I want Craig Anderson dead

Seriously, how many times can this happen?

Aside from a ten-minute lapse which saw the Avs score twice to tie the game at two in the second period, the Flames dominated this game. They fired fourty-six shots at Craig Anderson and were gifted with a powerplay in the dying minutes of regulation, which carried over into an eventual two-man advantage in overtime, on which they failed to score.

As per usual in games against the Avs, the end result left me with a hoarse voice and the desire to chuck my BlackBerry at the nearest wall, like I did after the loss to Columbus on Friday. I know the Flames aren't exactly stacked offensively, but how can any team accumulate fourty-six shots on goal and only score twice? Yes, Anderson was good. He definitely stole the game for the Avs, but he is beatable, as the Flames proved earlier in the game. He also got plenty of help from the team in front of him, who blocked twenty-seven shots, and the Flames also missed the net on eleven attempts.

They weren't all top-quality shots, and the Flames sometimes appeared as if they were trying for the perfect play or the perfect shot, but at the end of the day, Anderson stopped all but two.

Which brings me to this conclusion:

I want Craig Anderson dead. I'll hire Keith Ballard if I have to.

He looks like a mouse and is too much of a goody-two-shoes to say "ass" on TSN (around the 1:25 mark).

Watching this team try to set up a play or a shot is sometimes painful. Watching the game at home, you can see that shooting or passing lanes are opening up, but the players don't take advantage. They pass when they should have shot and shoot when they should have passed. They wait too long and fire the puck into an opposing player's shinpads, often resulting in an odd-man rush against. Obviously, this is most evident on the powerplay, which the Flames haven't scored on for five straight games and have scored just three powerplay goals in their past eleven games. They had three prime opportunities to end the game with the man advantage and were unable to capitalize on them, which cost them the extra point.

Again, we all went into the season knowing that this team wasn't outrageously talented, but the inability to finish, with the man advantage when a point and sole possession of first place in the division is on the line, is unacceptable and needs to be rectified. Jarome Iginla is in the midst of a four-game pointless streak, and the Flames' secondary scoring has all but disappeared, with players like Dawes, Sjostrom, and Boyd (until tonight) experiencing lengthy droughts. I don't know if it's going to require something as simple as switching up the players on the first and second powerplay units, changing the strategy with the extra man, or acquiring a more creative forward, but it has to get better, especially with games against teams like the Penguins, Hawks, and Sharks coming up. This team's inability to finish is costing them points and wins, which become even more crucial as the season wears on and the division and conference standings become more highly contested.

I've said it before when this team has been struggling offensively, but that Ray Whitney deal which was supposedly close to fruition earlier this season may not be such a bad idea after all, especially if he scores goals like this, against Colorado to boot:

Think about it Darryl; for the sake of my (questionable) sanity.

Unrelated:

I hate Alex Burrows as much as the next Flames fan, but his shocking testimony of referee Stephane Auger's

pre-game threats and sub-sequent exaction (is that a word?) of revenge for previous grievances is a huge blow

to what little credibility NHL officials have left.

Up Next: The defending Stanley Cup champions are in town on Wednesday (7:30PM, TSN) for a game

which I have been begging for tickets to since before the Flames' schedule was announced. I will be living

vicariously through those of you in attendance.

Go Flames Go.

Post-game Party: This one feels good

One of the main reasons I'm a self-professed pessimist is so that when my favourite hockey team turns in an effort like the one they did the other night in Vancouver, I am even more ecstatic than normal.

Given my workplace's preference for all things NFL, I missed the first two periods of Saturday's game, and was relieved to see the score tied at two after I had anticipated a blowout. I was even more pleased to see that the Flames were outshooting their divisional rivals 37-16 in the final frame.

Despite many prime opportunities to run away with the contest and regulation and some dim-witted Canucklehead's attempts to blind Miikka Kiprusoff, the game went into overtime and would eventually go to a shootout, where the Flames scored on all three shots, including the winner by resident Mr. Clutch, Jamie Lundmark, who also scored in regulation to tie things up at two after Vancouver had taken the lead. The Canucks scored on two shots and hit the post on another, preserving the two points for the good guys; and boy did they ever need it.

