SB Nation - Nigel Dawes

Flames Game Day: Swimming in the harbour of your smile

Robert Cleave — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 22:00:25 -0000

by Ross Franklin - AP

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Calgary Flames vs. San Jose Sharks

HP Pavilion

8 PM MT

Opposition: Fear The Fin

TV: CBC

Meh. Blah. Why do I ever buy a PPV?

That pretty much covers my feelings about Thursday's effort in Phoenix, so it's a good time to move on, and the Flames certainly have a worthwhile test this evening. Tonight's opponent is equally displeased with its last adventure, and not to be trifled with even if they were satisfied, so this game should give all of us another chance to see what kind of team Calgary can actually be.

I don't mean to diminish anything that the Coyotes did Thursday. They have a plan in place, and they've executed it both nights they met the Flames, as well as most other games they've played on the season. Each team got an extra bounce in their respective win, and that's about all the difference there was. All that accepted, there's a talent difference between Phoenix and the Sharks, so if the Flames struggle this evening, a hiding like they took last November might be in the offing.

Preventing that sort of occurrence likely requires a more fluid effort from Bourque-Jokinen-Iginla. Rene Bourque was rusty, to be blunt, and Sutter noted that he faltered away from the puck and in his own end more often than when on the attack. It looks like McLellan likes to run P v P, so a night head to head against Thornton et al requires a much improved night of work from that line, or Sutter will have to run a different match-up.

I didn't really think Nigel Dawes was at his best Thursday. He seemed a bit rushed with the puck, to my eye, and made a couple of errors along the boards that lead to extending some Coyote pressure. He, Langkow and Moss might well get some mix of Pavelski, Clowe and Setoguchi, which would be a pretty solid confrontation in it's own right. I think the lines as a whole are likely to stay as is, but I suppose that doesn't exclude a McG outing.

The defense is intact as well, with Sarich still down. A shame, really, although Patrick Marleau might not share that outlook:

Mark Giordano was on the end of some unwelcome scrutiny for his mis-play on Pyatt's winner Thursday, and to be honest, even if there were other things involved in the build-up to the play, he was a bit careless, at the expense of a point. I don't think that will affect the pairings tonight, but sometimes lost in the rush to run Cory Sarich and his salary slot out of town, it's wise to remember that Gio's not quite the finished article. I'm a fan of long standing, but I still like him a lot better as a third paring guy that dominates, at least for this year.

Kipper will go again, and why not? He's been good. If he has any extended run of really poor play, I'm almost at the point where I'd be mildly surprised. That's not saying there won't be the odd bad goal, of course, but I'm not expecting him to let in a stinker every night, and by the end of last year, that was the norm.

The Sharks had a surprising breakdown against the Blues last time out, giving up a late SH goal to Carlo Colaiacavo before losing via the skills competition. Evgeni Nabokov fingered Marc-Edouard Vlasic for not blocking the attempt at goal, before walking back those comments the next morning. I guess it's just how things go, but unlike the Gio play, it wasn't the coach grousing. I don't know, Vlasic's a damn good defenceman who plays the toughs every night, and watching that last sequence, there was plenty of blame to go around for the cluster that occurred in the last minute:

As for tonight, the Thornton line will be the obvious center of attention for the Flames, and with Sarich out, I'd expect the Regehr-Phaneuf duo to get first crack, with Bouwmeester involved as well. The two teams have both been good 5 v 5, but the Sharks have excellent special teams, and the Flames' PP goes through stretches where it seems a bit bereft of ideas. If Thursday proved anything at all, it's that the Flames don't have a great margin for error, and they won't out-talent San Jose by any means, so a tidy effort is paramount.

Game time is 8 MT, with coverage on the CBC.

