McElhinney First Career Win: Calgary 4 – Edmonton 1
Tonight’s game, meaningless. Calgary’s talent on the gamesheet, second to none. Their performance? Absolutely horrendous in the second half of the season.
Calgary found out they would play Chicago and wind up 5th in the playoff race at 3:30PM even before puck drop. Vancouver played a boring game and tied 0-0 after regulation versus Colorado. The point gave the Canucks the division lead, 3rd place, and gloating right. A massive disappointment for a team rash with injuries and potential.
But what can you expect when a team gives up? Would they give up on the ice at home for the last regular season game?
Back to the game. the First period was much like last night’s game in Edmonton with Calgary struggling to keep up. Yet again the organization dressed 15 players. An issue of the cap and major injuries.
Without much to play for, would the home team pull through for their home town fans?
Well Jarome Iginla didn’t do a thing in the first. Nystrom missed an open net, and McElhinney made a couple of scrambles to keep the score 0-0.
Second period started much like the first but changed with the heroics of Mike Cammlleri who potted his 28th and 29th goals to prevent the Flames dropping another at home. The defense had expected breakdown, they gave up a goal. The top line was absent and pathetic. The best player on the Iginla Jokinen line was Nystrom who was stoned for a second time with a minute left.
The final minute was the most exciting as the teams went end to end trading glorious 2v1 chances. McElhinney making 4 huge saves point blank and giving the fans something to cheer about. The routine giveaways by Jarome Iginla wasn’t one of them….(sounds like a broken record).
Iginla continued his garbage defensive play but coordinating the PP and literally giving the puck up for a clear cut Edmonton breakaway. McElhinney made a massive save leaving fans wondering where this goaltending was for the other six games he started.
Calgary rounded out the scoring with Conroy and Lundmark scoring goals off of bad rebounds and giveaway. Cammalleri finished the night with three points. John Negrin notched a second assist on Lundmark’s goal for his first NHL point.
Next up: A first round loss against Chicago. Calgary lost home ice advantage and will start Thursday against the speedy Hawks.
I could spit! What a ridiculous finish to a promising year.
I hope from the top to the bottom everyone is ashamed of themselves.
Today, I am ashamed to call myself a flames fan.
The good news is they can redeem themselves starting now.
OK win, top line absent again, saw some good things for the rest of the time. McElhinney got pied good on national TV.
Redemption can start now but the PP has to be there as well as the so called top line. I can’t stand watch Iggy right now, he looks like at best a average minor leaguer.I really believe he is dragging down our team.
I don’t care what Keenan thinks. Mixing lines is the worst thing to do to a teams chemistry.
We’ve all played the game,what happens to us amatuers, happens to the pros.
I hated having to play on different lines all the time. It never seemed to work out
Basically if had played marginally better in ONE game we’d be playing the crappy St. Louis Blues instead of Chicago. The BLUES folks ….. what a joke. Vancouver is going far.