I wasn't aware of exactly how dominant the Flames' effort was before reading numerous game summaries and looking at stats that I have limited understanding of; Jarome Iginla, reunited in a futile first line pairing with Olli Jokinen, had arguably his best game of the season against top-quality opposition, and fired six of the team's fourty shots in Lunongo's direction. David Moss led the offensive charge with eight shots on goal. Not only did the boys in red outchance their rivals offensively, but they also punished them physically, outhitting the Canucks 39-22 and engaging in two lengthy scraps, both involving Brandon Prust and Rick Rypien. For some reason, Canucks fans are upset about this hit, accusing Rene Bourque of hitting Tanner Glass from behind, when Glass, clearly uninjured, exacted his revenge against Nigel Dawes with a similar hit later in the game, and got two minutes for his troubles.

Needless to say, this one feels good after two lacklustre efforts against lacklustre teams.

While an effort and a victory of this magnitude against a team that seemed unbeatable is encouraging, tough times lie ahead, starting with this evening's contest against the Avalanche (8PM, Sportsnet). The Avs own a 3-0 edge in the season series against their rocky mountain rivals, and the Flames would surely love nothing more than to wipe those smug little smirks off their baby faces. Easier said than done. The last time the Northwest division lead was on the line, the Flames churned out a less-than impressive performance that had Brent Sutter fuming, yet again. This is the last chance that the Flames have to make up ground in the six-game series at the 'Dome, as the next two contests will be played in Denver.

Former Flames' prospects Craig Anderson and Ryan Wilson always put on a show against their former team and, if you follow me on Twitter, you already know how I feel about Wojtek Wolski.

With the Canucks hosting the Predators tonight, this game becomes all the more important in the division standings; the Flames could very well find themselves in third place in the Northwest when this evening's events wrap up.

On the other hand, they could also find themselves in first.

Expect lots of locker-room-argument related jokes via Twitter from Adrian Dater; apparently they never get old.

Go Flames Go.

Sutter hints at character deficiencies in another loss to the Avs

If there was a shouting match after the game the last time the Flames played the Avs, the walls of the visitor's dressing room at the Pepsi Centre must have been shaking violently following this one. At least Adrian Dater thinks it's funny.

Another half-hearted effort by most involved (with the exception of #34 and #17) culminated in another frustrating loss to a division opponent tonight, when the Flames had yet another opportunity to take over sole possession of first place in the Northwest.

I turned the game off after the first period when I realized that it was likely going to be an exact replica of their 2-1 overtime loss to the Wild on Friday night, so there's not much I can say about it. After two games at home against the Avs in which the Flames probably deserved better fates, they got exactly what they deserved tonight in Denver. Once again, defensive breakdowns and offensive ineptitude sunk this team. On the last two Colorado goals, Stewart and Tucker were allowed to stand uncontested at the side of the Flames net, getting two or three clear chances before scoring.

The Flames defenders seem to think that it's illegal to tie up an opposing forward in front of the net, block a shot, or do anything that might possibly help out their poor goaltender, who is only playing the best hockey of his career and allowed more than two goals in a game for the first time in nearly a month. Jay Bouwmeester was -2 and all other d-men except Regehr (-1) were even, which essentially speaks to how bad the defensive situation was.

This game actually started off well, and the Flames had a few good scoring chances on which they failed to capitalize before the parade to the penalty box began. Undisciplined play resulted in five straight trips to the sin bin, including a double minor awarded to Curtis Glencross for high-sticking, and managed to kill off all but one two-man advantage, on which Wojtek Wolski scored. The penalty killing, now second in the league on the road, remains a high point for the Flames, but it hasn't exactly been successful in limiting its opponents shots on goal lately, as the Flames surrendered twenty to the Avalanche in the first period alone, most of which they spent short-handed.

