Post-game Party: Playoffs!!!1

I consider myself a realistic fan. As such, I assumed that the Flames' night was probably over when the Wings scored a power play goal to take the lead in the second period.

However, something about their 4-2 comeback victory in Detroit has me unreasonably excited.

This was a big game, and an even bigger win. Maybe the biggest of the season thus far. After a relatively dull first period featuring some good chances at both ends, Daymond Langkow tallied his thirteenth goal of the season on a bad angle slapshot, giving the Flames the lead. After responding with some continued pressure in Wings zone and almost scoring to go ahead 2-0, Detroit stormed back with fifteen second period shots and two unanswered goals to take the lead.

As statistics will tell us, the Flames don't really do comebacks, especially those of the third period variety, so when they outshot the team they're competing for the final playoff spot with 15-4 in the final frame and scored twice to take the lead, it was a thing of beauty. Chris Higgins sealing the deal with his first as a Flame--a short-handed empty-netter--was particularly special. This was a playoff-like victory. In a historically unfriendly building where the hosts had won four of their last five, the Flames didn't quit and were on the right side of some lucky bounces for once. Their best players came through and Kiprusoff looked extremely solid in goal, as he made important save after important save in his second straight win at Joe Louis Arena this season.

After losing 4-0 to Minnesota in their first game back from the Olympic break, the Flames have won three straight games and have outscored their opposition 14-7. I believe the Flames' 'magic number' hovers somewhere around the 94-point mark, and with 75 points they need to win approximately ten more games out of the remaining sixteen to have a real shot at the post season.

I have my cynical-and-jaded-sports-fan moments, more than usual these days, but at the end of the day, I want this team to be successful, which means making the playoffs. Making the playoffs in better than not making the playoffs under any circumstances, even if another first-round exit at the hands of an up-and-coming Western Conference powerhouse awaits.

The heart wants what it wants.

Ottawa Thursday.

Go Flames Go.

Crunch time

In 2004, Darryl Sutter motivated his Flames team, largely made up of grinders and checkers, by dividing the remaining games left in the regular season into seven-game playoff series. In each series, the team had to win four games with the reward being a playoff seed. With a hard working, never-say-die mentality, they approached each and every game as if it was a must-win. It was this strategy that not only got the 2003-04 Flames into the post-season, but prepared them for their lengthy run to the Stanley Cup final and made them virtually unstoppable throughout four rounds of playoff hockey.

Making the playoffs this season will be one hundred times more difficult than it was six years ago. This is a new era. We're talking about a Calgary Flames team that is only ten points ahead of the fourteenth-place Blue Jackets, six points ahead of twelfth-place Anaheim, and four points clear of the Dallas Stars. On top of that, they have to contend with other teams in their division as well as teams that are, admittedly, more skilled, faster, and younger than themselves. It would seem that now more than ever, a resurrection of the "mini-series" strategy is required.

The Flames now sit in an extremely precarious position. Theoretically, they could catch Vancouver, sitting only five points behind, but having played two games more than the Canucks. A lot of things would have to go right for that to happen, however. In a less-than-ideal situation, the Wild, currently five points back of the Flames, could catch their division rivals with a hot streak of their own. For a team whose mettle has long since been in question, especially with the recent personnel changes, separating themselves from the pack and making the post season will be a very difficult task for the Flames.

After semi-encouraging victories against the Hurricanes and Panthers, Saturday's overtime loss against a slightly better Tampa team in the same position as the Flames was a major letdown, especially considering that it was Daymond Langkow's 1000th game, against the team that drafted him. They controlled the play for fourty minutes, holding the Bolts to only ten shots on goal, and carried a one-nothing lead into the third period.

