pressure on the Avs. Right after the home team tied the game, Michael Ferland scored his second of the night to put the Flames up by one again. Lance Bouma is back and the shot-blocking king was in good form again as he saved the Flames throughout the game from potential disaster in their own end. Calgary won with a final score of 2-1 thanks to Ferland’s first and second period goals.

My 1 Star
My 1 star could easily be given out to Ferland for single-handedly netting both goals for the team, but I have to give it to Pat Sieloff instead. He was hit in the first period, which seemed to rattle his cage a bit as Bollig stepped in and dropped the mitts with Daniel Maggio. But, Sieloff came back in the second and third periods to throw his weight around and let the Avs know that he won’t be pushed around. He hit hard, he was in many significant plays, and he was a powerhouse of authority throughout the evening. It’s easy to see that he wants a permanent spot on the roster and he definitely proved his case against Colorado.

If this preseason is any indication as to what us fans should expect this year, it’s going to be an interesting year – one in which I hope the team can surprise us by doing better than expected.

Go Flames Go!