Sunday's hockey happenings

Between work and studying for mid-terms, I've barely left the house this weekend and I thought a Sunday night without a single NHL game on the schedule would give me ample opportunity to get all caught up on past few days' happenings.

The Flames improved their record over Northwest division opponents to 4-0 Friday night with a 5-3 victory over the Canucks. They went about it in a convincing way for the first forty minutes, carrying a 5-0 lead into the third period. The Canucks got on the board at 6:55 of the final frame, and the hosts did a pretty good job at maintaining their composure until the final three minutes of the game. With Bouwmeester in the box for hooking and Boyd serving a too many men penalty, the Canucks capitalized and scored two quick goals. The Flames managed to hold off the surge and hold on for the victory as Alex Burrows quelled his team's momentum with a late goaltender interference penalty which ate up the remainder of the period.

I really liked what I saw from this team until the third period. They came out with a lot of energy, played physical, and showed flashes of good defensive positioning. The Boyd-Prust-McGrattan line put on quite a show, making me feel sufficiently foolish for questioning Brent Sutter's methods. McGrattan completed the Gordie Howe hat-trick while Boyd scored a goal and an assist and Prust chipped in with two helpers. Boyd is really starting to heat up after a slow start resulting from a concussion he sustained during pre-season. I didn't even know that until yesterday, poor Boyder. He had multiple chances during the game against Vancouver and had a great game all around, finishing the evening +1 in eight minutes of ice time.

The Iginla-Conroy-Glencross line didn't exactly pan out the way the Coach was hoping, and if I'm not mistaken it wasn't long before Jokinen was moved back onto the top unit in a desperate bid to ignite the captain. Iginla had five shots on goal and wasn't TERRIBLE, but wasn't especially noticeable either as he cracked the 20 minute mark in ice time. Glencross was great, scoring a beauty of a shorthanded goal and finishing the evening +2, while Jokinen...well, he finished with two shots on goal and not much else. The lack of production from our top forwards is disconcerting, and while the performances of Bourque, Boyd, Glencross, and the likes is encouraging, the levels of offence they are providing are probably not sustainable. Jokinen and Iginla have to be better.

On the defensive side of things, Robyn Regehr was much improved Friday night, and finished +3 while Phaneuf finished +2; perhaps this pairing is finally beginning to work? Bouwmeester and Sarich were steady, while Giordano and Pardy stuggled slightly. The shots ended up 29-24 for Vancouver, which still isn't great, especially considering the Flames led for the majority of the game, but is an improvement. The Flames' faceoff performance was sort of a mixed bag; at even strength they were 39%, while they finished 67% on the powerplay and 56% shorthanded for a total of 47%.

The Flames devoted their entire practice to special teams Sunday morning, after their 16th ranked penalty kill allowed two goals on five Vancouver powerplays. I am not yet sure whether or not to be concerned about this. What concerns me more is this team's tendency to allow multiple goals in short periods of time with such alarming frequency. I don't ever recall this happening so often as it has so far this season, and I don't understand it whatsoever. What are we paying our high-priced defence and goaltender for if not to shut down the opposing team's forwards and limit scoring chances? This habit absolutely has to stop.

In other news...

Here's something funny:

There's your game winner. Take that, Chicago.

Chuck Kobasew was traded to the Minnesota Wild today for Craig Weller, a second round pick in 2011, and the rights to prospect Alexander Fallstrom. That seems like a lot to give up in exchange for a twenty-goal guy like Kobasew, as much as I love him. Minnesota must have been desperate for a top-six forward. Looks like we'll be seeing a lot more of each other this season, Chuckie.

In Oilers news/salacious gossip, Sheldon Souray's ex-wife Angelica Bridges, who appeared on the popular 90s show "Baywatch", has apparently accused him of "tricking" her into a divorce and withholding the details of the fat $27 million deal he signed with the Oilers in the summer of 2007 from her. She has also accused him of abuse in the past and is fighting for custody of their two young daughters, currently residing with Souray, who has yet to speak on the matter. To top it all off, TMZ has got hold of the story. Yikes. What is it with Edmonton Oilers' defencemen and their gossip-worthy tendencies? Oilers management really knows how to pick 'em.