The Lightning poured on the pressure to start the period and tied the game before the two-minute mark of the third. After that, the Flames completely fell apart. Playing on back-to-back nights, some fatigue was to be expected, but not when they had played so well for two-thirds of the game. Tampa spent what seemed like the majority of the period in the Flames' zone, outshooting them 13-6 and scored a goal that should never be scored to win the game in overtime when Andrei Meszaro's shot found its way between Kiprusoff's arm and the post.

All this on top of a cheap shot by Kurtis Foster, who blind-sided Rene Bourque coming out of the penalty box, causing the Flames forward to miss time with a shoulder injury. Losing Bourque doesn't hurt as much now as it would have without the recent additions to the team, but the Flames still lose one of their best and most consistently competitive players for an unknown amount of time. There was no penalty on the play and it appears Foster will escape further punishment. Typical.

Every point the Flames can earn is of critical importance, so I won't complain too much about an overtime loss, but I'll take a win over a loser point any day.

Finally, I'd like to offer my condolences to Brian Burke and his family after his son Brendan was killed in a car accident this weekend. I really can't imagine a pain greater than losing a child. Brendan aspired to a career in professional hockey like his father, and was best known for his dedication to making sports more tolerant and accepting of homosexuality. He was a brave, smart, and courageous young man whose work should never be forgotten and will hopefully be built upon. Wrap Around Curl has a lovely tribute to Brendan over at Pension Plan Puppets and on her own site as well. Donations can be made in his name to either PFLAG (Parents, Families, Friends of Lesbians and Gays) Canada or the Xaverian Leadership Institute.

Up Next: The Flames visit the Senators tomorrow evening (5:30PM, Sportsnet) to conclude their three-game Eastern road trip. Jamie Lundmark will draw into the lineup with Bourque out.

Go Flames Go.

Merry freakin' Christmas

Okay, this whole losing business is getting a little out of hand.

Being that I am on vacation in California, I missed the Flames' last game before the Christmas break, a 2-1 shootout loss to the Blues on home ice. Needless to say, the game story spoke for itself. Eleven shots on goal through the first two periods, twenty-four altogether, a relatively easy night for Chris Mason, who stopped all but one--a screened semi-slapper from Gio off a faceoff win by Langkow. Six players had zero shots on goal. The Blues blocked a zillion shots and the Flames failed to establish much of a presence in the offensive zone, while a defensive miscue left Patrick Berglund uncovered in the slot, where he would score to give St. Louis the lead in the second period. This seems to have become the M.O. for the Flames in recent losses.

No one is surprised that the Calgary Flames are struggling to score goals. That was to be expected; you can't just replace a first-line, thirty-nine-goal-scoring winger with a bunch of ten-and-fifteen-goal scorers and expect the same results. What is surprising about this team is that they seem to lack the will to make anything happen offensively. I'm not talking about a few select players here, the whole damn team is stuck in this simultaneous goal-scoring rut, and it's real ugly. Everyone seems to have the confidence of a slightly overweight fifteen-year-old with braces and a bad haircut.

It's not that they aren't getting the shots--that I can live with if you bury your chances when you get them--but to miss the net ten times during a game seems ludicrous to me. Have the Sutters assembled a team of visually impaired, self-conscious teenagers with wonky sticks? Even the Sportsnet crew is picking up on the fact that the Flames shoot wide of the net a lot, and that's saying something. I know that teams sometimes shoot wide on purpose, in hopes of banking a shot off the end boards and cashing in on the juicy rebound in front of the net, but that is a set play that only works in certain rinks and if/when the bounces are going your way. I find it hard to believe that the Flames are purposefully miss-firing on this many potential shots. Shoot at the net, boys; it's that piece of mesh anchored by three red iron posts, you'll know it when you see it.

Missing the net is one thing, but the amount of scoring chances that the Flames "go-to" guys are missing on is unbelievable. 2-on-1 chances, breakaways, semi-breakaways, open nets...the list goes on. You're not going to get those chances every game, and when you do, you have to put them away. You can have the best defence in the league, but the team that scores the most goals always wins. The Flames seem to be learning that the hard way.