Flames @ Blue Jackets Post-Game

Kent Wilson — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 19:32:26 -0000

More photos » by Paul Vernon - AP

One of the consequences of writing about hockey is you begin to plan your pieces while the game is playing. Watching the contest this morning, I was prepared to positively gush about the Flames effort and performance...until about the 10:00 mark in the second period. That's when Huselius and Nash started going all Harlem globetrotters on Calgary, culminating in a 9-0 scoring chance run and three straight Columbus tallies. My evaluation of the club obviously soured at that point.

Of course, things would change again at the 10:00 mark of the third period, when the Jackets went into "prevent defense" mode and the Flames managed to even the score. Calgary continued to dominate into the over time, so it was nice to see them skate away with a shoot-out victory (for a change).

Iginla and Jokinen played about 40 minutes of "#1 line" hockey I thought, which is perhaps another step in the right direction. They ended up under water in terms of possession and scoring chances, but that's often what happens when you play Rick Nash on home ice with Jamie Lundmark on your line. Jokinen is gradually becoming the player I thought he was, meaning, a forward who at least creates some havoc in the offensive zone, even if he's not without his flaws. His improvement has occured in lockstep with Jarome looking more and more like the elite power forward we'd come to know and love and that probably isn't a coincidence. I'm guessing they could start holding their own in all measures of performance if, say, a Bourque-like forward was added to the mix (*hint hint). It's instructive that Brent Sutter chooses to place Boyd over Lundmark on the left hand side when things get serious and the bench shortens.

Other stuff:

- Aside from his great feed to Dawes for the GTG, I thought Moss really struggled. He bobbled the puck a lot in bad areas and made some questionable passes and decisions. Still not up to snuff I'm afraid.

- Kristian Huselius always seems to show why I liked him as a player whenever the Flames make the trip to Columbus. He was deadly.

- Rich Nash is frighteningly good.

- Nigel Dawes might be the best value addition of the off-season.

- Calgary's PK gave up a lot of quality scoring chances the last two games. It's amazing the Flames escaped with just 1 PPG against.

- McElhinney had a couple of tough sequences and the Methot goal was probably stoppable. That said, he made some nice saves on close in chances and actually got some goal support.

Game 25 Preview: Jackets Return Home to Take on the Flames

Mike MacLean — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 16:49:07 -0000

More photos » by Tony Gutierrez - AP

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Finally, back home. The Jackets return to Nationwide Arena to face the Flames tonight, after concluding a disastrous five-game road trip. The Jackets won the first game, but then promptly lost four in a row. The team played horrible defensively, and the goaltenders were anything but sharp. Mason however did look good in the last game against Ottawa, making big saves when needed, however he lost focus on the game winning goal for Ottawa, a wraparound by Nick Foligno late in the third. Mase was again haunted by a play that developed from behind the net.

The Flames are a fairly high scoring team, and they play physical. They play a lot like Columbus does when the Jackets are "on", so this on paper is a pretty fair matchup. What remains to be seen is whether or not the Jackets can get their act together in the defensive zone. Something is broken, the effort level isn't there and the goalies haven't been good. These factors need to be remedied immediatly, as the Jackets are losing ground fast. The Preds and Blackhawks are the hottest team in the NHL right now, and the Jackets need to keep pace.

There have been some shakeups to the forward lines. Raffi Torres should be lining up with Vermette and Nash on the first line, and Umby is moving to the second line right-wing position with Jake moving to the third line. Look for recently called-up Alex Picard to see some action on the fourth line. I love his game- tons of jam and he still actually has offensive talent, although he has yet to show it at the NHL level. I fully expect him to take advantage of this chance and have a strong game.

Fearless Prediction: Picard scores his first NHL goal!

Game Time: 7:00pm ET

Opponent's Blog: Matchsticks and Gasoline

Game Page: Flames vs Blue Jackets Coverage

TSN Preview: Flames vs Blue Jackets Preview

TV: FSN Ohio

Radio: WBNS-AM (1460); WWCD-FM (101.1)

More after the jump...