Up Next: The Flames host the Blue Jackets on Tuesday, looking to avenge a loss in Columbus last week. The Flames have a light schedule during this five game home-stand, as they don't play again till Saturday after Tuesday's match, and are then off until the following Wednesday. Symptoms of Flames Withdrawal are beginning to set in already.

Good lord, it's worse than we thought

Remember when we were 4-0? Those were the days. After another lacklustre performance in Columbus on Tuesday, Coach Sutter was finally forced to shuffle the proverbial deck. The results: Jarome Iginla is playing on a line with Conroy and Glencross, while Olli Jokinen has been demoted to the third line with Sjostrom and Nystrom. That's right folks, we're paying a third-line centre $5.25 million this season. This isn't even the worst part; the fourth line will be made up of Boyd, Prust, and McGrattan. Poor Boyd, what did he do to deserve being stuck on the fourth line with the goon twins? No offence to Brandon Prust, who has proved that he possesses skill as well as a keen ability to agitate the opposition, but a) why is there a need for two enforcer types on the same line? and b) why don't the Flames just scratch McGrattan and call up someone like Jaffray or Lundmark, who cost less and are more capable?

The line changes didn't affect the second line of Dawes, Langkow, and Bourque, even though the trio has not been especially effective as of late, with the exception of Bourque, and Dawes is apparently playing hurt. I don't know if moving Conroy to the first line is the right idea. When Conroy was re-acquired from the Kings, Playfair tried to re-ignite the chemistry between him and Iginla on the first line, but the former spark was now a dull-burning ember, and both players seemed to have moved on. Iginla and Langkow have each had career seasons playing together, and I don't see the harm in reuniting the two, they obviously know each other's habits and tendencies well and enjoy playing with each other.

To add insult to injury Tuesday against the Blue Jackets, it was two former Flames that contributed to their visitor's demise: Kristian Huselius and Anton Stralman. I will confess to being a huge fan of Huselius during his stint in Calgary, even though he was plagued by inconsistency and defensive irresponsibility. I knew he wasn't an ideal Sutter player, and that he wouldn't be sticking around much longer once Keenan took the reigns, so I refrained from purchasing a #20 Flames jersey. I have learnt over the years never to invest too much in a particular player, because it seems my favourite players always seem to skip town one way or another, via trade or free agency.

Anyways, back on topic; the Flames host the Canucks tomorrow, minus one of the creepy Sedin twins. The Sedins eat Flames defencemen for dinner. Having the luxury of one of them being injured is HUGE for us, but will this team be able to take advantage? D. Sedin's absence from the lineup didn't seem to affect Vancouver as much as the absence of defenceman Sami Salo, as the team squandered a lead late against the Stars last weekend, but managed to emerge victorious in the shootout.

Once again, the key to the Flames' success lies in their forecheck, getting pucks and bodies to the net, maintaining a presence in the offensive and neutral zones, and attention to detail defensively. The Flames actually improved in the faceoff circle in their loss to Columbus, with Craig Conroy leading the way winning thirteen draws. While this is a good sign, the Flames were again outshot 33-23 and outhit by a 40-31 margin against the Blue Jackets. These trends need to change if the Flames have any hopes of earning two points against the Canucks tomorrow. It seems too early to say that this is a must-win game, but to rehash an old cliche, points in October matter just as much as those in March and April, and breathing room in the Northwest is already limited.

Post-game Party: Flames 5, Canucks 3

Somewhere in the Saddledome, Miikka Kiprusoff is cursing his defencemen and anticipating another long season. The Flames' #1 'tender was forced to make thirty-nine saves against the Vancouver Canucks as the team narrowly escaped with their first 'W' in a home opener since 2001.

The atmosphere was electric as the Flames stepped onto out the ice in their vintage duds in front of a sold out crowd, and the home team seemed to ooze confidence early on. The Flames got off to a good start and showed a lot of jump in the opening minutes, drawing two penalties from the sluggish Canucks and capitalizing on both powerplays to take a 2-0 lead eight minutes in with goals from Giordano and Bourque.