After the first period, the Flames and Avs registered an even fifteen shots a piece, but Colorado made the most of their opportunities. Mark Giordano scored on a powerplay (!) with six minutes left to make the score 3-2, and the Flames were left to scramble for the tying goal. In the dying seconds of the game, Jarome Iginla, who is once again feeling the heat after a six-game scoring drought, broke his stick in an attempt to fire home what appeared to be a perfect pass from Bouwmeester.

Bad luck? Perhaps, but this game was over long before the final five minutes of the third period, and the Flames now find themselves in an 0-3 hole against a team they are competing with for the division lead. This team has to make their own luck by playing their style of game, which seems to have run off the rails recently. They started to get back to it in the third, but as we all know, twenty minutes of hockey just doesn't cut it most nights.

After the game, Sutter said he felt that the Flames' play from their last game against Minnesota carried over into tonight's contest; when asked why he thought that was, he replied "I don't want to get into it." Sutter seemed to be at somewhat of a loss for words during the post-game media scrum, clearly disappointed in the effort level of his club in what he believed was a very important game. Cryptic character critiques from the Bench Boss are nothing new; we heard it after the last loss to Colorado, and after that blowout loss to the Hawks on home ice. It remains to be seen if this one will have the desired effect.

The Flames stumble into St. Louis for Brett Hull Night on Tuesday sporting a less than impressive 2-3-1 record in the month of December. The Blues have lost four straight games at home, so naturally something's gotta give. The good news is that the Flames still have three games in hand on the Avs and sit only two points behind them in the standings; let's hope they make the most of it.

Flames vs. Avs, the power of Blingee

Okay, so in keeping with my promise of more frequent contributions to this here blog, I will compose a brief pre-game post for you, but mostly I just want to show you the Blingees I made last night. If you don't know what Blingees are, visit Kim and Zoe at Puck Huffers, because only they can do them justice. Anywho, inspired by their ability to summon the Penguins out of a slump by creating gaudy, over-the-top, bedazzled images featuring the likeness of a hockey player of choice and some well-placed stamps, I made it my mission to do the same. The Flames are not in a slump per-say, but I figured Blingees can serve multiple purposes, thus I present you with these creations of mine:

Myspace Glitter Graphics

Glitter Graphics

Blingees are officially the new Paint.

Ok, back to business. The Flames are back at the 'Dome after an outwardly successful three-game road trip where they earned five out of six points. Despite climbing to within one point of the Avalanche, who coincidentally, are their opponents tonight, the Flames were outworked, outshot, and generally outplayed in all but one of those games, and Brent Sutter made his displeasure with his club perfectly clear, as he always does. This is where shit starts to get serious. Yes, it's only November, but the Flames have a chance to grab the division lead with a win tonight over the Avs, who are 0-2-1 in their last three. Points at any time in the season are invaluable, as is a division lead; we all know how quickly those can disappear.

Curtis Glencross returns to the lineup tonight after serving his three-game suspension for his hit to the head of New York's Chris Drury, and was welcomed back with the assignment of first-line duty, as he will suit up alongside Iginla and Jokinen. I have expressed my displeasure with the rotating nature of the left-wing position on the Flames first line before, and believe it is something that has to be earned through hard work and consistency.

Before Glencross was suspended, he had been demoted to a third-line role as the coaching staff had been unsatisfied with his play. In his absence, Moss and Boyd really stepped up, and were some of the team's best forwards in Buffalo and Toronto; the line of Nystrom-Boyd-Moss was effective at five-on-five and on special teams, and will start the game together again tonight. Maybe Glencross will be motivated by the injustice of his three-game exile and pull one of his game-changing stunts that have endeared him to Flames fans.

The lines/pairings:

Glencross-Jokinen-Iginla

Dawes-Langkow-Bourque

Nystrom-Boyd-Moss

Sjostrom-Conroy-Prust

McGrattan is presumably a healthy scratch.

Bouwmeester-Sarich

Regehr-Phaneuf

Giordano-Pardy

Kiprusoff

This game will be a tough test for a Flames squad that seemed intimidated by the opposition's speed and aggressive forecheck in their last two outings. The key to success for them will be to limit turnovers and scoring chances off turnovers, which seems to be Colorado's go-to offensive strategy. Cleaner, quicker exits from the defensive zone are also crucial against a team like the Avs, and as always, the outshooting the opposition usually helps.

