Lucky Number Seven

Question: What is the difference between a falling tree and the Calgary Flames?

Answer: A tree never gets booed out of its own forest.

Lucky consecutive loss number 7 for the Flames tonight, as they were shut out for the 2nd time in 3 games on home ice. They have scored a staggering 2 goals in their last 4 games at the Saddledome. They must be reading the Tiger Woods book on "How to ruin your image," because the Flames have fallen out of a Northwest division lead and into a logjam of teams fighting for the final playoff spot. The good news is, at this pace, the suspense of waiting to see if the Flames make the playoffs will not last long.

On the verge of sounding redundant, the Flames simply have one single solitary problem that is hindering them from posting “W’s” instead of loser symbols; scoring goals. This team simply is not able to put the puck into the yawning cage. It seems like the last 7 Vezina trophy winners have rolled over the Flames. Yet, Conklin, Niemi, Nabokov, Hiller, Ellis, Fleury, and Anderson do not posses any hardware of that nature. This is an extremely fragile hockey team right now as was evident in the loss tonight. Once the Blues scored that second goal with 8:39 left in the 3rd period, the Flames sails went limp and there wasn’t enough Cialis, Viagra, or ‘transgressions’ in the world to lift their spirits. It is as if they lost all hope for victory, and fans knew it as well, because two goals in the span of 8 minutes is something this hockey team is currently not capable of doing.

Who is to blame? Is their a point in blaming anyone? This is a team game, is it not? So, the Flames, as a team, have to crawl out of this mess or face a continuing chorus of boos as they play in their home rink, not unlike tonight.

They go on the road for two games this week before returning home to play the Oilers on Saturday. Phoenix who sits 5 points up on the Flames for fifth in the West and Dallas who are looking up on Flames but only 3 points in arrears. The Flames have split both affairs with Coyotes; both games ending in 2-1 decisions for the home team. In both games against the Stars, Flames back-up Curtis McElhinney has started. Expect more of the same as they face the Coyotes the following night. Maybe changing the one thing this team does not really need to change will spark them…than again I heard Taylor Hall is pretty good...

Maybe Brent Sutter should call up Coach D’Amato for a talk about inches…

“That's a team, gentlemen and either we heal now, as a team, or we will die as individuals.”



This has been,

Newman on the Flames