Hats Off to Bourque

The Flames headed into tonight’s game in their worst slump of the year, having scored only 13 goals in their previous seven games, in which they posted only one win, and two overtime losses. Pretty much every aspect of their game has struggled as well, and the team was in desperate need of a confidence boost. Often a trade or a coaching change is needed to change a team’s fortunes, or maybe some kind of tonic to rejuvenate the players. For the Calgary Flames, that tonic came in a blue and orange bottle, labelled Edmonton Oilers. Now can it turn the season around?

Despite an early Oiler goal, a deflection by Ryan Potulny, and being outshot 35-24, the Flames were able to come away with 4-1 win. Calgary’s attack was led by Rene Bourque, who scored his 2nd career hat trick, a natural, with a goal in each period. The win was the Flames’ fourth in four games against the Oilers this season, and moved them out of 8th place in the Western Conference. That doesn’t necessarily mean the Flames played well, but when the opponent is struggling so much, as the Oilers are, it can make any team look good. Adding to Bourque’s offensive heroics was the play of Miikka Kiprusoff who had another great game, stopping 34 of 35 shots. As he has done all season, Kipper kept the Flames in the game during the 1st period, in which they were outshot 15-4. After Bourque’s 2nd goal, things seem to calm down a bit, and the Flames were able to dominate the play in the 2nd half of the game, controlling the puck, killing off nine Edmonton power play opportunities and scoring both a power play goal and a shorty.

In typical Battle of Alberta fashion, the game had a quicker tempo then would normally be expected when facing the conference’s last place team, and right out of the gate tempers seemed to be flaring. Dustin Boyd and Andrew Cogliano scrapped following the Oiler goal in the 1st, and in the third period, Iginla, Regehr and Johnson all dropped the gloves, with Smid, Staios and Stone respectively. I’m sure Oiler fans would disagree with me, but the Flames won all four fights quite handily.

With lots of fighting, lots of hitting and the obvious distaste each city as for one another, it should be another good game when the teams meet for the fifth time this season in the annual New Year’s Eve game on Thursday night.

- TheRev