If Jokinen could get a goal or two that would be nice as well. Perhaps the Blingee I made for him will help.

Game time is 7:30 (Sportsnet West)

If procrastination were a Country, I'd be its First Lady

If procrastination were a Country, I'd be its First Lady. I really should not have a blog.

The Flames kicked off their mini-three game road trip with what was probably their best all-around effort so far this season, resulting in a 1-0 win over Montreal--Kiprusoff's 200th as a Flame, and his 31st career shutout. The Canadiens had some marvelous opportunities, including breakaway chances by both Cammalleri and Gomez, but the Flames held the edge in almost every other department in this physical affair, which saw the Habs out-hit their visitors 26-21.

The effort in Buffalo was not lacking by any means, but the Flames were clearly overwhelmed by the up-tempo, physical Sabres and allowed them to dictate the play after taking the lead early in the first period. The Flames were outshot 18-5 in the opening frame, but escaped the Buffalo blitzkrieg tied at one thanks to some timely stick-work from Cory Sarich and heroics from a certain netminder. The visitors found their legs in the second, dominating the shot clock 12-3, and played an evenly matched third period before eventually succumbing to the Sabres in a shootout.

The stat that stood out most in this game--16 missed shots by the Flames. They finished the game with 26 shots on goal, not enough against a goaltender of Ryan Miller's quality. For a team that has struggled to score goals recently, they have to get more shots on net. Another number that was hard to swallow? The Flames' 11% faceoff performance on the powerplay. They went 0-5 against the Sabres, and that horrendous faceoff percentage was likely a contributing factor. The Sabres operated at 89% shorthanded, while the Flames, boasting an extremely efficient penalty-killing unit as of late, won only 2 of 7 short-handed draws while managing to nullify all but one of Buffalo's powerplays, including one in overtime. Overall, these were my only real qualms with this game, can't complain too much about a 2-1 shootout loss in a city where this team hasn't won in thirteen years.

Yesterday's game in Toronto was an entirely different story. It all started off well; the Flames jumped out to an early two-goal lead shortly after the "80s Night" festivities had wrapped up at the ACC. Both teams were playing on the second night of back-to-back games, so some sloppiness was to be expected, but it appeared the Leafs had gotten theirs out of the way early. Toronto's relentless forecheck and consistent pressure on the Flames puck-carriers frustrated them, and resulted in some undisciplined play by the visitors. The Leafs and their 3rd best powerplay (?%$#@) capitalized, drawing within one. Dustin Boyd restored the two goal lead on a brilliant individual effort after blocking a shot in his own zone, chasing Gustavsson from the game in the process.

The second period was so atrocious I almost wanted to file it under "this shall never be mentioned again" and allow it to sit there, collecting dust forevermore. The entire twenty minute frame resembled a game of keep-away. The really twisted kind where one of the worst teams in the NHL fires twenty shots on goal compared to a supposed Stanley Cup contender's four. As you can imagine, the majority of the period was spent in the Flames' zone. When they did manage to venture past their own blueline, ill-advised passes and turnovers ensured they ended up back behind it in no time. Somehow, the Flames managed to escape the period with a one goal lead. Kiprusoff is a fucking one-man team right now. "Lights out," "Mr. Clutch," whatever you want to call him, he's been unreal. Either he is determined to prove his detractors wrong (i.e. just about all of us at some point or another) or he really, really wants to make Team Finland.

Toronto's second period outburst seemed to tire them out, and the Flames took advantage in the third. I like to think that this was their strategy all along. Iginla scored his second of the game on another of his trademark shots from the wing and Bouwmeester sealed the deal with a slapper, temporarily alleviating the Flames' nagging powerplay drought. Thank god Toronto's defence still sucks. The Flames managed to escape TO with a 5-2 win, their first at the ACC since 2000, despite getting outshot 40-22.

