Steamrolled!

Everybody raise your hand if you thought that the 7-1 beat down on November 19th against the Chicago Blackhawks would be low point in the season? I would venture to guess that most everyone’s hands would be in the air. Well, the Flames have shocked us once again with their ability to look like a minor affiliate. 9-1…was that a rouge we scored? Was that a football game? Who allows an opponent to hang 9 on them? Maybe the Leafs, but definitely not the Flames, right? According to Rogers Sportsnet this was a match-up of two of the top teams in the Western Conference! Clearly they thought the Sharks were playing the Blackhawks, and not the lowly Flames. What, if any excuse can the Flames have for their fans? “We failed to convert on a couple of chances.” “We made one bad mistake on defence and it cost us.” Or maybe, “we were asleep and let monkey look a likes play in our place”…possibly the only logical explanation.

Losers of 5 in a row and 7 of their last 8 games, the Flames are in a serious tailspin with no recovery in site. If this isn’t rock bottom, I do not want to see what is. Maybe they just do not want to play for a hard nosed Coach. A team with this much talent does not lose this badly, this often. Something is seriously wrong. No more excuses about how it’s almost there, and if they “keep at it” things will start going right. Something has to change and it has to change quickly!

Someone in that dressing room has to step up and take charge, and it should be no one else but the man wearing both ‘C’s’ on his chest. Jarome Iginla is in the midst of his biggest scoring slump since 1997. Granted he did tally one assist against Anaheim, but he still remains goalless in 9 straight games, and only 2 points to show for in that whole stretch. What happened? What has changed? Since December 3rd, he has scored 4 goals in 24 games. Is this really the guy who scored 50 goals twice? What is different this year than in years past? Well, for starters he has nobody to pass him the puck. In years past he has had playmakers like Tanguay, Cammalleri, Huselius, Lombardi and two guys still on our team in Langkow and Conroy. Now I know that Conroy is a third/fourth line guy, but in 2002, he fit quite well with number 12. All in all, we have had a slew of Centremen/Left wings come through this town that either were not good enough or had a good year and chased more money because the Flames were unwilling to give it to them. Over the past year we have watched Keenan and now Sutter try and force the chemistry between two bona-fide goal scorers in Iginla and Jokinen. It simply has not worked, so please give up the dream. As much as I despise Jokinen though, I still think he can be a valuable asset, but possibly on the 2nd line and at a much cheaper cost. That being said, Iginla should have enough skill to lead this team on his own, until they come to their senses. People say he is one of the great leaders in the game today; well now would be an opportune time to show that skill.

The defence is another whole issue that I have picked at time and time again. The Flames D-Core for the past 5 years has been too slow to compete with the quicker forwards on all of the other teams. Darryl Sutter compiled what was supposed to be the best defensive units on paper, yet results have shown otherwise. Regehr, Sarich, Pardy, and throw in Kronwall while you’re at it, are all too slow. Phaneuf is also slow, but not on his skates; it’s the 6 inches between his ears that he lacks. The game is fast paced now, if you have not noticed, and puck moving defensemen are very in fashion right now. If Sutter has yet to realize this, I doubt he ever will, and if that is the case, the Flames are in a world of pain as teams like San Jose and Chicago are going to continue to steamroll them every single time they step on the ice!

This has been,

Newman on the Flames

P.S. Congrats to Robyn Regehr for his first goal in over 2 years...a little bittersweet I am sure




Source of Photo: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/flames-ripped-to-shreds-in-san-jose/article1435769/

Where Have All the Goal Scorers Gone?

The Flames lost again last night. The Flames have now lost 5 of their last 6 games. They were shutout last night for the first time all season. They are averaging only 1.33 goals per game over this slide. It is hard to win games 1-0 every night. Iginla is pointless in the last 6 games and a -3 over that span. All in all, there are very few positive things coming out of Flames land these days. About the only thing that isn’t worrisome is the play of Miikka Kiprusoff. Kipper is continuing his stellar play in goal and is the one Flame player who deserves no blame for this current losing skid. What seems to be the problem? Where did all the scoring go? What is wrong with Iginla? Will the Brothers Sutter shake things up?