So how does one remedy the situation? Apparently, Brent Sutter thinks that putting Conroy, who has yet to score this season, on the first line (at right wing, no less, displacing Jarome Iginla from his natural position) will cure his team's offensive ills. Lord help us. Let's face it, Dawes and Moss are third line wingers on a contending team, not second liners to be counted upon to score goals every game. The Sutters seem to be in the business of collectively denying the organization's lack of offensive depth. It seems quite obvious that a trade for a top line winger would benefit this team, but Darryl is so stubborn that he refuses to acknowledge that the team he has put together is not good enough. That, or he has the patience of a saint. I'm not very hopeful that a deal will get done before the trade deadline, if at all.

This team is going to be in a lot of trouble if they can't get the top line going consistently or at least figure out how to "score by committee." Like many of the Flames' detractors have so eagerly pointed out, their skill and offensive prowess pales in comparison to that of true contenders like Pittsburgh, Washington, San Jose, and Chicago. However, teams like New Jersey operate on relatively limited offensive firepower and still manage to hold down eight spot in the league in terms of goals for and compete for first overall in the East. For more on the Flames' scoring struggles, check out this awesome piece by Kent over at M&G, he articulates the issue far better than I ever could.

Vancouver tomorrow.

The Flames begin a stretch of four games in five nights to close out 2009 tomorrow night at home. The Canucks have been relatively hot lately, and I think we can all agree that the Flames' two wins against them this season have been the result of worse-than-average performances by Luongo and a few lucky bounces. A 4-1 win against the Oilers tonight has brought them to within one point of the Flames, while the Avs and Wild also insist on winning on a regular basis. Again, I don't know what to expect from this team tomorrow. Are they going to come out inspired and ready to take on a divisional opponent, or slow and unprepared, failing to match Vancouver's tempo in the second half of back-to-back games for the 'Nucks? The pessimist in me suspects the latter, given the way this team responded against the Blues on Wednesday.

Game time is 6 PM on Sportsnet West. Ride the stress train for me.

A three-game losing streak would be the worst late Christmas present ever.

And it's back...

Well that was a nice little one-game respite from losing, wasn't it?

It appears that the sloppy defence displayed by the Flames in the third period of their win against the Kings on Thursday night carried over into this afternoon's contest with the Predators. After all the hullabaloo about how they had to be prepared for the early start time, how they had to adjust their game day routines, the Flames came out predictably flat and surrendered the first goal of the game just four and a half minutes in, when Martin Erat managed to get a weak wrist shot past Kiprusoff despite having three Flames skaters converge on him.

The Preds weren't done there, as David Legwand out-battled Jay Bouwmeester in front of the Flames net to put Nashville up 2-0 eight minutes later just as a questionable roughing penalty assessed to David Moss had expired. The Flames would get one back just over a minute later on the powerplay, as Phaneuf fired home his second PPG in as many games to close out the period with his team down by one and momentum on their side.

The Flames utilized that momentum nicely in the second period, as Jarome Iginla snapped an eight-game scoring drought with one of his patented snapshots from the wing, which went off the inside of the post and in. When Iggy scores, he scores in bunches, and he was at it again around the midway mark of the period. Alone in front of the Predator's net, Iginla scooped up his own rebound and poked it past an outstretched Ellis from one knee to give the Flames their first lead of the game. It was a dandy individual effort, but I couldn't find a video of it, so here's one of Brian McGrattan taking on Wade Belak instead:

McGrattan FTW.

The Flames continued to pour on the pressure, outshooting Nashville 15-6 in the middle frame, and had many glorious opportunities to take a two-goal lead. In typical karmic fashion, those missed chances would come back to haunt them and the Predators squared the affair at three with just under three minutes remaining in the second.