Notables:

The moment that made you want to laugh and cry simultaneously--Jokinen's "fight" with Francois Beauchemin. It made you want to laugh because he was instantly taken down Beauchemin--who is one tough customer--and emerged with nothing but a cut to show for his efforts, and cry out of frustration on his behalf. The big lug led the team with three hits and had three shots on goal against Buffalo and has been surprisingly decent defensively as of late, but just can't seem to catch a break. Sure the effort could be better, more consistent, but it's there. The hardest thing for a player to do when he's in a slump is to "simplify" his game, but that is exactly what Olli needs to do. Shoot the puck, use his size, and do the things that made him successful in the past. I really feel for the poor sucker.

- Derek Roy was, to borrow a phrase from the infamous Pierre McGuire, a "Monster" against the Flames on Friday night. He had 7 shots on goal (that's three more than any Flames player had in the game), scored a beauty of a goal in regulation and added another in the shootout. If you weren't considering him for Team Canada, you are now. He's fast, talented, and I think he can provide some serious energy in a third or fourth line role for Canada in 2010. I bet Iggy would love to have this little 5"9 SOB as his centreman.

- The Flames' powerplay has fallen from second in the league to twelfth. We all knew that the success they were enjoying at the beginning of the season would level off at some point, but nobody could have predicted the drop-off would be this severe. It's their powerplay faceoff percentage that worries me most--11% against the Sabres and 33% against the Leafs--since it is impossible to maintain zone presence without possession of the puck.

- Speaking of special teams, Brent Sutter said something that was of great interest to me a few days ago when describing his team's recent success on the penalty kill. He said in an article in the Calgary Herald that he had employed some of the same strategies the team had been using before he was hired as Head Coach, when they finished 5th in the league on the PK last season under the tutelage of Mike Keenan and Co. Does this mean that the previous coaching staff wasn't completely inept in the special teams department, or that the Flames just have a lot of good penalty killers on their roster?

-David Moss and Phil Kessel are cousins. Who Knew?

- Moss has been playing very well on a line with Boyd and Nystrom. The trio were some of the only forwards who were skating well and were able to establish a forecheck and good puck support in the offensive zone against both the Leafs and the Sabres.

- Robyn Regehr was +4 last night against Toronto and Dion Phaneuf was +3. If only Brent Sutter's stubbornness when it comes to pairings/line combinations would yield the same results with Jokinen and Iginla.

-Sheldon Souray finally returned to the Oilers lineup this afternoon when they faced the Thrashers in Atlanta after missing sixteen games with a concussion, blamed on an inadvertent trip by Jarome Iginla, during which Oilers fans whined incessantly about how they were missing on of their best players and practically called for a lifetime ban from the NHL for Iginla. They still lost.

Up Next: The Flames return to the 'Dome on Tuesday night to face the Avalanche, coming off an embarrassing 8-2 pounding last night at the hands of the Canucks, after which a handful of Avs players were forced to sit through HNIC's "After Hours" with Kevin Weekes and Scott Oake. The Avs won a 3-2 decision at the 'Dome back in October.

I promise to be a better fan and contribute more frequently to the hockey blogosphere this week. Pinky-swear.

Swine flu: the NHL's answer to biological warfare

It was confirmed yesterday that Oilers defenceman Ladislav Smid had the H1N1 virus after over half of the Oilers roster experienced varying degrees of the flu. The sports world is not immune to the H1N1 pandemic--in fact the conditions in most dressing rooms and arenas present an optimal breeding ground for the Swine Flu--and so far two other NHL players are currently sitting out with the virus and others claim to have had it as well.

The most worrying part of this news is that Smid did not miss a game while infected, which means he could have easily spread the Swine to other members of his team and (gasp) the opposition. Here's where my conspiracy theory kicks in--the Oilers played their last three games against Northwest division opponents, including the Flames, Canucks, and Avalanche, where Smid wasn't the only player with flu-like symptoms in the Oilers lineup. Could Swine Flu be the NHL's answer to biological warfare?

In all seriousness, this virus kills. The NHL should take it more seriously and encourage players to get vaccinated and stay away from practice/games and off-ice activities with their teammates if they are feeling under the weather. The league is taking the right steps in ensuring that players don't share water bottles or towels and having team trainers properly sanitize dressing rooms and equipment, but the players are also responsible for their own well being and, to a lesser extent, that of their teammates and other players around the league.