As much as I would like to have the answer to the situation, I am not sure I do. But, in saying that, there some things I would like to say.

The Flames powerplay has been an interesting topic this year. After dispensing with the Keenan/Preston mantra of not practicing the powerplay, many thought that this year the Flames man-advantage unit would be much better. Well, they started the year quite well, scoring with regularity and sporting a 27% success rate in October. Then, in early December they fail to convert in 5 straight games with the extra man, going 0-19. Now, the Flames are struggling again. In 25 chances, they have scored only 2 powerplay goals in all of January. Its not lack of effort as the Flames have been firing all sorts of pucks on goaltenders. They simply have no finish. Iginla, as mentioned before is pointless in 6. Jokinen has 2 goals and 1 assist in his last ten. Bourque has 3 goals in his last 8, and only 1 other assist. Langkow has 1 goal in his last 15 games. Moss has 1 goal in his last 21. The Flames rank 21st in the league in goals for per game (Edmonton is scoring more than the Flames!). Sutter tried to spark the team with the call-up of Lundmark, yet that spark has gone out, as Lundmark has only the one goal since re-joining the big club. Relying on a career minor-leaguer to ignite your team, should not be the solution.

So what else is there to do? Mix it up with a big trade? Bench a star player? Will that help? Sutter has been known to pull off a big deal at deadline time, who could be moved and who will be moved?

Many fans would like to see Dion hit the road, yet I find it hard to believe that Sutter will trade his estranged love child. So apart from Phaneuf, who else could be traded? Sarich is a likely candidate to be playing somewhere else soon, as his $3.6 million contract is looming large for a player that is simply too slow and has been passed on the depth chart by near everybody. Kronwall could easily step up and play the same role. Robyn Regehr has clearly lost a step and maybe it is time for the lifelong Flame to find a new address. He is a player who would possibly bring back some scoring punch. The Flames are in need of a top six forward, and in a perfect world, a number one centerman. The Jokinen experiment has clearly not worked. Remember that guy who played here last year…what was his name? Calimari? Caligula? Oh right, Cammalleri! Who would you rather have: #13 or Olli “I skate like I am constantly out of control” Jokinen?

All I am saying is that something has to change and if the Flames do not recover quickly they are going to fall, and fall fast in the Western Conference standings.

This has been,

Newman on the Flames

Source of Photo: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/hockey/predators-withstand-the-flames/article1433518/

Fleury Stonewalls Flames

The Calgary Flames lost tonight to the defending Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins. Stricken by a slew of bad penalties and untimely giveaways, the Flames could not handle the strength and of a better Penguins club. The Penguins are faster, bigger, stronger and compete harder in every battle, and it showed on the scoreboard. Despite being able to outshoot the Penguins 38 -27, the Flames were stymied on every chance, save one, by Marc-Andre Fleury.

Fleury looked every bit as good as he did in the Stanley Cup run last year and proved to the fans of Calgary that he was very deserving of the of the Olympic roster spot. He stoned the Flames on numerous chances including a barrage of 16 shots in the final period, including the first 8 minutes of the period where the Pens could not even muster one for themselves. The Flames controlled most of the third but could not slide one past Fleury, who looked phenomenal. An interesting thing I was able to witness tonight when watching Fleury during the warm-up was that he competes just as hard in the pre-skate as he does during the game. He makes a full effort to stop the puck every time, sliding back and forth in the crease, and is a clear example of the saying “practice like you would play.” He carried that work ethic into the game and it paid off with a much needed win for the flightless birds from Steel-town, USA.

The Flames took penalty after penalty in the latter half of the second period (holding, hooking, tripping, holding), and it cost them the game. Four ‘lazy’ penalties that cost the Flames a chance to win the game as the Penguins were in better positions on the puck, which forced the Flames to take the minors. For example: Regehr gets beaten on a rush by Malkin, so he trips him; Dawes gets out muscled in the corner so he grabs the jersey of the Penguins player. The ‘compete’ level of the Penguins was much higher than the Flames in those situations and that was the difference. Now, it is debatable as to the quality of the penalties, but referee Stephane Auger (not a good week for this guy) also had some questionable calls on Pittsburgh to even it up. As long as the refereeing is consistent, than there should be no qualms as to the quality of the officiating, although most fans would rather see them just play. Unfortunately though, the NHL feels the need to enforce the clutching and grabbing to a greater extent in certain games.