The third period would begin much the same as the first; four minutes into the final frame, the Predators set up in Flames zone and started cycling the puck around the boards, somehow eluding every Flame on the ice. The frozen disc eventually made its way back to Cody Franson at the point, who fired it netward where it glanced off of Daymond Langkow, past Kiprusoff, and into the net. Queue the comeback routine. The Flames fire everything in their arsenal towards the Predators' net but can't manage to beat Ellis, who stopped all ten shots in the third period and got lucky on misses by Rene Bourque and Olli Jokinen, who likely couldn't hit a barn door right now. The Flames never really came close to tying the game with Kiprusoff pulled in the final minute, and Dave Scatchard iced the game for the Preds with an empty-netter at 19:34.

This game irritated me on many levels. The Flames simply cannot afford to start games the way they did today, especially at home. The Predators established an instant presence in the Flames' zone, drew a penalty off a turnover, and scored their first goal largely due to a lazy play by Dion Phaneuf behind the Flames net. The first period was once a strong point for this team, and we've seen that trend reverse since the beginning of the month. The Flames can't seem to stay out of the box in the opening frame, and have trouble establishing themselves in the offensive zone. A bad first period only puts a team behind the eight-ball for the remaining fourty-minutes of the game, and the Flames were fortunate enough to overcome a less-than-impressive opening frame this afternoon.

Turnovers killed this team today, simply put. At one point, the Flames had committed sixteen giveaways compared to the Predators' eight. It's nearly impossible to win a game with that many turnovers, especially when your goaltender isn't performing at his usual levels of excellence, as we saw today with Kiprusoff. He deserves some of the blame for allowing four goals on twenty shots, but giveaways by the forwards and lazy play by the Flames' defencemen kick-started the process. The lack of compete level from this team's high-priced blueliners in this game was appalling. They lost puck battles along the boards in the defensive zone, failed to track down opposing forwards, and intercepting passes or blocking shots was seemingly out of the question. Jay Bouwmeester was on the wrong side of an even +/- for the third time in four games; Mark Giordano was a -2 after one of the best games of his career on Thursday. Daymond Langkow and Nigel Dawes both finished the afternoon -3, while Rene Bourque was a team-worst -4.

The physical element that was instrumental in the Flames' victory over the Kings was almost entirely absent from this game. They fell victim to Nashville's speedy, back-and-forth style of play and weren't able to even the score when it mattered. Nothing new really. Good teams find a way to win in adverse situations; clearly the Flames can't count themselves amongst those teams until they are able to do just that.

Outshooting a team for the first time in four games is nice. Iginla busting out of his scoring slump with two goals and an assist is also a plus. Winning the faceoff battle for once is good; but this league is based on results, and it's hard to recognize the positives in a game where this team let a victory slip away and didn't get the results they needed: the two points. I don't think I need to stress the importance of winning in the Western Conference any further. With this loss, the Flames fall to second in the division and sixth in the conference as Colorado takes over top spot with a 5-2 win over Columbus. A record of 3-5-1 in the month of December has cost the Flames a shot at first place in the West and leaves them only three points ahead of the eighth-place Red Wings as the half-way point of the season draws closer. If it wasn't for a 10-2-2 November, this team would likely find itself out of a playoff spot.

The Flames are now off until Wednesday, when they'll play the Blues in their final game before the Christmas break. I don't know how this team is going to utilize its practice time or how they will respond in a game after three days' rest, but my expectation levels have been significantly reduced for the time being. A record of 9-6-1 at home is nothing to be proud of, and upcoming games against the Canucks, Oilers, and Kings at the 'Dome will be crucial in determining where the Flames stand fourty-one games in.

Right now, it's not looking good.

Losing's a bitch

I've been somewhat of a bad fan again lately.

I didn't order the Flames vs. Blues game on Flames PPV tonight because I didn't want to waste my (well, my parents') money on another losing effort, and I just couldn't shake that sinking feeling that the Flames would come away empty-handed on Brett Hull night in the Show Me State. Well, it turned out I was right. Brent Sutter didn't seem to give off the same level of poorly-disguised rage tonight as he did after the loss to Colorado on Sunday, but he can't be happy with another incomplete effort from his club in a game they could have won.

