Good night: Any game you want
The Lead
Calgary is maybe the most versatile team in the NHL. I think that much is pretty clear.
And because Buffalo is a team that, as proved by their eight-goal win over the Oilers last night, can pose some problems, coach Mike Keenan had them approach the game pragmatically. The game in Edmonton had wrapped up about 9:30 p.m. local time and the first puck dropped tonight at 6 p.m. So the Flames came out and did what any smart team would do against a team playing its second game in 21 hours: worked the boards. And they did it masterfully en route to a near-effortless 5-2 win.
The confusion caused by the early cycling led directly to Calgary’s first-period goal from Mike Cammalleri, who ended the night with a hat trick. Buffalo’s defense looked so gassed by the end of the first period that Calgary saw the opportunity to use the transition as a weapon, which it did to great effect on Dion Phaneuf’s second-period goal and, after Buffalo worked it back to 2-all, Todd Bertuzzi’s shifty little backhander on a partial break that stood up as the game-winner.
After that, the Flames did what any team with a one-goal lead and a solid defense would do against a worn-down, demoralized team: go back to the boards. It was here that the Bertuzzi-Langkow-Bourqe line did the night’s most impressive work, ruling the endboards with a despotic iron fist. Such play yielded the back two goals of Cammy’s second hattie of the year.
Not that Lindy Ruff didn’t give the Flames a ton of help. for some insane, bizarre reason, Ruff pretty much began using just four defensemen after the Flames went up 3-2 and that was why Calgary dominated in the corners so convincingly.
But this game illustrated perfectly just why Calgary, when it’s playing well, is such a force against a number of different teams. You wanna play mean hockey, the Flames’ll hit you hard and repeatedly. You wanna play a speed game and they’ll blow your goddamn doors off in transition. You wanna play a skill game and they’ll even get Todd Bertuzzi to score embarrassingly picturesque goals on you. If they could play like this every night, they’d easily be mentioned in the same breath as Boston, San Jose and Detroit.
Elsewhere…
Pittsburgh 6, New York Rangers 2
Apparently there was some question as to whether Sid Crosby would play tonight given his injury issue and less-than-impressive track record against the Broadway Blue this year. Not so much now. Goal, two assists, easy win. Bam. Kris Letang and Petr Sykora both had two goals for the Pens, and the two competing Staal brothers also scored. Fleury made 32 saves, and Lundqvist coughed up six on 33 shots. Ouch. When he doesn’t play well, it seems like the entire Ranger team goes “Screw it, we’ll try again tomorrow.”
Chicago 3, Anaheim 2
The biggest news out of this one is that Travis Moen has goals in each of his last two games. Travis Moen! I barely even know who that IS! Adam Burrish, Patrick Kane, Bobby Ryan, Jonathan Toews. These are your non-Moen goalscorers. Nikolai Khabibulin made 36 saves.
Nashville 5, Vancouver 3
Wouldn’t ya know it, the Canucks blew a 3-1 lead they held with 25 minutes to go in the game and actually lost by two. That’s pretty funny. So, too, is this fan letter sent to the Vancouver Province. This Richard guy should become friends with me.