The boys in red would hold the early advantage in the hits department as well as the scoresheet, with Eric Nystrom and Dion Phaneuf both dishing out monstrous hits in the opening frame. Phaneuf energized the crowd and drew the ire of many a Canuck late in the period when he caught Daniel Sedin with his head down just outside the Flames' blueline. Calgary would enter the first intermission with a comfortable 3-0 lead thanks to an even-strength tally by Adam Pardy. The best part of the period, however, was when the HNIC crew compared Luongo's shaky play to his infamous 7-goals-against performance in Game 6 of the Western Conference semis...ouch.

After a quick breather, the Canucks would score on a powerplay of their own early in the second to cut the Flames' lead to two. Brandon Prust would restore the three-goal cushion after scoring on a spectacular individual effort deep in the offensive zone. The Flames started to lose their cool midway through the second period as the Canucks poured on the pressure; undisciplined play led to two straight minor penalties and Vancouver would capitalize on the latter with under two minutes left to play in the second.

The Flames took a two-goal advantage into the third period, but that would prove to be short-lived. Just 0:41 into the final frame, super-pest extraordinaire Alex Burrows scored on a shot that Kiprusoff looked to have under control, but the puck would trickle across the line as #34 leant back to try and smother the loose disc. The Flames 'D' appeared to be MIA during said play and were unable to clear the puck after a series of fumbled opportunities. It was at this moment that I was first tempted to change the channel, but I resisted.

The Canucks would continue to skate circles around the Flames and cycle the puck like nobody's business, at one point the shots were 17-1 in favour of the Vancouverites. I think the Canucks must have spent a total of about fifteen minutes in the Flames' zone in the third period, causing me to utter a string of profanities I won't repeat on this here blog. Thankfully, Kipper, possessed by the spirit of his former Vezina-winning self, saved the day with a series of other-wordly saves to preserve the 1-goal lead.

When Daymond Langkow was sent to the sin bin for hooking with just over six minutes remaining, I finally flipped the channel to Grey's Anatomy. I don't even watch that show. After taking a few minutes to collect myself, I cautiously flipped it back to find out that the Flames had actually managed to kill off the penalty. Shortly thereafter, the Canucks pulled Luongo for the extra attacker and I briefly flipped back to GA before Dion Phaneuf rifled a slapper into the empty net to seal the victory for the Flames.

The Flames' second and fourth lines had the best showing of the forward bunch, with the trios of Bourque-Langkow-Dawes and Nystrom-Sjostrom-Prust generating the most chances. Prust and Bourque were especially outstanding. Mark Giordano was the Flames' best blueliner, finishing +1 with a goal and an assist, while Jay Bouwmeester was also very steady, leading the team in ice time and finishing the evening a +2. Kiprusoff was spectacular and cannot really be faulted on any of the Canucks' goals, except perhaps the third one. He single-handedly held his team in the game and provided stability on the frantically scrambling back-end in the third period. Hopefully that trend continues throughout the season.

Overall, I am happy with the win, but again, I wish it had come in a more consistent fashion. After controlling the play for the first period and a half, the Flames let the game get away from them and were badly outplayed, getting outshot by a 3-1 margin in the third period and 42-22 overall. Brent Sutter again reiterated the fact that they still have a lot of work to do and repeated essentially the same quote that I used in an earlier post pertaining to the Flames spending too much time in their own zone and allowing the other team to take over, resulting in over-reliance on a certain goaltender.

The fact that B. Sutter recognizes the problem areas is a good start, but how will he address them? Undoing years of lax defensive play and bad habits is not going to happen overnight, I realize that, but I sincerely hope the message gets through sooner rather than later and I don't have to hear a re-tooled version of this speech during every post-game media session in the near future.

Elsewhere in the League:

- Sakic's retirement ceremony was not quite the tear-jerker I was expecting

- Dany Heatley finished his first game in Sharks silks with zero points and a -3 rating as SJ falls to the lowly Avs 5-2. How long before he wants out? Over/under?