Flames forward Dustin Boyd missed practice Monday morning with the flu and has since been held out of further practices and will not be playing tonight as a precaution. I know that realistically, the Oilers could not have told half their roster to stay home and consume copious amounts of chicken noodle soup, but all players experiencing flu-like symptoms should be tested for the H1N1 virus and held out of the lineup until the results are confirmed; the organization should have handled the situation more carefully. Being a slightly obsessive-compulsive hypochondriac myself, I received the H1N1 vaccine today and am not experiencing any adverse effects apart from a sore arm; I encourage everyone else, especially athletes, to do the same.

In other news...

Roberto Luongo is injured and out indefinitely with...(drumroll please)...a hairline fracture in his rib. He is expected to miss about a week. Anticlimactic, isn't it? Whatever makes you feel better about allowing five goals in front of Stevie Y and Team Canada management, Bobby Lu.

I don't have Centre Ice or the NHL Network, so the games I get to choose from tonight (aside from the Flames/Avs game, which I ordered on PPV. It's my first PPV experience and I'm curious as to what all the fuss is about. Will report findings later) are Leafs vs. Stars and Sens vs. Panthers. You spoil me, TSN. Why the hell would I want to watch sub-par, Ontario-based teams play mediocre, Southern-U.S. based teams? You do know there are NHL franchises located outside of Ontario, right? The Coyotes haven't been relocated quite yet.

Adam Pardy draws back into the lineup tonight for the Flames in place of Aaron Johnson. What took so long?

IF the Flames get bodies to the net, shoot the puck, and play with disciplined physicality, they could edge Anderson and the Avs. If they don't, well, I just wasted fourteen dollars of my parent's money and this could be a very long night. We all saw how the Avs created offence off of turnovers and clogged up the neutral zone worse than fat clogs up Kyle Wellwood's arteries last night against the Oilers; Sutter and Co. undoubtably took note of that. The Flames will have to make sure they protect the puck well and not focus on gaining entry into the offensive zone solely by carrying it in; sometimes a good dump-in followed by a solid forecheck works wonders. There's probably a joke there but I can't be bothered to think about it.

May the best team win, but preferably the Flames.

PS: GET VACCINATED. THE GOVERNMENT IS NOT SPYING ON YOU BY IMPLANTING TRACEABLE MICROCHIPS INTO YOUR ARM FAT.

Post-game party: Suck it, bitches

Us Flames fans haven't had much of an opportunity to gloat thus far this season. Despite the 7-2-1 record, last night's Battle of Alberta was the most dominant effort we have witnessed ten games in. The good guys amassed a total of 38 shots on goal and outscored the Oilers 5-2, proving that they are indeed capable of a) outshooting a team and b) allowing less than three goals. So without further ado, I abandon my usual modest and cautious tendencies to celebrate this weekend's triumph in the Battle of Alberta, CFL and NHL editions, and say SUCK IT, BITCHES. The Stampeders beat the Eskimos handily Friday evening, clinching a playoff birth and winning the season series 3-1, and the Flames now hold a 3-0 advantage in this season's edition of the Battle. Throw the Hitmen in there and you've got a trifecta of Southern Alberta dominance.

Now, back to business.

The Flames appeared to be feeling the effects of their light schedule early on in the game, as the PK was caught snoozing on an early Oilers powerplay resulting from a marginal goaltender interference call on Iginla. Edmonton took the 1-0 lead just two and a half minutes in. After a spirited tilt between McGrattan and MacIntyre, the Flames found themselves down a man again after Aaron Johnson was sent off for boarding.

You begin to get the feeling that it's going to be one of those games up until Bourque and Langkow amaze you with a display of shorthanded brilliance. Bourque levels Denis Grebeshkov at the Flames' blueline, making the Oilers' d-man look rather foolish, steals the puck, and skates like there's no tomorrow to the Oilers' net on a two-on-one with Daymond Langkow. Langkow passes the puck back to Bourque who tips it past Khabibulin with ease for his fifth of the season. Bourque was everywhere in this game--killing penalties, scoring, assisting, hitting--someone get this guy a new contract already.

