Calgary…..2
Colorado…3
When are the Calgary Flames going to stop letting the Colorado Avalanche come back late in the game to steal points?
With a 2-1 lead, and less than 5 minutes left in the game, the Calgary Flames self-distructed and handed 2 points to the Avalanche by letting them score to tie the game, and once more in overtime to win.
Except for the last 5 minutes of the game, the Flames dominated the Avalanche, hitting them, outplaying them, and outshooting them 41-22. They were far more cohesive as a team but could not make it count in the end.
It was unfortunate that 2 questionable calls went against the Flames, and cost them the regulation win. Midway through the 3rd period, Alex Tanguay shot on the puck on net and it trickled through Avs goalie Jose Theodore and crossed the goal line. Referee Michael (Mick) McGeough blew the whistle right as the puck was about to cross the line… so the goal was waved-off. This would have put the Flames up 3-1 and given them some insurance, but instead it killed their confidence.
A few minutes later, as an Avalanche powerplay expired, Colorado’s Brett Clarke shot the puck towards the Calgary net as Marek Svatos appeared to trip Robyn Regehr. With Regehr on the ice, Svatos jumped on the rebound and was able to bash the puck past Miikka Kiprusoff. The goal tied the game at 2-2. It was an ugly play that tied the game and swung the momentum in Colorado’s favour.
In Overtime, with Dion Phaneuf trapped in the offensive corner, Colorado’s Joe Sakic and Ryan Smyth broke out on a 2-on-1. Kiprusoff played the shot, but adrian Aucoin was unable to stop Sakic’s tape-to-tape pass to Smyth, who deflected the puck into the net.
It was a tough loss for the Flames, who have now dropped 6 straight games to the Avalanche. The single point keeps Calgary (13pts) ahead of Colorado (12pts) in the NW Division.
The Flames host the Nashville Predators next Tuesday and the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday before heading out on the road for 2 games.
Keenan’s post game comments (on NHL TV)
Scoring Summary
1st Period
COL: Sakic A: Wolski, Brunette
CGY: Tanguay A: Langkow, Aucoin
2nd Period
CGY: Lombardi A: Moss, Hale
3rd Period
COL: Svatos A: Clark, Cumisky
Overtime
COL: Smyth A: Sakic, Clark
Greg is the founder of Red Mile Blog has been following the Flames through good times and bad since they arrived in Calgary in the early 80s. He has written hundreds of articles on the Flames since 2005 and considers himself an expert on hockey inconsistency and frustration. He shoots right and usually plays defence, but has been known to jump up in the rush. He is a 2-time CAHL men's league champion and knows the sweet taste of beer from a Cup.