From the Columbus Dispatch:

The Blue Jackets aim to snap a season-high, four-game losing streak. Since Oct. 7, 2005, the Blue Jackets are 7-1-0 against the Flames in Nationwide Arena, including a 2-1 win Oct. 13.

Jackets Links:

Columbus Blue Jackets / Columbus Blue Jackets Schedule

Columbus Blue Jackets Roster / Columbus Blue Jackets Stats

Here are the lineups for tonight's tilt:

Columbus Blue Jackets

Raffi Torres	Antoine Vermette	Rick Nash
Kristian Huselius	Derick Brassard	R.J. Umberger
Jason Chimera	Samuel Pahlsson	Jakub Voracek
Alexandre Picard	Derek MacKenzie	Jared Boll

Fedor Tyutin	Anton Stralman
Rostislav Klesla	Jan Hejda
Marc Methot	Mike Commodore

Steve Mason

Mathieu Garon

EXTRA: Kris Russell, Michael Blunden

INJURED: Fredrik Modin, Andrew Murray, Derek Dorsett

Calgary Flames

Jamie Lundmark	Olli Jokinen	Jarome Iginla
Nigel Dawes	Daymond Langkow	David Moss
Curtis Glencross	Craig Conroy	Dustin Boyd
Fredrik Sjostrom	Eric Nystrom	Brandon Prust

Jay Bouwmeester	Mark Giordano
Dion Phaneuf	Robyn Regehr
Adam Pardy	Aaron Johnson

Curtis McElhinney

Miikka Kiprusoff

Flames and Kiprusoff continue Detroit's scoring woes

MrNorrisTrophy — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 03:18:41 -0000

More photos » by Carlos Osorio - AP

Calgary Flames goalie Miikka Kiprusoff (34), of Finland, deflects a shot in front of Detroit Red Wings right wing Todd Bertuzzi (44) during the third period of an NHL hockey game in Detroit, Friday, Nov. 27, 2009. Kiprusoff made 40 saves for his 32nd career shutout in the Flames' 3-0 victory. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

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Twenty eight seconds into the first period is all that it took for Calgary to get on the scoreboard. Jamie Lundmark scored his first of the season on a pass across the crease from Olli Jokinen. That goal was all that Calgary needed as Miikka Kiprusoff blanked the Red Wings on 40 shots. It was the second consecutive shut out of the Red Wings and the second consecutive game with 40 shots and nothing to show for it.

Lundmark scored on a pass from Jokinen along the boards as Chris Osgood tried to stand back up, leaving the net wide open. Detroit seemingly tied it with power play goal from Brad Stuart at 5:27 of the first period but the goal was waved off for goaltender interference. Dan Cleary, positioned barely in the crease, "prevented the goaltender from doing his job" as he slightly brushed Kiprusoff's blocker as the puck went glove side--clearly preventing him from doing his job, right? Nevertheless, the officials called it as they saw it and Calgary maintained the 1-0 lead as "boos" greeted the ears of the officiating crew.

That lead would grow to 2-0 as Nigel Dawes scored at 18:29 of the first period on an odd turnover frenzy in front of Osgood. The chance started on a weak shot from Brett Lebda in the offensive zone that lead to a Calgary rush with David Moss and Dawes up against Jonathan Ericsson, Pavel Datsyuk, and a trailing Lebda. Ericsson stopped a cross from Moss, only to have Datsyuk whiff on a clear leading to a poke from Dawes past Osgood for a 2-0 lead heading into the first break.

Detroit fired 17 shots on goal in the second period--as many as Calgary had in the whole game--but could not register a goal. Another controversial moment happened with an early whistle while the puck was loose in Kiprusoff's crease before Ericsson scored. Once again, the goal was waved off at the discretion of the officiating crew and jeers yet again rained down on Brad Meier and his fellow crew members. Numerous chances in the second period by the Red Wings were unrewarded and a 2-0 deficit with the way Kiprusoff was playing made the outcome more or less decided at the end of two.

