Photo: Gerry Thomas/ Getty Images
D-man Derek Smith scored his first-ever NHL goal in last minute of the 1st, leaving Nashville scrambling to match the Flames throughout 40 minutes. But time-and-time again Miikka shuts the door on all 26 — giving the star net-minder his first recorded shutout of the season.
And though it was a quiet and conservative play to follow the sudden Smith game-opener, Giordano took a puck to the leg in a successful attempt to block a shot — leaving the top Flames defenceman out for the rest of the evening with a suspected lower body injury.
Soon after Gio’ limps off the ice favouring what seemed to be his hamstring, Chris Butler takes a mean slap-shot off the face and left the game as well. Only to return sporting a bandaged, stitched face and an extreme hunger to win.
From the ugly came the good, as the youngsters posted quite a night once again. Specifically the huge leap into the rush by Brodie assisting in Smith’s lone, first-period goal.
And much like in the 2nd, where the Flames kept up the constant pressure in all zones — vigorously playing the puck by pushing hastily through the neutral zone all night long.
For Nashville, it was Rinne Pekka, the obstacle, keeping it to a single-goal lead for the Flames. However pressure persisted on both ends with almost dead-even scoring chances throughout the entire night.
A slow, sputtering Preds’ — mainly speaking Weber and Suter — left the Flames to mount the pressure through the dire minutes of the 3rd. And though a late penalty was taken by new-comer Comeau — the Flames manage to hold onto the rest of the period to make it the first back-to-back win; the first shutout win for Kiprusoff this season.
Sharday is a Mount Royal University communications student, specializing in the field of journalism. A born and bred Flames fan from Saskatchewan — she plans on taking on sports journalism with full force — writing on the Calgary Flames beat for the Calgary Journal, and now contributing regularly to the redmileblog. The 2004 run has forever changed her love of hockey — a place and time she is looking to rekindle once again. - Go Flames - xx @SLISAAC
