SB Nation - Miikka Kiprusoff

Minnesota Wild @ Calgary Flames: Game Recap

nathaneide — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 05:20:59 -0000

More photos » by Larry MacDougal - AP

3 days ago: Calgary Flames' Brian McGrattan, left, fights Minnesota Wild's Derek Boogaard during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Calgary on Friday, Dec. 11, 2009. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Larry MacDougal)

Browse more photos »

Minnesota Wild 2-1 (ot) Calgary Flames

Holy crap, the Wild won in Calgary. Holy crap, James Sheppard scored. Holy crap, Martin Havlat scored. Holy crap, the Wild had more than 40 shots on goal.

Ok, I'm not really sure which is more shocking, to be honest, but I'd say that beating Calgary in the Saddledome is the biggest surprise.

The Wild have now won seven of eight and seem to be turning it on right about the time many expected them to. It's great to see them winning with offense and winning with defense. Frankly, if it weren't for Kiprusoff, tonight would have been out of hand and the Wild would have won going away.

It's great to see Havlat getting into the flow of the game, and nice to see someone other than the top line carry the load for the offense.

Let's hope this solid defensive play continues. Things are finally turning around.

Please read the game recap over at Matchsticks and Gasoline

Hockey Wilderness Three Stars

Martin Havlat (1 G, 1 A)
Miikka Kiprusoff (44 saves)
James Sheppard (1 G)

Questions to Answer

I'm gonna let SpaethCo answer.

The Calgary Flames have been the best in the Northwest (no matter what folks in Colorado will have you believe) will the Wild get a good measuring stick against a solid team? We’re trying to fight our way back into the hunt, so for the sake of team confidence let’s say this is a great measuring stick. (only because we got the win)
Will the curse of the Saddledome continue to hover over the Wild? It tried really damn hard - maybe the curse was thrown off by the cold?
Which Finnish goalie will shine? Despite Backstrom getting the win, Kiprusoff held off 44 of 46 shots. From the Flames perspective, Kiprusoff gets the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd star.
Bruno has eight points in the last five games, and Mittens has seven goals in his last eight. Can they keep it up? Strangely enough, the underdogs of the team pull it off. Shep and Havlat - I wonder what the line would have been on that in Vegas?
The Flames have the best career record against the Wild. Why? They're really not that good, are they? Kiprusoff and Iginla? Nah, those guys have no talent at all. In fact, Calgary should send them to us for Boogard and a bag of pucks. Right?

Flames Game Day: Circles lead me back to you...

Robert Cleave — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 21:30:14 -0000

More photos » by Lynne Sladky - AP

Browse more photos »

Calgary Flames vs. Atlanta Thrashers

Pengrowth Saddledome (what? where?)

7:30 PM MT

Opposition: Bird Watchers Anonymous

TV: Sportsnet West

The Flames get re-acquainted with the Saddledome this evening on the heels of a pretty useful road trip. The home record has been a point of conversation over the first third of the season, of course, but I suspect that it's more a fluke of timing than any legitimate issue. The team started to play a bit better in it's own end, and Miikka Kiprusoff decided that it would be a good time to start up his Vezina campaign, so the record has fallen into place.

If there is any basis to the Flames' home struggles, we'll see it over the next few weeks, with the club home for nine of its next dozen outings. The opponent tonight should make for an interesting match, because they have more skill than most clubs, and likely wouldn't mind a night of simply trading opportunities.

Since I'm doing most of this before the morning skate ends, I have no idea if the Dawes experiment will hold, but it hasn't appeared to be any great upgrade over the other options that Brent Sutter has employed to work with the big two. That line wasn't really at the heart of Calgary's dominating possession night in L.A., and their PP work appeared toothless.

Bourque-Langkow-Moss and GlenX-Conroy/Boyd-Nystrom were very good in the team's last outing, and Flames' preview on the official site doesn't mention Conroy as an injured player, so the forwards should all be in place. Prust is likely due for a game as well. Watching Brian McGrattan do his nightly do-si-do before retiring to a seat that teams should just sell for 500 bucks a night is a waste, at least for me.

The Sun has Regehr stating that he's ready. It should, as always, be noted that the Flames discuss injuries to players in the straight-forward manner best exemplified by this gent. Reggie or not, Adam Pardy will need to be better than what he displayed Monday, by a long shot. The news in that Sun piece regarding Sarich hints to me that he's been in a bad way since training camp, because even after he began playing, he looked dreadful. Not the sort of news I wanted to hear, to be honest.