The Flames have now lost four of the last five and have the exact same record as the Avalanche for the division lead and sit 2 points up on Vancouver. Nashville, Anaheim, San Jose and Chicago are the next four opponents for the fledgling Flames. If they can stay out of the box and keep peppering goalies with rubber than they should do alright in one of the toughest four game stretches they will see all season.

This has been,

Newman on the Flames

Source of photo: http://www.studyofsports.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/fleury14.jpg

Five in a Row

In case you missed it last night, and since the Junior Gold Medal game was on, I’m betting most did, the Flames won their fifth game in a row with a 3-1 win over the Nashville Predators. The win put the Flames into first place in the Northwest division at the halfway point of the season. Not only was it the fifth consecutive victory, but also the fifth consecutive game the Flames only allowed one goal. Miikka Kiprusoff, having played four of those, is 4-0-0 with a 1.00 GAA and a .964 save percentage. First star of the week anybody?

In last night’s game, the Flames played a solid first two periods, which gave them a 2-0 lead going into the final frame. In the third, a couple of defensive lapses led to a few Predator scoring changes and one goal, but Daymond Langkow was able to score an empty netter in the final minute to put the game away for good. The first two goals were scored by David Moss and Olli Jokinen who both ended month-long scoring droughts. I keep expecting to see Jokinen break out, but it just doesn’t seem to happen. Halfway through the season, he now sits at 8 goals and 20 assists; on pace for his first sub-20 goal season since 2001-2002. For a comparison, and a nod to my colleague, Lombardi is at 7 goals and 19 assists, for $3,500,000 less per season.

Tonight, the Flames take on their divisional rival, the Minnesota Wild. It may be another game not seen by many Flames fans, as it won’t be available on local television. I always find it hard to believe that we still have Flames games that aren’t on television. Most US teams, whom practically nobody watches, have every game on local television. Yet here in a hotbed of hockey there are still games we can’t watch due to restrictive television contracts with TSN and CBC. Of course, as always, tonight’s game will be on the Fan960, so tune into the broadcast and be treated to perhaps the best play-by-play man in hockey, Peter Maher.


- TheRev

Bring on January

December has come and gone, and another month is in the books for the Calgary Flames. Well, how’d they do? After a very slow start, winning only three games in their first 11 in December, the team was able to turn things around a little bit, by winning the final three games of the month. Heading into the new decade, the Flames find themselves in fifth place in the Western Conference, and second place in the division, only one point behind Colorado with two games in hand.

Let’s take a look at the numbers for December:


Record: 6-6-2
At Home: 4-2-2
On the Road: 2-4-0
Record against Edmonton this season: 5-0-0
My Record watching the Flames live: 7-0-1
Record Against the Eastern Conference: 5-0-1

Goals For: 28
Goals Against: 31
Shots For: 384
Shots Against: 405

Face Offs Won: 365 (48.34%)
Face Offs Lost: 390 (51.66%)
Powerplays: 82 (7.32%)
Penalty Kills: 81 (95.06%)
SH Goals: 1

Jarome Iginla: 3G, 6A, 9P
Olli Jokinen: 2G, 5A, 7P
Dion Phaneuf: 2G, 2A, 4P
Rene Bourque: 7G, 7A, 13P
Curtis Glencross: 2G, 2A, 4P
Daymond Langkow: 2G, 6A, 8P
Kipper's #'s: 2.01, .932% 5-5-2
McE's #'s 2.27, .916% 1-1-0
Conroy Goals in 1st 36 games: 0
Conroy goals in last 2 games: 2
Regehr games w/o a goal: 132 and counting



Now it’s on to January and 2010, beginning with a game against the Maple Leafs in the Saddledome tonight.


Hope everybody had a good holiday season…Happy New Year!