I watched the debacle against Minnesota unfold in its entirety and expected a better effort against the Avs; I was disappointed and frustrated when that didn't materialize and anticipated a stronger showing in St. Louis. After this game, I simply have no explantation for the funk the Flames find themselves in. Chalk it up to an inability to play a full sixty? Not sticking to your game plan? Lack of confidence? Maybe, but after such a successful month in which it appeared Brent Sutter had finally got this team playing the way he envisioned when he took the job in the offseason, the fact that this team has gotten away from that style of play for so long is disconcerting. The fact that they don't seem to be in any hurry to get back to it is even more so.

Clearly this team is aware of what they're doing wrong--allowing too many shots, not getting enough, undisciplined play--and they know what they have to do in order to win and be successful. Going into the third period of a tied game in which you still have a very good chance to win, being held to only four shots on goal and getting outplayed the way the Flames did tonight against St. Louis is unacceptable. Forcing your backup goaltender to make thirty saves while offering little defensive support is negligible. Every team goes through tough stretches, they say it builds character, but three games worth of consistently bad hockey does little to enforce that saying. This losing streak is not the result of bad luck, but the inability to compete at the same level as the opposition, to rise to the challenge, to maintain consistent levels of effort, emotion, and involvement, and that is what is so endlessly frustrating about it. Is this all just "coach speak?" Very possibly, but I can't think of any other way to describe what I'm currently witnessing.

It goes without saying that the leaders on this team need to step it up in this situation--Jarome Iginla hasn't scored in seven games, Jokinen in three, Robyn Regehr was a -2 tonight, and Jay Bouwmeester is a combined -4 in his past three outings. Perhaps it is unfair to call Bouwmeester a leader in his first season with the Flames, but on such a young defence he arguably gains the title automatically. While the Flames have been getting contributions from the likes of Bourque (1G, 1A), Giordano (+2, 1A), Boyd, and Langkow, this team has proved that they are at their best when everyone is doing their part, and, needless to say, that hasn't been happening lately. Sean O'Donnell of the L.A. Kings said it best tonight after he scored the game winner against the Oilers; he explained that the Kings have been successful because even when they don't play their best hockey, they still find a way to win. The Flames seemed to have that aspect of their game down pat early in the season and in November, and they need to get back to it.

The Western Conference is shaping up to be even tighter than I anticipated, and every point only increases in significance as the season wears on. The Flames have fallen from second to sixth while going 2-4-1 in their past seven, meanwhile the Coyotes and the injury-riddled Wings have crept up to within two and three points respectively and Edmonton, Vancouver, and Minnesota are all inching ever closer to the Flames' second-place division perch. The Predators are tied with the Blackhawks. Are you sweating yet? You should be. Welcome aboard the Stress Train, folks, next stop: Pengrowth Saddledome. Enjoy the ride.

A date with the best-in-the-west Kings does not seem like the best remedy for the Flames' ills; sometimes good teams bring out the best in them, others, the worst. I honestly don't know what to expect from this team on Thursday. The Flames have the advantage of a rested Kiprusoff and a powerplay unit that appears to be on the up-swing, and after three straight road losses, they may be looking forward to a return to home ice, despite their most recent showing at the 'Dome.

L.A. on Thursday. Let's show this punk-ass losing streak who's boss.

Go Flames Go.

Shit is about to get real

This is it, folks.

Starting tomorrow at 8:00PM, every goal, save, hit, shot, blocked shot, you name it, it counts. It's going in the record books. There's no turning back now.

If there is one thing the Blogosphere should know about me, it's that I dislike predictions. I don't like making them, I don't like reading them, sure I agree with some, but in the end, a part of me just appreciates the innate unpredictability that is professional sports.