In net, uh, Kipper, maybe?

The Thrashers got pantsed by the Maple Leafs on Monday, and they might be shaking up the lines to head off a losing streak. They do have a ton of skill, with Kovalchuk, Antropov and bargain-basement prize Maxim Afinogenov leading the way. Between last year's waiver claim of Rich Peverley and 800K this summer for Afinogenov, I might need to re-think my "Don Waddell is hopeless" world view. I suppose I could simply revert to the whole "even a blind squirrel finds an acorn every now and then" premise, but that doesn't seem entirely fair. Getting Pavel Kubina has also worked out for the Thrash, and Ondrej Pavelec has played fairly well, although this post from Scott Reynolds over at C and B might lead a person to suspect that he's headed for a correction. The Herald's tea-leaf reading is that Johan Hedberg might have a go in the net for the Thrashers tonight.

The Flames will need to get another solid night from the forwards away from the puck, and not turning it over in the neutral zone will likely be at the core of a Flames' win. This isn't the sort of team that the Flames want to trade odd-man chances with, even if Kipper stands on his head. It might be asking a lot for a low-event outing, but that's best way to a win tonight, IMO. Oh, and if the PP gets a clue, that wouldn't hurt anyone's feelings either.

Game time is 7:30 MT, with coverage on Sportsnet West.

Off the Post - December 7th

Conico do Mayo Miracle — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 18:37:44 -0000

1941 - Never forget. And don't forget what happened on Dec. 8th, 1980, while you're at it.
[NEW UPDATE] - Manny Malhotra will be signing autographs for free at the Sharks Store, Tuesday Dec. 15th, from 4:30 - 6pm. Be sure to slip a few greenbacks in the change jar - homeboy's only pulling in 6 figures.
[UPDATE] - McGinn and Vesce get reassigned... place yer bets on whether or not they'll be back by Wednesday.
TCY examines Patrick Marleau's potential price tag after this season, while Ivano27 investigates what Igor Larionov (and his hottie daughter) has been up to lately.
Devin Setoguchi answers questions from the masses, including the perrenial "Whose kitchen are you raiding this season?"
Dany Heatley, Dan Boyle, and Patrick Marleau (plus a 4th Shark TBD) will be signing autographs for a cool $169 per 2 persons @ Dave & Buster's, on January 31st. Reservations required.
A look at former Sharks defenseman Christian Ehrhoff as an Olympic hopeful.
Is Peter Laviolette the right replacement for John Stevens in Philadelphia?
The city of Edmonton begins preparations for the end of Rexall Place.
Size does matter for Gary Bettman - and he likes 'em small and boisterous.
For those that missed the Habs' 100th anniversary celebration, please consult Habs Eyes on the Prize (recommended).
Die by the Blade believes Andrej Sekera is the Sabres' Dan Boyle.
Signs your teammate is trying to kill you (big chuckle on the first one, huge groan on the last one).
Kris Versteeg gets an eyeful.

Scott Reynolds at Copper & Blue has been producing tweaked Bible verses for game day, and his latest for the Oilers victory over the Stars is a gem.
Speaking of the Stars (whom we play on Friday), Defending Big D examines the current state of the Dallas fanbase.
Buddha at Hockey Wilderness, on "He Who Shall No Longer Be Mentioned" (and no, it's not Gaborik).
With Cam Ward returning, the Canes have a goaltending decision to make.
Behind the Net debunks the argument that goalies need to see action in order to stop shots.
St. Louis Game Time has utterly corrupted Bart Simpson.
Hockey bigamy, as Vince Vaughn (a Blackhawks / J.R. fan) invades the Phoenix locker room.
On the off chance you haven't seen it in detail, Miikka Kiprusoff's save on Scott Nichol is (tragic? heart-breaking? nauseating?) destined for highlight reels for years to come.

Coyotes vs. Flames - Game # 28 Preview

OdinMercer — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 01:18:11 -0000

See?! Even Mr. T disapproves of forest fires aka FLAMES! (He's also a Knight Elf Mohawk...)

