Congratulations to Craig Conroy, the recipient of the J.R. McCaig Award and the recognized nominee for the 2009 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy.
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With a win and a couple of losses last week, the Calgary Flames are yet again hampered with injuries: Cory Sarich had been hurt while blocking a shot in the 2-1 loss against the Sharks, while both Adrian Aucoin and Robyn Regehr sustained injuries in the 2-1 victory over the Dallas Stars. Hopefully, the severity is not long lasting and the players are back on their skates soon. In view of the current situation, although the month of April commenced slowly in terms of victories, the Flames have clinched the 3rd spot in the western conference and remain tied with the Canucks at 94 points.
Following is the schedule for the remaining four games, which the fans will have the privilege to watch. Sportsnet will televise the first three, while CBC will courteously relay the Saturday night’s performance. Peter Maher and Mike Rogers will host a play-by-play commentary on the Fan 960.
Game 79: Apr 6th: Flames host the L.A. Kings @ 7:30 pm Sportsnet
Games played: 78
Statistics: 32-35-11
Points: 75
Road record: 15-20-3
PP%: 19.48%
PK%: 82.99%
Shg (allowed): 8
Shg: (scored): 4
Rank: 25th in NHL; 13th in western conference
Game 80: April 7th: En-route to Vancouver @ 8:00 pm Sportsnet
Games played: 78
Statistics: 42-26-10
Points: 94
Home record: 22-11-5
PP%: 19.06
PK%: 80.73
Shg (allowed): 5
Shg: (scored): 7
Rank: 10th in NHL; 5th in western conference
Game 81: Apr 10th: Flames in Edmonton @ 7:00 pm Sportsnet
Games played: 79
Statistics: 37-33-9
Points: 83
Home record: 17-16-6
Road record: 20-17-3
PP%: 17.05
PK%: 77.11
Shg (allowed): 8
Shg: (scored): 3
Rank: 20th in NHL; 11th in western conference
Game 82: Apr 11th: Flames host the Oilers @ 8:00 pm CBC
This will be the last game of the regular season for the Flames.
The Flames (44-28-6) have played a total of 78 games with a home and road record of (25-10-4) (19-18-2) respectively. Their power play record is marginally higher (17.94%) than the Oilers, but lower than the Kings and the Canucks. Relatively their penalty killing percentage of 83.33% is higher than all the three teams. Naturally, their successes this week will escalate their standings, and determine their contestants in the first round. Keeping these challenges in mind, the paradox is conspicuous: The Oilers need only four more wins to be in the playoffs. Will the Flames return the favor and settle for one point each in the two games against their Albertan counterparts to accommodate them? Only time will tell.
Finally, despite the pessimistic reviews about the Flames’ performance, the down turn can be solely attributed to coincidental injuries to some of the major contributors of the team. However, it is anticipated that the team will be in full force and ready for the upcoming playoff confrontations. In the interim, as luck would have it, the Vancouver Canucks lost to the Edmonton Oilers last night and the Flames have regained leadership in the NW division.
…. and so ends the regular season, folks!
Statistics as of April 4th.
