The Calgary Flames set two team records tonight when they stomped on the Predators 5-0 in Nashville. The Flames put together a complete team effort to bowl over the previously hot Predators and finish the month of November in historic fashion.
Miikka Kiprusoff recorded his 2nd shutout in a row as the Flames completed their biggest November in franchise history by taking 22 of 28 points in the month. They also set a team record by getting points in 10 straight road games.
After a scoreless first period, David Moss scored the eventual game winner on a breakaway 1:32 into the 2nd period. About 3 minutes later, Nigel Dawes scored his 4th goal in 4 games on a nice feed from the corner by Jarome Iginla. Adam Pardy scored his first goal since opening night, Curtis Glencross added a short handed empty netter and Jarome Iginla sealed his status as “Captain Fantastic” by scoring his 13th goal (and 20th point) in the month of November.
The story told by the scoreboard sometimes doesn’t jive with what actually happens on the ice. However, tonight was not one of those nights. The Flames dominated the Predators all over the ice, and earned the 2 points. They took away space from the Preds and capitalized on 2 powerplay opporunities. They successfully killed off 3 penalties and were solid in front of Mikka Kiprusoff, helping him get his league-leading 3rd shutout of the season.
The Flames actually received some praise from their head coach, Brent Sutter. “We did a real good job of playing smart hockey,” he said. “Our puck management was very good. We were able to capitalize in the third period and get three goals. I would say it was a very good effort on everyone’s part.”
The Flames remain in 1st spot in the Northwest Division, two points ahead of Colorado. They also moved 2 points ahead of Chicago to take over sole possesion of 2nd place in the Western Conference. The Flames next game is on Thursday in Phoenix.
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.