Yes, a certain amount of consistency is reassuring, but being able to project the exact amount of points a player will score, and the Eastern and Western Conference standings down to the number of wins, losses, and points each team will accumulate, frankly, takes all the fun out of being a fan. So, as an alternative, I have compiled a list of things to look forward to in the 2009-10 NHL season, for your viewing pleasure:

1) Return to an identity of some sort: I am slowly getting back into the habit of watching full games again after Jim Playfair wrenched me out of my cozy Sutter comfort zone and Mike Keenan launched me into a perpetual state of hand-wringing and what I call GDA (Game Day Anxiety--symptoms include irritability, moodiness, unexplainable angst and feelings of dread, random acts of violence, and belief in ridiculous superstitions and reverse psychology). I have high hopes that with a member of the Sutter clan back behind the bench, we will find a cure for GDA and stability and consistency will prevail in Flames Nation.

2) Epic division/conference battles: As always, the Northwest Division is expected to be ultra-competitive (for the most part). The long-standing rivalries between the Canucks, Flames, and Oilers only seem to intensify with age. I can hardly wait for the 'Dome to erupt the first time Robyn Regehr obliterates one of the Sedin twins and/or Ales Hemsky.

With the Flames and Canucks expected to contend for the Northwest title, we can likely expect more than a few memorable tilts between two, starting tomorrow night. Brouhahas and barn-burners galore. After that, the NW could be a total crapshoot, as the Oilers and Wild both look to contend for a playoff spot after under-going dramatic changes both on the ice and behind the bench. While it seems safe to assume the Avalanche will pull up the rear yet again as they continue to rebuild after the retirement of Joe Sakic, you never know.

The Western Conference is very much the same. You have your contenders--Detroit, Chicago, San Jose, and to a lesser extent Anaheim, Vancouver, and Calgary--then you've got the up-and-comers--St. Louis, Columbus, Los Angeles, Nashville--and your wild cards--Edmonton, Minnesota, and perhaps Dallas. That only leaves Phoenix and Colorado out of the picture for a playoff spot, but again, nothing's set in stone. I anticipate the development of new rivalries, the continuity of others, and a full-fledged Battle Royale for the top eight seeds in the West in 2009-10.

3) Watching the Toronto Maple Leafs: (I know, but admit it, you're curious). From what I've seen of the Leafs in pre-season play, I wouldn't be shocked if they were competing for a playoff spot come March-April. I think the Leafs will be my guilty pleasure team this season. The Philadelphia Flyers should be another team to watch, with Ray Emery making his much-anticipated return to the NHL and Pronger, Carter, Richards, and Gagne all vying for a spot on Team Canada in February.

Speaking of the Flyers, I am looking forward to the annual Winter Classic, especially since I missed last year's game because I fell asleep on my couch in the process of recovering from the previous night's festivities. I know I didn't miss much, I can catch a one-sided Red Wings victory almost any day of the week, but it's the novelty and the atmosphere of the whole event that makes it so special.

4) Iggy's 1000th game: February 5, 2010 will be Jarome Iginla's 1000th NHL game. Unfortunately, the Flames will be in Florida for a date with the Panthers that evening and won't be back at the 'Dome until the 11th, but expect Iggy to get a big ol' standing 'O' when the Flames' all-time leading scorer is honoured for achieving the 1000-game milestone. I may get a little teary-eyed when they present him with that tacky silver stick...

5) The fact that from now until mid-April I will be able to watch an NHL hockey game almost every day. Nothing beats settling in in front of the television with food, family, and friends for a good ol' fashioned Hockey Night in Canada double-header. Watching the various story-lines of the NHL's thirty franchises unfold over the next seven months--the wins, the losses, the surprises, the disappointments--is oddly comforting and often the best part of my day. I am getting the warm-fuzzies just thinking about it.

So there you have it. Drop the puck already.

Let's do this thing.

Go Flames Go.