- The Bruins stunk up the joint in a 4-1 loss to the Caps in their home opener. Ovechkin scored twice. Typical.

- I still like Mike Cammalleri, even as a Canadien

Up Next: Round 1 of the Battle of Alberta goes down Saturday night at Rexall Place. Quick, somebody hide Nikolai Khabibulin's Gatorade!

Quote of the day/pre-season wrap up

"I really liked our first and third period. I didn't like the second. We stood around a lot and let them take the play to us. We spent too much time in our own end and you end up relying on one guy, your goalie, too much."--Brent Sutter

Bingo.

Fix it, please.

This quotation basically sums up my biggest issue with the Flames in recent years. They are seemingly incapable of turning in a solid, sixty-minute effort on a consistent basis. That being said, I missed the Flames' lone televised pre-season game last night (I know, I'm terrible, but I'm a working gal now) but from what I've gathered, the Flames could have summoned up a better effort against a Canucks squad missing nine regulars including their nemeses, the Sedins. Miikka Kiprusoff was Flames' best player by a wide margin(collective sigh of relief), making 35 of 36 saves before getting beaten by Mason Raymond on the lone shootout goal, which proved to be the winner for the Canucks.

David Moss was very effective after missing most of the pre-season with a lower body injury, and scored the Flames' only goal on a line with Jokinen and Iginla. Bourque also looked like he was finally beginning to shake off the rust, showing his speed on a breakaway chance in the first period. It sounds as though the line of Dawes, Langkow, and Bourque could prove to be a regular season mainstay, and Moss seemed to fit in nicely on the first line.

On the defensive side of things, Dion Phaneuf continued to improve, as he led the team in ice time en route to collecting an assist and a +1 rating, hopefully a sign of things to come in early October. Anton Stralman had what was perhaps his least impressive showing of the pre-season, finishing -1 in just over eleven minutes of ice time. In special teams news, the penalty kill still appears to be strong point while the impressive powerplay production the Flames enjoyed early in the pre-season was nowhere to be seem, which is slightly worrisome and will probably be one of the biggest areas of concern heading into the regular season.

The Flames finished the preseason 3-2-2; not bad, but not great. It is common knowledge that pre-season has little to no significance in the grand scheme of things, but I think most Flames fans wish they had seen a little more consistency from the supposed "big guns" in preparation for opening night. I suppose we will have to wait until then to find out whether Coach Sutter's message has sunk in or not.

NHL Countdown: 4 DAYS

Pre-season hockey: the bane of my existence

This pre-season business is getting awfully tiring. I feel as if by Saturday evening, I will be crouched in a dark corner somewhere repeating the phrase "it's only pre-season," over and over.

After a solid outing Sunday night at home against the Panthers, the Flames looked like a team playing their third game in as many nights yesterday evening in Vancouver, especially on the defensive side of things. Despite overcoming an early 3-0 deficit and even taking the lead midway through the third period, the Flames couldn't hold off their division rivals and fell 5-4 in a shootout at the hands of a certain Swede, being outshot almost 2-1 in the process.

Given my feelings of contempt for the Canucks, a result such as this during the regular season would probably send me spiraling into a fit of rage and despair, but I have decided to approach this loss with a level-headed, pre-season mentality and give this team the benefit of the doubt.

The thing that irks me most about this particular pre-season is that the bad habits this team has developed don't seem to be in any rush to dissipate. While I have noticed an improvement in special teams, I have yet to see a solid first period, a consistent defensive effort, or a convincing display of goaltending. In the words of Curtis McElhinney, "you look at the game tonight and there’s plenty of evidence that there’s plenty of work to be done."

As much as I have tried to keep my expectations for this squad at a reasonable level, I can't help but feel somewhat discouraged. With further cuts to the roster announced yesterday, we should see a familiar lineup consisting of veterans and prospects still getting a final look by team management in the two remaining pre-season tune-ups. You have to think that Mikael Backlund will be assigned to Abbotsford in the next couple days along with a number of other prospects like Sutter and Kronwall as the final roster begins to materialize.

