The Calgary Flames need to win 9 of their last 10 to make the playoffs.
It confuses why million dollar hockey players can’t wake up in time for an afternoon game. Rene Bourque in particular, even though he’s been playing soft since his huge contract extension, was exceptionally lazy tonight. Rene Bourque has stopped scoring, stopped passing, stopped battling, and stopped hitting.
Thats just what the Flames need, players taking nights off because they’ve locked up a fat contract.
Calgary was badly outplayed in the first period and could’ve gone down 3-0 if it wasn’t for some lucky saves by Vesa Tokola who started the game. But he didn’t last very long.
Miikka Kiprusoff replaced him after Tokola let in two soft goals basically losing the game before the mid-way point of the second period. Backup goaltenders have something like 10 wings in 5 years for the Flames, this aft it was no different.
Daymond Langkow left the game on a stretcher after taking a slapshot to the spine. The lame referees didn’t call the cross check on the play. Simply put, if it was the Flames who cross checked someone into the shooting lane it would be an immediate penalty.
Right after the Langkow left Ian White scored to draw within one, but Calgary couldn’t sustain any pressure and had ZERO edge to their game.
The top line, suffering mightily from Bourque and Stajan operating at 75% while Jarome Iginla play the one man show. They went minus AGAIN. You need your best players to step up and score, and yet again in this game 66% of the line didn’t battle enough.
Defencemen stood tall–scoring that is–they scored all three Calgary goals (Nystrom later credited with the goal). Not a single forward scored today and could barely carry the puck towards the net. This pathetic sad form of hockey has no business playing in the playoffs.
Notes: Cory Sarich looked very weak, sit him for Pardy. More injuries for the Flames with Mayers out with a leg injury (he should be OK). Langkow will be out for a while, and that means someone will have to come up from the farm club (or McGrattan plays).
Well Barry, you sure hit the nail on the head on this one. Where did Bourque go?
While we were watching, I turned to the wife and said…what’s with Bourkee, he looks like he was busy trying to count up to the big number of his contract, and forgot there was a hockey game in progress.
Iggy played his heart out, but no real support again.
Un-happy days to follow for flames fans…
The real underachiever today was coach Brent Sutter. Going into a must win situation and you go with your backup goaltender? Forget trying to motivate your team by putting in Toskola, if the players aren’t motivated by the situation they do not deserve to be there, period. Kipper has been standing on his head all season long to give this team a shot to succeed and when the chips are down coach Sutter goes with unproven, unreliable Toskola.
The Sutter brothers are the reason this team will not make the playoffs this season. The GM makes trades with the worst teams in the NHL and the coach puts in the much maligned backup for the biggest game of the season. Good job boys!
Until changes are made at the top this is what flames fans can expect for the foreseeable future.
I’ll retract my earlier statement.
Actually Craig, your right. Even the lackluster play of Bourque and company can be laid on the coaches head.
He is responsible to ensure that they are fully aware of their task at hand and not be floating around in the most important games of the year.
You can’t blame coaches because the Flames aren’t prepared, that’s the players job sqaurely. Kipper hasn’t beat Minnesota all year so Toskola in wasn’t a bad decision. What really sucked was how half the team was still in the afternoon nap, particularly on D.
It wasn’t the best start at all and it seems that the players are just not as determined to be in the playoffs…considering how Detroit is playing with all its might to get a point. I am not sure if I would blame anyone in particular though…. the player’s style of hockey has been consistent ever since I started watching hockey – whether it was Bob Johnson, Terry Crisp, Doug Risebrough, Darryl Sutter, Mike Keenan and now Brent Sutter……The Flames’ performance has been standard. Whether we trade players and get supplementary defensive players…or whether we replace coaches, the style remains the same.
Well, let’s hope the Flames can win the rest of the games. Go Flames Go and Good luck.
Hope the injured players get well soon.
Hope Lanks will come out of his injury 100%. We will miss him. I agree with Craig, did the Flames mgmt have to give Bourque that contract extenstion when they did? I agree changes need to be made at the mgmt level. Time for new younger blood.
Let’s hope for the best eh?