Game 44 Recap: Flames Play One Period… and Win?

Well, if that was Martin Brodeur’s last game in the Saddledome, it certainly won’t be one to remember him by. In what proved to be a rather even first period possession and chance-wise, the Flames capitalized on 8 minutes of brutal goaltending from Brodeur, and went into the intermission with a 4-0.

A couple nuggets. When was the last time Jay Bouwmeester and Cory Sarich scored in the same game?

Never.

And, Mitch also pointed out to me that this was also the first time in franchise history that the Flames have had three defenseman score in one period.

Yes, Brodeur would more than likely like to have both of them back – but, the bullet from TJ Brodie later in the period was not an iffy one as he blasted a perfectly placed shot past Johan Hedberg for the game-winning goal.

Some back and forth action the rest of the way saw the teams exchange some goals before Jarome Iginla notched 501 and put the game away.

In trademark Calgary Flames fashion, they built up a lead and then tried to sit on it… with more than half the game left. The box score still shows a rather lopsided victory, but the truth is that the Flames will take the fortunate goals and the win and look to put in a better effort on Thursday against Anaheim.

Some thoughts from the game.- I find it rather telling that the Flames can still win games with a glorified AHL team dressed every night. To me, it speaks to the effort level that some of the guys who're out, were giving, or even the effort level that the "main" squad gives on a regular basis. When 6+ minor-league players can come up and get results, what does that say about the team? This year has been addition by subtraction, which is why some of the managerial transactions that weren't very good, look OK.

– Excellent first 40 minutes from Curtis Glencross.

– TJ Brodie does really well in his current role with the team. However, when Cory Sarich actually plays remotely solid, like he did in the first half of the game, it makes Brodie look even better. They're not facing stiff competition every night, but Brodie looks like he fits in just fine.

– I’m glad Tim Jackman fought Eric Boulton. After Clay Wilson took the rather light boarding penalty in the first, Boulton cross-checked him 4 times and then slashed his ankle twice right after the play. More than deserving of a penalty and the slashes looked very much like intent to injure. He’s one of those guys who I don’t have much use for.

– I had a moment of happiness with Brent Sutter. The top line went out and early in the shift, drew a penalty – followed by a TV timeout. Now, normally, Sutter would – for no good reason to me – put out the second unit to start the PP, even though the first unit is fresh. But, he started the top line. And then I smiled. It was lovely.

– And that's how bad it's getting with Sutter. One small move like starting the first unit on a PP can make me happy. Of course, the rest of the game I'd proceed to cuss at the TV as he continues to roll out bad matchups. The top line was crushed last night by the Parise line.

– Stempniak hadn't scored in 15 games. I'm sure he felt good getting that lucky goal last night. Hopefully it's a slump-buster for him.

Three Stars:

1. Curtis Glencross – 4 points. Not too bad.

2. TJ Brodie – Huge goal and a plus 3 alongside Cory Sarich.

3. Miikka Kiprusoff – Faced a barrage of shots in the second half of the game.

The Flames improve their solid home record to 12-5-2. They've won 2 in a row. They're 4 points out of 8th spot.

With a couple more home games this week, it's a perfect time to put together a nice winning streak.

by Scott