Olli Jokinen scored just 25 seconds into the third period--deja vu anyone?--to put the game at an unreachable 3-0 for the sputtering Detroit offense. This time, it was Jokinen who received the pass from Lundmark (reverse of goal number one) and he wasted little time firing a beautiful shot above Osgood's glove side and into the net. Lundmark's pass was a wobbler that Jokinen caught perfectly on the tape and ripped into the top shelf to solidify the 3-0 win for Calgary.

Calgary filled the shooting lanes and blocked 17 shots, taking any quality chances away and leaving Kiprusoff with mainly routine saves. The powerplay sputtered again, going 0 for 6 on the night. Detroit's offensive struggles can be summed up in one stat: 1 goal on the last 119 shots.

Detroit faces fellow Central Division opponents St. Louis tomorrow at 8:00 p.m. ET and Calgary faces Columbus.

Casey's Wing of the Game: Once again, I'd rather not choose. Darren Helm is who I've got though: 9 hits, 4 shots, 9/14 (64%) in the dot. He also showed his incredible speed with a burst past a Calgary defender.

Darren Helm

#43 / Center / Detroit Red Wings

Height: 5-11

Weight: 195

Born: Jan 21, 1987

Flames vs Red Wings coverage, Matchsticks and Gasoline

Flames Scoring Chance Differentials, Games 1-20

Kent Wilson — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 04:27:46 -0000

More photos » by Jeff McIntosh - AP

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Scott was good enough to post the Flames scoring chance count through games 11-20 (minus the untelevised Blues game of course) below. Here I've added the differentials for the second set as well as whole data set thus far.

First, games 11-20:

Conroy and Boyd came back down to earth in this segment, while Mark Giordano climbed back up top from the third pairing. Iginla and Jokinen were marginally better in this series, although it still sucks to see the two of them at the bottom of the forward barrel.Of note is the fact that Langkow et al are still on the plus side of things, despite some tough match-ups and lots of own zone draws. One wonders how well they'd do if they weren't having to take on the heavy lifting so often.

On the bad side of things, Cory Sarich has absolutely had his ass handed to him by this measure thus far. It's notable that his regular partner, Jay Bouwmeester, was somehow 12 chances better through this 9 game sample. Hmmmm...

And now, for the whole dataset:

Glencross' big first 10 and passable second 10 has him in the lead while Mr. Sex Panther brings up the rear. Keep in mind, of course, this is all even strength information so excludes all the chances Iginla and Jokinen would be getting on the PP.

Also of note:

- Rene Bourque has been amazing thus far. Here's hoping he's not out for the long-term. Honestly, he's been the Flames best all-around forward over the first quarter.

- Craig Conroy continues to deliver. He's still far superior to guys like Nystrom and Sjostrom.

- I personally like the work of Nigel Dawes. Although he skates with some good players in Langkow and Bourque, I don't think he's merely been a passenger on that line. He was acquired as a "sniper", but his vision and ability to find open teammates in the offensive zone has been a boon to the squad. He isn't a defensive liability either.

Begin the Love-in - What to Like About the Flames Thus Far

Kent Wilson — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:31:19 -0000

More photos » by Larry MacDougal - AP

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I'm the first to admit that I'm quick to criticize, but slow to compliment. Like Prince's mother, I'm never satisfied.

As such, I've noticed we've been rather tough on the boys 'round these parts recently, especially considering the record. And while I think a lot of the criticisms of the club have been justified, it might be good to take the time and highlight some of the things that are currently going right for the team.

1.) Rene Bourque - Daymond Langkow - Nigel Dawes

I argued that Bourque might be in in line for a regression this year (in terms of the percentages) and his numbers might take a hit as a result. Well, his PDO is down around the league average of 100 (99.1)...and he still leads the team in scoring. Partially because of more PP time and partially because he spends a lot of time in the offensive zone at even strength (best relative corsi rate amongst forwards on the club). There's been nights where Bourque has looked head and shoulders above his teammates and a good portion of the opposition as well. I've actually mistaken him for Jarome Iginla as well (peak Jarome, that is), given his ability to shrug off opponents and drive the puck into scoring areas. He's been outstanding thus far.