The question marks surrounding Rene Bourque's status were not alleviated after his first appearance of the pre-season last night. While he is supposedly healthy and in game shape, he showed signs of rust and wasn't his usual tenacious self, finishing the game a -1 with a single shot on goal in eighteen minutes of ice time. The precarious situation surrounding the Flames' top-six was exacerbated following David Moss' absence from yesterday's game due to a "minor injury."

Daily requirement of optimism:

- After an iffy start to last night's game, Jay Bouwmeester finished +2 with a goal and an assist, his best outing as a Flame so far.

- Glencross and Jokinen continue to impress, especially on the man advantage

- Brandon Prust finished the evening a +2 with two assists

- Curtis McElhinney rebounded from an unfavourable start to make 30 saves on 34 shots

- Another solid outing for Calgary's PK unit, which nullified all five of the Canucks' powerplays

Unrelated:

- Congratulations are in order to Anton Stralman, who did not travel with the team to Vancouver due to the birth of his child

- Mike Komisarek is playing tonight vs. Pittsburgh. Not all that well, but nonetheless... *swoon*

- Phil Kessel has this permanent scowl on his face that, combined with the facial hair, kind of makes him look like a grumpy caveman.

Up Next: The Flames will travel north on Highway 2 to face the Oilers tomorrow night in Edmonton for their final road game of the pre-season.

Back to the future

As most of you probably know by now, the Flames unveiled their much anticipated vintage getups today in honour of the club's 30th season. The uniforms, complete with red helmets, will be worn five times throughout the season when the Flames play other Canadian clubs, including opening night when they host the rival Canucks. I love the jerseys, and am glad the Flames have finally jumped on the vintage bandwagon, as it seems almost every other Canadian team has already donned their old-school duds. Elsewhere on the interweb, some fans are unhappy with the idea of a 30th anniversary crest, which was revealed earlier this summer by the always knowledgeable icethetics.

The crest can be added to any jersey for free at Fanattic locations citywide, from what I've gathered, and will appear on Saddledome ice for the duration of the season. I have no problem with the Flames celebrating their 30th anniversary, it's an important milestone considering this team almost didn't make it to 20. I actually don't mind the crest, I think it's creative and different, but I can see how it might take some getting used to. Final verdict: Pass. I hope to add one of these jerseys to my collection in the near future.

PS: did anybody else notice how Jim Peplinski is wearing jersey number 24 (now Conroy's number) complete with the captain's 'C'? Irony? Weird future premonition? Me reading too much into an innocent photo op? Who knows.

PPS: Jason Smith retired today. I don't know about everyone else but I totally did not see that one coming. I've always had a certain affinity for the hometown boy, a hardworking, stay-at-home defenceman who never gave anything but his best. It's too bad he spent most of his career as an Oiler. Sad to see him go.

Elsewhere in the league--the Canucks officially announced the signing of Roberto Luongo to a 12-year/$64 million extension today. Another one of those iffy front-loaded deals, not unlike those awarded to Hossa and Pronger earlier this summer, that will see Luongo earn significantly less towards the end of the contract, when the captain will be 42 years of age. Although Luongo's extension won't kick in until the 2010-2011 season, the Canucks are already over the cap, which means they will likely have to shed salary before the start of the regular season.

The Flames rewarded their season ticket holders today by sending Dustin Boyd, Cory Sarich, Curtis McElhinney, and Jamie Lundmark door-to-door to deliver the tickets to a few lucky Calgarians selected at random. I'm assuming Jarome Iginla, Dion Phaneuf, Miikka Kiprusoff, and Robyn Regehr all had other plans? Nonetheless, I'm extremely jealous. The footage of Evgeni Malkin delivering season tickets to unsuspecting Pittsburgh fans still takes the cake, I'm not quite sure he realized what he was getting himself into. So cute. Anyways, now is not the time for details about my embarrassing crush on the goofy-looking Penguins centre; perhaps another day.

