There were rumblings. Fresh off a club record 6 year deal, fans were wondering if Miikka Kirprusoff would pull a ‘Turek’. The ex-Flames goalie many moons ago signed a long term deal only to be replaced by Kipper. Well this time Miikka is fresh off the signing a $35 million, six-year extension. How would he and the team fair after the media hoopla the night before? With a solid home-win against a team struggling to find answers.
Kiprusoff made 39 saves and played arguably his best game of the season. Captain Jarome Iginla led the offence with two goals and an assist to continue is torrid pace as the league’s best power forward. The top two lines looked great and the third line (kid line with Nystrom-Lombardi-Moss) chipped in with some goals as well.
Iginla got things started early with a the first of two powerplay goals, his seventh goal of the season at 3:59. Matthew Lombardi, Kristian Huselius, and Eric Nystrom, with his first career goal, also scored for Calgary (6-3-3). The Flames are 4-1-1 in the first six games of its season-high seven-game homestand.
It’s great Calgary took advantage of a team that looks like last year’s Flames on the road. The real test won’t be whether they can beat mediocre teams, but if they can string together wins against the league’s elite. We’ll see come Friday when Detroit is in town to close the homestand.
Kiprusoff’s shutout bid was snapped 2:31 into the third period by Radulov on a Nashville power-play. Radulov moved into the slot and snapped a perfect shot into the top corner. The goal snapped a 177 minute, 44 second road scoring drought.
Notes: It was Calgary’s 100th consecutive regular season sell-out.. Langkow played in his 800th career NHL game.. Calgary D Anders Eriksson returned to the line-up after being a healthy scratch four games in a row. He was inserted for David Hale.. Calgary RW Owen Nolan is still looking for his first goal as a Flame and onl has two assists in 12 games.. The Flames defence pairing ofDion Phaneuf and Adrian Aucoin have been together for eight games and they are combined plus-19 during that span.. The games final two periods of the game were played with just one linesman after Brian Mach left with the flu.