His linemates are no slouches either. Langkow's unit has mostly seen the tough match-ups for the last couple of weeks and they've managed to keep their heads above water. A lot of credit has to go to Mr.consistency Langkow himself, because without a capable center a tough match-up usually goes south. However, I've really liked what I've seen out of Dawes mostly, especially given his age and price-tag. Feisty and relatively solid on the puck, he also has decent vision and a good shot. I'd say he's an improvement over Bertuzzi, which is probably why that line looks more capable to me this season.

2.) Mikka Kiprusoff

I doubt anyone has been tougher on Kipper than me. And while he hasn't been "Anderson good" thus far, the first 15 games have definitely been an improvement over a his season last year, especially at ES. While there may be little hope of Kipper regaining his Vezina form, it'd probably be good news for the team if he could maintain his current performance level. He's actually stolen a couple of games for the club recently, which is something you like to see out a $5M goaltender every once and a while. More please!

3.) The blueline

There hasn't been much to complain about on the back-end thus far. Aside from the first few games out of Regehr and the occasional bad night out of a swing defender (be it Pardy, Kronwall, Johnson, etc), the Flames blueline from Phaneuf to Bouwmeester to Giordano has been solid. Phaneuf's shot has seemingly returned and with it some of the offense he lost last year. He and Regehr have also been playing well against second tier competition (ever since Reggie broke out of his funk). Bouwmeester's underlying numbers aren't impressive, but that probably has more to do with his circumstances than his play. I've seen Cory Sarich both good and bad (that's how Sarich rolls), but the former has probably out-weighed the latter. And Giordano has proved he can fill in on probably any of the three pairings capably. Calgary is paying a pretty penny on the back-end, but that doesn't ensure value (right, Glen Sather?), so it's good to see that the back-end is indeed a strength of the team.

4.) The Powerplay

Although the first unit has been up and down, I've mostly liked Calgary's PP so far. A weakness for most of the year last season, the addition of Dawes, Bouwmeester and Bourque to the man advantage has yielded positive results. Now, if only the team could get more PP opportunities*...

*(I suspect one of the reasons Jokinen's counting stats are off is the lack of PP time. Flames have garnered the least PP opportunities in the league and Olli has spent less than 3 minutes a night with the man advantage as a result. That's well below his 4:40 average last season. Not that he's not ripping it up on the PP or anything, but...).

That's most of it from me. There's been flashes of good out of others (Moss, Glencross, Boyd, McElhinney, Prust, Nystrom, Sjostrom), but nothing persistent enough to list here. Feel free to add your own kudos in the comments though.

Poll

Who/what has been the best part of the Flames through 15?

Rene Bourque (CHI fans weep)

66 votes

The whole second line

37 votes

The blueline

12 votes

The Power play

4 votes

Kipper

39 votes

Other - please specify

4 votes

162 votes | Poll has closed

Game 13 Preview: Avalanche at Flames

David Driscoll-Carignan — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 12:00:23 -0000


Colorado Avalanche	7:30 MT / 9:30 ET	Calgary Flames
9-1-2	October 28, 2009	7-2-1
20 pts	Pengrowth Saddledome	15 pts
Still #1	Calgary, AB	t-3rd in West

Boy, how about that game last night, eh?

Okay, actually, as you saw in my recap last night, I've been a little busy lately at work. In the old days, I could churn one of these out in the morning in cubicle land. I switched jobs this week and I don't have that luxury at the moment. So, I'm doing the previews the night before for a while. In this case, I'm writing most of this before the Avs and Oilers dropped the puck, so some info may not have that morning fresh feeling.