Flames stars fail to stand out at orientation scrimmage

As I was flying home from Toronto during last night's sold out conclusion to Team Canada's 4-day camp with my brand new Olympic jersey (in red) stowed safely away in my carry-on bag, I couldn't help but wonder how the Flames' four invitees would perform. Turns out they were far from spectacular. 

Iginla was outshone by linemates Sidney Crosby and Rick Nash until he was replaced by St. Louis, Phaneuf committed a glaring defensive zone error which led to a goal for Team White and was limited by the game's lack of physical play, as was Regehr. Bouwmeester, who like Scott Neidermayer, is at his best when he goes unnoticed, took an unnecessary tripping penalty against Jason Spezza. Is this simply off-season rust, or should Flames fans be worried? After all, Martin Brodeur, Roberto Luongo, Ryan Smyth, and even embattled winger Dany Heatley seemed to have no problem making an impact on Team Canada's management. 

What could be the cause of this lackluster showing? Pressure to perform? Surely veterans of one or more Olympic games like Iginla, Regehr, and Bouwmeester wouldn't be intimidated by the competition and watchful eyes and expectations of fans and Canada's coaching staff? Could it be lack of motivation? Every Canadian player at any level would kill to lace up the skates for Canada, especially to avenge the Turin debacle that participants such as Iginla have been citing as a source of motivation all week. And the threat of injury? Regehr and Phanuef both claim to have fully recovered from late-season injuries, and Hockey Canada purchased full-coverage insurance policies for each player attending the camp in the event of an injury. 

So what could possibly be deterring four of our best players from giving their all in an effort to impress the men who will ultimately determine their Olympic fate? The only one of that elite group who is considered a lock for the team is Iginla, drawing on his previous international experience and veteran status. Considering Canada's depth on defence, the other three are easily replaceable. If these players who account for the majority of Calgary's core are unable to commit to a system that will simply require a consistent effort and responsibility at both ends of the ice over a two-week period, how will they respond to Brent Sutter's similar coaching style come training camp?  

Perhaps I'm overreacting to a game that will probably prove to be insignificant in the grand scheme of things (and I really wish I could've been there, it sounded awesome), but I feel as if Flames players could have used this opportunity, on home ice, to prove to their fans that they're not only ready for the Olympics, but ready for the season. On the contrary, I got the impression that we should expect another slow start to the 2009-10 season. With the Canucks shoring up their defence today with the additions of Schneider, Ehrhoff, and Lukowich, competition in the Northwest will be stiff. Training camp is quickly approaching, and the Flames will need Iginla, Regehr, Bouwmeester, and Phaneuf to be in top form if they are to make any noise in the West, let alone at the Olympics. 

Canucks interested in Heatley?

Being in the Northwest Division, it's hard not to pay attention to the off-season happenings of our rivals. After a relatively quiet summer, the Canucks seem to be saving their best for last as rumblings of the team's interest in disgruntled winger Dany Heatley arise. As of now, there are no details of just what the package to acquire Heatley would include, but Bryan Murray will no doubt ensure that he gets fair market value for his 50-goal scorer. Would the Canucks be willing to part with WJHC darling Cody Hodgson and/or 2009 1st round selection Jordan Schroeder? Vancouver will have to be confident that Heatley won't come down with a sudden onset of Sundin syndrome if they are to pull the trigger, because he definitely won't come cheap.

 The three-way deal between Ottawa, Montreal, and San Jose rumoured earlier this month included big name Sharks Marleau and Cheechoo, and the Senators will surely want at least one proven roster player in return to fill the hole left by Heatley. Now that Edmonton is out of the running in the Heatley Sweepstakes and he supposedly wants to play out West, San Jose and Vancouver seem like the most likely destinations, but both will need to clear cap space to accommodate his super-sized contract, especially if the Canucks are to get a long-term deal with Luongo done sometime this season. Regardless of who ends up acquiring the talented Calgarian, overpaying for Heatley could have dire long-term consequences. Just ask the Ottawa Senators. 

NHL Countdown: 49 days