Calgary Flames Welcome Back Lance Bouma

The Calgary Flames victory over Winnipeg saw the much-welcomed return of Lance Bouma from his broken fibula back in early October.

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His road to recovery has been tracked by a lot of Calgary Flames fans and tonight he finally got back onto the ice after thirty games missing from the line-up.

The return of Lance Bouma for the Calgary Flames will likely be welcomed; he offers a decent piece in the penalty-kill jigsaw for the team, one much-needed based on current defensive statistics.

He offers the grit and determination needed on a solid checking line which again, much like improved penalty kill units, is much-needed by the Calgary Flames.

His return performance saw the Calgary Flames take a solid 4-1 victory over Canadian rivals, the Winnipeg Jets. Bouma himself was relatively quiet, showing a little rink rust at times, not quite at the same speed as some of the Jets on the back-check. However, he brought heart and determination, which are as key to a competitive team as goals and assists.

Clearly, the coaching staff for the Calgary Flames were being careful not to over-exert the player on his return to the ice giving him a comfortable 10 minutes, 20 seconds ice-time across eighteen shifts.

With this representing only his fourth game of the season, Lance Bouma will be longing for the Christmas break to be over so he can start building some momentum into the New Year.

For the rest of the Calgary Flames players, it represents a welcome break before facing off against cross-provincial rivals, the Edmonton Oilers in another ‘Battle of Alberta’ on Sunday, 27th December.

For Bouma, the New Year represents a new start – in fact, the start of his season with the Calgary Flames. He’ll be looking to show his presence after a team-leading 264 hits last year. No doubt, his physicality will be shown as he makes up for lost time this year.

Next: Flames Needing Big Games Against Jets

Do you welcome Lance Bouma back as a highly useful return to the Calgary Flames penalty-kill unit? What can he offer the team that has been missing? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.