The Avalanche tonight will be playing their 4th game in 6 nights tonight. They are banged up, flu'd up and, I'm guessing, a wee bit travel weary. Meanwhile, the slack-ass Calgary Flames are in the middle of a 5-game home stand and have been lounging around since they last played on Saturday. Calgary is off to a good start, and they are a perfect 5-0 against the NW division. The Flames are lead in scoring by freaking Rene Bourque. He has 14 effin' points so far in 10 games. This from a guy who's career best is 40 points. Nigel Dawes and Dustin Boyd both have 6 points already. Seriously, did they do something to the water up there? Even that clown Phaneuf is doing well.

I'm assuming it will be Anderson v Kiprusoff tonight. [Update: confirmed.]

ADDENDUM: Calgary Herald preview

Avalanche difference maker: T.J. Galiardi. This former Calgary Hitman and native Calgarian is basically on home turf tonight.

Petr Prucha enjoying fresh start in Phoenix

Jim Schmiedeberg — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 12:51:20 -0000

More photos » by Paul Connors - AP

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At the trade deadline last year, the Rangers traded young wingers Petr Prucha and Nigel Dawes to Phoenix for defenseman Derek Morris, in the hopes of getting a little more physical on defense, and also looking for Morris to help their beleaguered power play.

When Morris provided neither of those things, he was allowed to walk away during free agency, signing with the Boston Bruins, and leaving the Rangers with nothing to show for trading away two young players.

While Ranger fans were mostly divided on what Dawes' potential was, most would agree that Prucha's talent was wasted under the Tom Renney regime. Prucha was often misused, skating on the third and fourth lines with the likes of Blair Betts and Ryan Hollweg as Renney continuously favored veteran players that were no longer worthy of such distinction.

While Prucha is not off to a great start numbers-wise this season, the former thirty goal scorer with the Rangers is playing on the first line with the Coyotes, along with Martin Hanzal and Radim Vrbata in a new version of a "Czech-mate" line. The three have played well together in the early going, and provided solid play at both ends of the ice, often asked to shadow the other team's top scorers. Prucha is also getting plenty of power play time, taking regular shifts with the man advantage.

Despite his early scoring drought, Prucha has impressed new Coyote coach Dave Tippett:

"I like the way Prucha goes to the net hard," he said. "He's not a big guy. He's scored a couple goals for us just like that that have been big for us. He had one in the Pittsburgh game and then one tonight. They're goals that are hard to score. You have to go into hard areas, so I compliment him on that."

Sounds like Tippett expects Prucha to be the type of player he never really got the chance to be in New York.

I also spoke to Paul (also known as "cityhockeyfever" to our radio show listeners) over at Five for Howling, the SBNation home of the Phoenix Coyotes, and got his thoughts on Prucha so far this season:

Petr Prucha, so far in this young NHL season, has shown that he's a scrapper and has an innate ability to score when his skates are not on the ice. He scored a goal in the second game of the season against the defending Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins from his back and then he was lying on his stomach as he pushed the puck past Detroit Red Wings netminder Chris Osgood Thursday night. Both goals were scored in scrums in front of the net, in the crease, and were a result of hard work and tenaciousness, both qualities that the Phoenix Coyotes need plenty of in this pivotal season in the franchises history.

He's currently playing on the "Czech"ing line with fellow Czech Republic teammates Martin Hanzal and Radim Vrbata, and this line has been instrumental in many of the Coyotes 6 victories so far this season. Whether it's as an energy line, a checking line or a scoring line, this group does it all.

Prucha, has been a shot in the arm for Phoenix. Something tells me, before this season is over, Petr Prucha will prove to be a focal point for this team, and a measuring stick for the success of the Coyotes."

Game Day: Flames vs. Habs

Robert Cleave — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 17:33:39 -0000

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Calgary Flames vs. Montreal Canadiens

Pengrowth Saddledome

7PM MT

Opposition: Habs Eyes on the Prize

TV: Sportsnet West (HD), RDS

I'm not exactly sure what to make of the first two games. Welcome victories, to be sure, although I doubt anyone, within the organization or otherwise, is entirely content with the manner in which they were achieved. Still, better this than what the Canucks are dealing with this morning, so I'll keep my complaints to a minimum.