View full size photo »

Everyone's favorite Coyotes opponent the Calgary Flames visit Jobing.com Arena tonight in a little bit of a late game with a 7:30 Start. The Flames have been playing very well lately getting points in 8 of the last 10 games and winning 4 games in a row. I probably won't get to see a lot of the game as it is my wife's birthday (Love you Hon!) But we'll roll out all the usual goodies for you here at FfH as I attempt to shake off the rust of not really writing for about a week. (The break has done me good.)

Last Time Out...

The Coyotes lost a heartbreaker on November 25th in Calgary. Nigel Dawes scored the game winner in the 2-1 loss with just 5:44 left in the 3rd period.

Five for Winning

These were a little (see A LOT) tough since I was out of town with no Hockey for a bit and then was subjected to a radio only game, but here we go...

Actually, you know what? Easy Five tonight because I said so!

1. Check.

2. Score first please! (Our record when scoring first is ridiculous)

3. Check some more!

4. For the love of god do not start the game rusty... We haven't played since Sunday and have a habit of getting off to a slow start anyways. Come out gunning!

5. Keep Kipper on his toes. Miikka Kiprusoff has been on fire lately getting shutouts in his last two games. Hopefully the Calgary announcers helpout by mentoning that a lot during the broadcast. We need to be the ones to break it, but why not get the karmic help?

The Owie List

Calgary Flames Injuries

Out (IR / Out / Suspended / Physically unvailable)

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Rene Bourque	undisclosed	11/20/2009
John Armstrong	shoulder	09/17/2009

Phoenix Coyotes Injuries

Probable

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Ed Jovanovski	other-excused	12/03/2009
Peter Mueller	other-excused	12/03/2009

Out (IR / Out / Suspended / Physically unvailable)

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Kurt Sauer	other-excused	10/07/2009

GO YOTES!!

Nashville Predators can't handle the Flames, lose 5-0

Dirk Hoag — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 03:49:20 -0000

More photos » by Mark Humphrey - AP

Calgary Flames defenseman Aaron Johnson blocks the path of Nashville Predators left wing Martin Erat in the offensive zone. Erat now has just one shot on goal in his last three games.

Browse more photos »

The Calgary Flames ran their impressive road record to 10-1-3 at the expense of the Nashville Predators tonight, thanks to a gritty defensive effort that was complemented with opportunistic scoring. Curtis Glencross led all scorers with a goal and two assists, while Miikka Kiprusoff turned aside 22 shots for the shutout.

After the jump we've got the video highlights, recap, and advanced even-strength statistics...

The Flames played pretty much an ideal road game; a concerted effort to backcheck through center ice and defend the slot in their own zone, combined with an ability to capitalize on the offensive opportunities they were able to create for themselves. A scoreless first period led to an early goal in the second for David Moss, who took a blocked shot the other way, breaking in alone on Pekka Rinne.

Rinne was generally solid while the game was competitive as the Preds got outshot 30-22 on the evening. Nashville failed to generate many dangerous scoring chances despite furious line juggling by Barry Trotz in the final period. The Predators power play also failed to connect for the third straight game, this time in three chances.

Martin Erat, after showing some life last week, was completely ineffective once again, with 0 shots on goal in 16:48 of ice time. In his last three games, he has a grand total of 1 shot on goal in a combined 51:48 of action.

Despite the loss, Nashville finished the month with an impressive 9-4-0 record, and remain in 2nd place in the Central Division. They head out for two games on the road now, Wednesday at Minnesota and Friday at Chicago.

Looking at the advanced even-strength stats, the top line of Sullivan-Arnott-Dumont had a rough night, leading to the 3rd period breakup. While Erat had positive Shots For/Against totals for the team while he was on the ice, he needs to play a leading role offensively for Nashville, and so far, his season has been a bust.

As for positives? Take a look down at the bottom again, and admire the fine results for Cody Franson.

