Calgary Flames
Game 42 Recap – Embarrassing
In post game interviews the word that came up most frequently, summed up the game – Embarrassing.
Positives in this game may include thoughts like “there is 52 days to the trade deadline – I wonder what will happen” or “Well it is a good thing that Leland Irving isn’t getting over confident” or “I’m glad Iggy didn’t score his 500th in that game”
The Flames are really not that far off last years pace but this season feels a whole lot different. The management of Kipper’s starts has been dramatically different this year. Irving has started against the Canucks and the Bruins in two of his first four NHL games he has faced the two Stanley Cup finalists.
Success in Vancouver with a win and something much less than that last night against the Bruins. But the loss is not all on him. Lets go through the sad tale of the tape after the jump.
In fairness the Bruins are the hottest team in the NHL and no one who is rational should have expected the Flames to actually win but the expectation to keep it respectable is something that should have been there.
“It was embarrassing, we got totally outworked and outcompeted. We got pushed off the puck all night and we were terrible. One of the worst games in memory.
“No excuse for the game we put on. We’d lose to every single team if we played like that.” ~ Jarome Iginla
Tyler Seguin, who is looking like the real 1st overall pick, started the attack at 1:14 with his 16th goal of the season. Milan Lucic popped his 14th of the season at the 3:17 mark and you got the feeling before the game was 4 minutes old that it was over for the Flames.
A powerplay goal by David Krejci made it 3-0 before the 9 minute mark.
Irving looked unprepared for the 2nd period as he was beat early again by Patrice Bergeron at the 1:19 mark of the 2nd period. Less than a minute later Chris Kelly wristed his 13th of the season in and just two minutes later Nathan Horton potted another as the game was now getting extremely ugly.
Irving was put out of his misery and given the hook and Kipper came in to finish out a game that was clearly out of reach before it was half over. Nathan Horton beat Kipper for the 7th goal of the game to round out the 2nd period.
The third period was just more of the same as Patrice Bergeron beat Kipper for his 2nd goal of the game at the 5:49 mark and then a short-handed goal by Daniel Paille to round out the beating at 9-0.
Tukka Rask is worth mentioning as well as he stood tall in the shut-out back by what is arguably the best defence in the NHL in front of him.
Chris Butler had a particularly bad game ending it with a -7 which tied an NHL record. Jay Bouwmeester did not have a particularly good game either and the thinned Flames D was particularly exposed tonight.
The only bright spot for the Flames would have been T.J. Brodie who somehow managed to play the entire game and maintain a even plus / minus ranking despite the pucks going in left and right. He also logged the most ice time at 24:57 for the game but it seemed like every moment he was off the ice the puck went in,
Mikael Backlund logged the worst plus / minus at -5 for forwards and at some point the pens or knives are going to have to sharpen for young Mikael.
If you would like to watch the train wreck again here are your highlights or lowlights as the case may be.
Post game interviews – Sutter
Iginla
Sarich
by M Smith