The period ended with a weird play in front of the benches; Zac Stortini caught Iginla, who was not in possession of the puck, with a big hit in the chest as he was about to go off for a change. Interference, right? Wrong. Iginla retaliated by wrestling the Oilers agitator into a headlock while several other Flames jumped to their Captain's defence. At the end of the scrum, Iginla ended up with the only penalty--a roughing minor. Pat Quinn slips David Banfield $100.

The Flames started the second period shorthanded, but the PK unit was on top of it this time, and Iggy escaped from the sin bin with his team unscathed. The home side took control after that, as Dawes capped off a great forechecking shift by the second line with his third goal of the season, firing a rebound off a shot by Bourque past Khabibulin. The Oilers will be seeing the Flames' second line in their nightmares.

Just thirty-six seconds later, Dustin Boyd forced a turnover deep in the Oilers' zone and managed to slide the puck over to a net-bound Eric Nystrom, who potted the loose disc to give the Flames a 3-1 lead, a goal that would later prove to be the game winner. Boyder also had five hits in this game and spent some time playing with Iginla; looks like he's finally beginning to find his niche. Back from an assortment of injuries, Moss wrestled his way to the front of the net on a powerplay midway through the period, in perfect position to tip home a slapper by Phaneuf that had 'goal' written all over it. Edmonton seems to have no answer for David Moss, who has scored all three of his goals this season against the Oil. Dustin Penner would add a powerplay goal late with Olli Jokinen in the box to pull the visitors within two. This guy thinks he's fucking Mario or something. Pissing me off.

The Oilers would enjoy a brief two-man advantage when Cory Sarich was sent to the box for a high-sticking double minor to close out the period and the hosts began the third with the odious task of killing off a four-minute Oilers powerplay. After allowing two powerplay goals in the game, the Flames PK would have none of it. They were in shooting lanes and clearing pucks like nobody's business and Kiprusoff dashed the hopes and dreams of Oilers fans with a magnificent save on Patrick O'Sullivan. Nigel Dawes potted his second of the night on a Flames powerplay midway through the period that stopped all hopes for an Oilers comeback dead in their tracks.

After a few shaky minutes to start the game, the Flames quickly shook off the rust and regained their magic touch against their provincial rivals. They took the lead and kept their collective foot on the gas, leaving the Oilers in the dust. Special teams were much improved after an abysmal performance against the Blue Jackets, and were a big part of the Flames' victory. That being said, they still need to focus on playing smart, disciplined hockey because the more chances they give the opposition on the powerplay, the worse their penalty kill is going to look. Again I was very impressed with their ability to get traffic to the net and I was ecstatic to see them fire 38 shots on goal while only allowing twenty-five. Hopefully this is a sign of Brent Sutter's system in action.

The Flames seemed to maintain fairly good defensive positioning throughout the game, but had trouble clearing the puck on occasion, which is still an area of concern for me. Thank god for Jay Bouwmeester. Despite outshooting the Oilers in the third, the Flames seemed to be fighting the puck, especially the first line, and couldn't get anything going until Dawes' goal. They turned over the puck in the neutral zone and seemed to give up too easily on plays. Iginla had an assist and fired three shots on goal, but was nowhere near as effective as he was last Tuesday despite his increased ice time in comparison to his linemates.

Speaking of points and effectiveness, here's an interesting stat line for you:

Cammalleri: Four points and a hat-trick, including the game winner in OT against the Rangers last night

Jokinen: 0G, 0A, 0P, 2PIM

We passed on Cammy for this bum?

Olli Jokinen, the Finnish Flash...in the pan.

I'm here all week, folks.

Up Next: The Colorado Avalanche are winning games like it's going out of style, and frankly, it's beginning to irritate me. The Flames will look to put a stop the resurgent young Avs' streak Wednesday at the 'Dome (7:30 MT) and improve upon their unbeaten record against Northwest division foes in the first of six meetings between the two.