Even Strength		Individual Totals					Team Totals While Player Is On Ice
Player	Pos	EV TOI	Shots	Shts Blkd	Missed Shts	Blocks	SOG For	SOG Ag	SOG +/-	Tot SF	Tot SA	Corsi
Jason Arnott	C	12:58	0	1	1	0	2	7	-5	11	14	-3
Steve Sullivan	L	12:02	1	0	0	0	2	7	-5	13	13	0
J P Dumont	R	12:19	0	0	0	3	3	8	-5	8	14	-6
David Legwand	C	16:14	2	2	1	1	10	10	0	24	16	8
Jerred Smithson	R	14:58	3	1	0	0	11	7	4	21	14	7
Joel Ward	R	16:23	2	1	2	0	10	10	0	20	16	4
Marcel Goc	C	13:45	1	1	1	0	5	4	1	14	9	5
Martin Erat	R	13:53	0	2	0	0	6	3	3	21	7	14
Jordin Tootoo	R	16:35	1	1	2	0	2	8	-6	16	13	3
Wade Belak	R	5:26	0	0	0	0	3	2	1	3	5	-2
Michael Santorelli	C	9:12	1	0	0	0	5	4	1	7	7	0
Patric Hornqvist	R	12:23	2	0	2	0	6	5	1	10	10	0
Shea Weber	D	18:31	1	0	4	1	12	12	0	24	18	6
Ryan Suter	D	18:10	3	1	2	1	11	10	1	23	17	6
Kevin Klein	D	17:19	1	2	3	2	4	10	-6	21	16	5
Francis Bouillon	D	16:39	2	0	0	1	6	4	2	12	11	1
Dan Hamhuis	D	17:28	0	2	1	0	3	10	-7	19	18	1
Cody Franson	D	16:11	1	1	0	2	8	4	4	13	12	1

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

Browse more photos »

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)

Browse more photos »

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

Wednesday Links: Searching for goals and finding nothing but disappointment edition

averagejoe — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 11:00:28 -0000

Judging by my Facebook friends, this week seems just about over for most people. Most people can eat a bag of dicks. I work every day this week plus Saturday. But hey, at least the Blues play tonight.

Blues news

The Blues take on the Dalls Stars tonight. Will Carlo Colaiacovo and Steve Ott exchange pleasantries? [CBS Sports]
The Blues are last in the league in goals. In other news, the lede of this article is pretty damn weak. You can do better, JR. [St. Louis Post-Dispatch]
One of the reasons the Blues offense is so awful? The power play is worst in the league. [Belleville News-Democrat]
Yoda and Louie: A match made in heaven. [Blues]
Jori Lehterä is playing well. [Blues]

Hockey news

Here are today's games. [Yahoo! Sports]
Here are last night's result. Montreal won 5-3. [Yahoo! Sports]
Should've gotten to this yesterday: The Florida Panthers unveiled a new third jersey. As has been said by everyone (including Hildy and myself in the GDT) it looks like the Blues third and the Penguins third mated. Thoughts? [Puck Daddy]
Rick DiPietro is nearing a return, opens mouth. [Lighthouse Hockey]
Hat tip to Mirtle at From the Rink: A quiz. I got 69, or the 92nd percentile. [sporcle]
I haven't seen much of hockey this year thanks to this whole greedy TV deal, but is television trying to show less violence? [Stanley Cup of Chowder]
Daniel Briere is suspended two games. [ESPN]
Marian Hossa will return today. [ESPN]
Get used to hearing this story a lot: Brendan Burke, son of Maple Leafs GM Brain Burke, is openly gay and pursuing a career in the NHL. [ESPN]
Miikka Kiprusoff won't play for Finland unless he's starting. Fact: Before I read this, I had no idea there were that many Fins in net in the NHL. [CTV Olympics]
Vesa Toskala is on the IR. [TSN]
Pascal Leclaire will be out with a fractured cheekbone. [TSN]
Someone new wants to buy the Coyotes. [TSN]

Other links

What do you get when you replace booze with cats? Boozecats, of course. [Boozecats]
Well this is absolutely terrifying. [Craig's List]
Like TV intros? Go here. [TV Intros]
Speaking of TV themes, what if Neil Young sang the "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" theme? Wonder no more. [Warming Glow]

Video

If you don't like this, please leave quietly. (Thanks to Blue Monday and "Jason" for sending me this.)

That's all for me. GDT later. gametimelinks(at)gmail.com

2010 Winter Olympics: Flames Hopefuls

Kent Wilson — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 20:04:26 -0000

More photos » by Jeff McIntosh - AP

Browse more photos »

We take a break from your daily dose of bitching, moaning and hyper analysis to focus on the up-coming Olympics and, much more importantly, which Flames may be making their way to Vancouver in February.