Being outshot by Vancouver and Edmonton, and by the margin it occurred, certainly allows the coaching staff a teaching opportunity, I suppose. The system is pretty much the work in progress predicted coming out of camp, and Kent has dissected what's happening on the top line this morning thoroughly enough. On the plus side, Kiprusoff has kept the puck out at a very acceptable level, and Jay Bouwmeester has been as good as advertised, so they have that going for them.

I noted in comments yesterday that as tempting as it was for me to blame Phaneuf for the awkwardness of his tandem with Regher thus far, that wouldn't be entirely fair. I still don't think it's a good mix, and the return (soon, hopefully) of Sarich may shuffle the deck. At the very least, it will allow the Flames to not play Kronwall 9 minutes a night while running Bouwmeester out there for 29-plus. They could use another veteran penalty killer on the back end to soak up some time, since Kronwall spent zero time on the PK in the first two games. Gio, unfortunate break in E-town aside, has been good and Pardy has done about what was expected. The shots against are never exclusively a factor of personnel on D, of course, so I'm fairly sanguine at this point about the defence. Put Sarich back in there, let them play together, and things should be fine.

The forwards have been a bit mixed. The fourth line has been a welcome surprise, with Prust looking very good given expectations. I noted with interest Ray Ferraro's TSN blog this morning, this passage being particularly noteworthy, IMO:

I'm not anti-fighting - and although I never really won a fight (Steve Thomas sure pummeled me one Saturday night) I don't love the fight that has very little purpose in the context of the game. When the heavyweights go at it, who else does it affect? You cheer for your guy, he's your teammate, you don't want him to get hurt and these guys are generally as good a person as you will run into. The fight ends and the game resumes. What's changed? More room on the bench? The heavyweight doesn't play a lot (generally under five minutes) and unless he is a good skater who can throw his weight around, he has minimal impact on the other team's skill players.

I was always way more concerned with someone who finished every check with a purpose - think Cal Clutterbuck or Brendan Morrow - than with someone who I was never on the ice against. The big boys are popular with the fans and their team, but I believe, in time, we will see more lineups that have a middleweight like Shawn Thornton or Jarrett Boll, than heavyweights who are more limited in their game.

QFT, co-sign, etc. The longer Prust stays in the line-up, the better. His 8-9 minutes a night have a chance to be quality ones.

Beyond that, one of players who the Flames need to get solid work from is Dustin Boyd. Last season's team received real quality from David Moss in a third line role, and my sense is that production will be as big a challenge to replace as the shinier efforts of Cammalleri. Boyd has been given the first crack at it, so plays like the set-up for Glencross' goal in Edmonton have to continue to be a regular occurrence.

The top six still seems to ironing things out. Langkow and Dawes have struggled a bit at EV, but I'd be shocked if Langkow continued that way for long. Bourque seems to be rounding into shape as well. As I noted, Kent's looked at the first line. The one stat about them that I really don't like? Olli Jokinen - 2 SOG. He's a shooter, for better or worse. He has to try to get more pucks on net, EV and PP.

The PP has looked better, though. Practicing something in the hopes of improving it seems like a good plan, last year's approach aside. They've had better movement so far, and having Moss near the front of the net is working about as most of us would have liked. The PK, as I mentioned above, wouldn't be hurt by the addition of Sarich. It's early days for everything out there, though, so I'm still in the reserving judgement phase.

