Calgary……5
Minnesota…3
Alex Tanguay has finally stepped up and scored, helping the Calgary Flames give the Minnesota Wild their first loss of the regular season. Tanguay’s first goal of the season might have been an easy one, but it tied the game at 3-3 nonetheless. His 2nd goal of the night put the Calgary Flames ahead 4-3 and proved to be the game winner. To round out his 3-point night, Tanguay also assisted on Dion Phaneuf’s goal in the 2nd period.
The Minnesota Wild showed why they hadn’t lost a game this regular season when they scored 3 goals in the 1st period. Then they sort of disappeared as the Flames turned it on in the 2nd and 3rd, buoyed by goals by Jarome Iginla, Phaneuf and Tanguay. I suppose it’s not bad to let your opponents score 3 unanswered goals in the first period, as long as you can score 5 unanswered goals to take the game 5-3!
The game featured a total of 20 penalties (CGY:11, MIN: 9) including 2 fights. Minnesota scored on 2 of their 11 powerplays. Calgary scored on only one of their 9, though both teams had many good chances with the man advantage.
Minnesota’s Mark Parrish had this to say about the game: “This brings you back down to earth quick. It’s a humbling game, it really is. Just when you think you have everything figured out, something like that comes along and bites you.”
With the victory, the Flames moved up to 4th place in the Western Conference, and 2nd in the Northwest Division… 3 point back of the Wild. Also notable is the fact that Jarome Iginla and Daymond Langkow are now #3 and #4 in points this season with 16 and 14 points respectively. Langkow is also #2 in scoring, with 8 goals in 10 games.
To view Keenan’s Post-Game comments, click here to open FlamesTV. (You’ll need to have Flash Player updated).
Scoring Summary
1st Period
MIN: Rolston A:Bouchard, Sheppard
MIN: Parrish A: Johnsson, Gaborik
MIN: Walz A: Radivojevic, Gaborik
2nd Period
CGY: Iginla A: Langkow
CGY: Phaneuf A: Tanguay, Aucoin
CGY: Tanguay A: Iginla, Langkow
3rd Period
CGY: Tanguay A: Aucoin, Iginla
CGY: Regehr A: Nolan, Lombardi
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.