SBN has a network-wide thing going, so here's the pre-determined categories we'll be wedging the hopefuls into:

"Pack Your Bags"
"Nearly A Lock"
"Fairly Safe Bet"
"In A Battle"
"Work To Do"
"Moving Up"
"Moving Down"

Team Canada:

Jay Bouwmeester - "Pack your bags"

Jay Bouwmeester

#4 / Defenseman / Calgary Flames

Height: 6-4

Weight: 212

Born: Sep 27, 1983

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Jay Bouwmeester	22	2	10	12	8	16	1	0	0	0	42	4.8

There are lots of great defenders to choose from for Team Canada, but it's hard to argue against Jay Bouwmeester's inclusion: not only is he capable at both ends of the ice, he's regularly been a league leader in terms of ice time for the last several seasons. He's frequently played against the best in the business during his career and only recently turned 26 years old.

Robyn Regehr - "In a Battle"

Robyn Regehr

#28 / Defenseman / Calgary Flames

Height: 6-3

Weight: 225

Born: Apr 19, 1980

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Robyn Regehr	22	0	9	9	2	19	0	0	0	0	24	0.0

One of the steadiest pure defensemen in the league, Regehr's chances of making the Olympic squad are nonetheless hampered by his below average offensive abilities. Big, mean and capable shutting down the best players in the league, Regehr make sneak onto the squad depending on how the roster shakes out.

Dion Phaneuf - "Moving Down"

Dion Phaneuf

#3 / Defenseman / Calgary Flames

Height: 6-3

Weight: 214

Born: Apr 10, 1985

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Dion Phaneuf	22	6	5	11	2	20	2	0	2	0	48	12.5

At this time last year, most would have figured Dion as a lock to make the club. However, after struggling mightily with his defensive game last season, Phaneuf is in tough to crack what will probably the best blueline (on paper) in this year's Olympics. And while his game looks "steadier" in the early going, Phaneuf hasn't made a compelling case thus far with fairly middling stats across the board.

Jarome Iginla - "Pack Your Bags"

Jarome Iginla

#12 / Right Wing / Calgary Flames

Height: 6-1

Weight: 207

Born: Jul 01, 1977

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Jarome Iginla	22	16	7	23	1	28	4	0	3	0	67	23.9

Iginla is not only a sure thing to make team Canada, but most expect him to be it's captain. Recently named as one of the best players of the last decade by Puck Daddy, Jarome's 12 goal month has re-solidified his claim to a place on the club. As such, Vancouverites will get to the experience the unfamiliar feeling of cheering for an effectual captain for once this winter.

Team Finland:

Olli Jokinen - "Pack Your Bags"

Olli Jokinen

#21 / Center / Calgary Flames

Height: 6-3

Weight: 215

Born: Dec 05, 1978

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Olli Jokinen	22	3	12	15	0	21	1	0	0	0	58	5.2

It's been a steady downward slide for Jokinen since he scored 39 goals in 2006-07. He's also had a fairly miserable run so far this season. That said, the Fins are a smaller country and don't have as many bodies to choose from. He hasn't been completely terrible for the Flames in the last week or so, meaning his play is likely to ramp up as the season progresses.

Miikka Kiprusoff - "Pack Your Bags"

Miikka Kiprusoff

#34 / Goalie / Calgary Flames

Height: 6-1

Weight: 184

Born: Oct 26, 1976

	GP	MIN	W	L	T	EGA	GA	GAA	SA	SV	SV%	SO
2009 - Miikka Kiprusoff	20	1192	12	5			51	2.57	599	548	.915	1

There would have been more debate around this selection had Kipper continued his descent into mediocrity. However, a strong start to the season has likely eased doubts about his abilities and propelled him past his struggling friend and countryman Vesa Toskala. Antero Niittymaki is knocking it out of the park currently, but is less proven and likely tabbed as a back-up. Niklas Backstrom may also challenge for a spot, but Kipper's superior resume and 2009-10 stats will put him ahead of the Wild's backstopper.

Flames Game Day: Soft Landing?

Robert Cleave — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 21:00:15 -0000

More photos » by Nathan Denette - AP

Browse more photos »

Calgary Flames vs. Colorado Avalanche

Pengrowth Saddledome

7:30 PM MT

Opposition: Mile High Hockey

TV: Sportsnet West

Treaties are like roses and young girls. They last while they last.

Charles de Gaulle

So too, are hot streaks based on goaltending and good shooting. Tonight, the Flames return home in the midst of such a run of good fortune, facing an opposition whose good luck seems to have diminished somewhat.