The reserving judgement phase includes the play thus far of Kiprusoff. He's been good enough, with only the Brule goal being one I'd fault him for. The 3.00 GAA means nothing when your team gives up 38 shots a night, so he gets a satisfactory grade through two. Sixty-five or so more like the first two would nice ;-)

The Canadiens make up the opposition tonight, with Les Glorieux suffering from the injury bug in a significant way. Andrei Markov isn't the flashiest name in the league amongst defencemen, but the Habs' rearguard put up 64 points last year, held the other teams' best to a saw-off at EV, and played almost 25 minutes a night. You can't lose that sort of player without taking a major hit, so long-term prospects for the Canadiens look a bit bleak. They also have lost Ryan O'Byrne, and Glen Metropolit is nicked. Not exactly the sort of start Bob Gainey would have wanted for his revamped squad

The Habs' first two games otherwise have resembled Calgary's opening efforts, with timely offence and solid netminding covering up the fact that they have been badly outshot. Carey Price has allowed 4 goals on 81 shots so far. Did he and Kipper both cut down on the smokes this off-season?

The forwards for Montreal include familiar face Mike Cammalleri, returning to Calgary with a gigantic pile of cash for his work here last season. No hard feelings on my part. He played well, the Flames had other ideas cap-wise, and Bob Gainey opened the vault. Good for him. He, Brian Gionta and Scott Gomez are at the heart of the rebuild the Canadiens are attempting, which was as significant an overhaul as any playoff team is ever likely to see, cap era or not. It will be an interesting chemistry experiment. Travis Moen is another addition up front, and Jaroslav Spacek and Hal Gill have been added to help replace Mike Komisarek at the back. Behind the bench, Jacques Martin left his GM job in south Florida to step into the easy-going atmosphere that surrounds the head-coaching spot in Montreal. Like I said, it will be an interesting year, since Martin is well-known for wanting a tight game, and his best players on offence haven't always tried to play that style.

Tonight, I'd think both teams would like to clean up the shots against, and I'm sure the Flames would like to continue the trend of fast starts. 5 GF vs. 1 GA in the first periods so far certainly works for me. Tactically, I'll be interested to see if the Jokinen line goes head to head with Gomez' line. Physically, that should be a match-up that favours Calgary, and without facing Markov the Flames' top trio should, in theory, have an edge at EV. Theoretically.

As per the Sun, Calgary's roster:

David Moss- Olli Jokinen - Jarome Iginla
Nigel Dawes - Daymond Langkow - Rene Bourque
Curtis Glencross - Craig Conroy - Dustin Boyd
Brandon Prust - Eric Nystrom - Fredrik Sjostrom

Robyn Regehr - Dion Phaneuf
Jay Bouwmeester - Mark Giordano
Adam Pardy - Staffan Kronwall

Kiprusoff

So, no Sarich as of yet, but no rush if they aren't losing, I suppose.

Montreal's lines from yesterday's practice, via TSN:

Cammalleri - Gomez - Gionta
Pacioretty - Plekanec - A. Kostitsyn
Latendresse - Lapierre - Moen
Stewart - Chipchura - Laraque

Hamrlik - Spacek
Gill - Mara
Gorges - Weber

Price

Game time is 7PM, with coverage on Sportsnet West.

Battle of Alberta 1.0 Post game

Kent Wilson — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 17:55:27 -0000

Recap

Event Summary

Copper 'n Blue Take

Well, for the second straight game the Flames were handily outshot but managed to escape with a victory. Some would council against looking a gift horse in the mouth, but that's precisely what I'm going to do. Let's face it everyone - if Calgary continues to play like this, they're going to lose more than they win.

I liked a lot of what I heard from players and coaches during the off-season about a return of structure and an emphasis on defensive play. I am thus far unimpressed with the results, however. The Flames are having a lot of issues in their own currently and defending the neutral zone hasn't been much better. By eye, the Flames are having a lot of problems transitioning from the puck from the defense to the forwards in the defensive zone, especially when it concerns the wingers. The break out is being stuffed a lot by pinching defenders and causing a lot of problems. In addition, Calgary seems to be giving up a lot of point shots and opportunities. And although the club seemed to be trying to clutter the neutral zone when Edmonton had possession last night, the Oilers nevertheless had little problems breaking through and entering the Flames zone.