As much as the three of us that contribute around these parts like to bag on the team for being on the wrong end of the shooting numbers, it does seem uncharitable not to note that two of the players the Flames most need to contribute are doing just that. I'm not that crazy about the play of his center, but Jarome Iginla does seem to have the eye right now. His underlying numbers are getting a boost as well, although as R O noted the other day, starting in the other team's end is a good way to jump-start a Corsi figure. Sutter has used Jokinen and Iginla in more favourable circumstances of late. Iginla's overall O/D Zone Start is 42 %, well worse than the 60% numbers we saw last week, and Jokinen has received that sort of goosing as well. With the team at home and in full control of match-ups, we'll see if that trend holds. From all reports, they'll have the returning (and chastened) Glencross as a running buddy this evening.

It certainly means a harder go for Dawes-Langkow-Bourque, and other than Langkow's hot stick, I think it's showing. That doesn't suggest poor play in any way, but merely that it's really hard to start in a hole against good opposition and manage to dig yourself out night after night. Continuing the trend of the last few games would lead one to believe that they'll see a fair bit of Paul Stastny and Wojtek Wolski.

Nystrom-Boyd-Moss will likely be the third group, and although I missed events due to watching a pretty blah AHL game on my company's dime, it certainly appears as if Boyd had a very good game, and given that he saw Phil Kessel's line for a big chunk of the night and had zero off. zone face-offs to his credit, finishing in the black in terms of +/- and Corsi is a damn good night's work. There's been plenty of love for old man Conroy around these parts this week, and deservedly so. If Dustin Boyd keeps his good play going, it'll mean that the best case scenario for the team (Conroy moving down the line-up on merit) is occurring.

As for the elder statesman, he gets Sjostrom-Prust for linemates. Good to see.

The blue is intact, which does lead one to think that barring injury, Adam Pardy has likely won whatever battle there was to determine the 6th D. Due to the settling of matters, Kronwall has been sent to Abbotsford for conditioning. In in the Bouwmeester piece, I noted that he and the Langkow line had a hard match against the Stastny line in the previous encounter. GIven that the spread in the QComp numbers have shrunk between him and Regehr/Phaneuf, I'll be curious to see if Sutter uses the same formula tonight.

I mentioned up top that two of the Flames' leaders were carrying the team right now, and along with Iginla's good shooting, Miikka Kiprusoff has been at the core of whatever success the team has had in the last couple of weeks. The hockey-sphere occasionally debates whether a goalie's SV% is affected in some way by his team's play. Kiprusoff's' improved numbers so far might be a data point suggesting that his good or bad play is largely independent of his team's efforts, because I don't think anyone would argue that the Flames are playing tighter defence than last season, and yet there he is at .923. No matter how it's come about, this sort of work on his part has bought the team wins and time to work on things, both valuable in their own ways.

The opposition has had a bit of a fall-off in results, and in all honesty, it was pretty clear that the Avalanche were headed for some rockier times. Craig Anderson had a tough go on Saturday, giving up 4 goals on 22 shots, but the quality of his season is still very high, and he's really been the primary difference between an Avalanche team that was in the lottery and one that has a sniff at something better. The Avs were getting a Corsi pummeling (-17) up to the point that Anderson got the hook against the Canucks, and as often happens when a team chases a game, they upped the shots at the expense of defensive play. 8-2 wasn't fully reflective of the play from the parts I saw, but it really was a case of shoe-on-the-other-foot stuff for them. They're still a dangerous team to play, though, and as we've seen in the last week, the Flames don't always handle quick teams very well.

Game-wise, this is getting to be like a broken record, but Olli Jokinen needs to get a goal at some point before he turns into a basket case. He doesn't seem to have any trade value, so with that in mind, there's not much point in wishing him ill. It's very likely he's a Flame until his contract runs out in the summer, no matter what any of us may or may not want. As I mentioned earlier, Sutter made a conscious effort to give that line better circumstances on the road trip. It does seem like hoping for the sake of it, but as lousy as he's been, I don't think 2 goals in his last 31 regular season games is any more representative of him than 8 in his first 6 games after the trade. Here's hoping.

The line-up, as per the Herald:

Glencross-Jokinen-Iginla

Dawes-Langkow-Bourque

Nystrom-Boyd-Moss

Sjostrom-Conroy-Prust

Bouwmeester-Sarich

Regehr-Phaneuf

Giordano-Pardy

Kiprusoff

Game time is 7:30 MT, with coverage on Sportsnet West.