He’s been due. This shot attempts have been there. The ice-time was more than any other forward. Mikael Backlund seemed ready to break out in this series but he doesn’t have a place to show for it. That’ll change tonight after the comeback kids turned another desperate attempt into a far fetched victory.
Falling two games behind, Calgary looked come back home in front of the home crowd find some new energy and hopefully their winning ways. Home ice has been very favorable for the team, they have one last three games at home. You can thank the crowd, the best fans in the league showed up with pride and with volume.
From then on it was a seesaw battle that saw the Calgary Flames once again showing defensive problems thrilled again, but hanging in there. Anytime you give this team just a glimpse of a chance you know they have an opportunity to win. Tonight was no different. Despite only leading for four minutes in the game, make that four minutes in the entire series, they still have a chance because it was close, plus the home crowd was in it to win it.
Doubling his regular season goal production, Brandon Bollig openness scoring in the first period just four minutes in. Anaheim responded almost immediately. After that they took the lead which silenced the crowd. You had the a sense that with the top line totally absent, probably due to injuries, contributing very little, that is this team might be done.
Still the flames hung on. Special teams factored in. Not on the PowerPlay, can we had six opportunities but only capitalized on one. Mind you the one that they scored on was the one that matter. But before that it was Joe Colborne scoring a shorthanded goal on a pretty breakaway that got the fans back into the game and he gave the team life.
Each and every time that the Flames scored, Anaheim had an answer. They took the lead just minutes later off of yet another bad defensive breakdown. (Cueing Mark Giordano? I know, it’s way too early.)
Still with the team just one goal behind and the third period in front of them you have a sense that anything was possible. Backlund starting to pick up his play and pick up ice time. The top line was totally absent. Hudler is nonexistent, Monahan was useless, and Gaudreau was struggling to find space.
Calgary actually seemed to have time to game after the war-room in Toronto called officials in Calgary about a possible call that Sam Bennett, who burned the first year of his entry-level contract this game because it was his tenth, might have scored on a wraparound try. The suspense is building at the ‘Dome as the review went off or minutes. Whatever flames fan with know what’s how you relieve reminiscent this goal was, in the same net and at the same end of the ice, as Martin Gelinas ‘goal’ in game six of the Stanley Cup playoffs in and 2004. It was then the puck appeared to across the goal line yet there was no review. Later, TV reviews showed what could’ve been the puck crossing the line. That’s for 11 years and the exact same play having except this time the results look to be far more conclusive. But traffic on the phone and after reviewing it said that it was not enough evidence to conclude there was no goal.
Imagine if we had not won the game in overtime? The NHL has had 11 years to improve technology to try to get these types of goals right but they haven’t done it and at some point another team is going to lose another Stanley Cup because of the ineptitude at the NHL.
It all came down to the final 20 seconds. But before that Matt Stajan when off for a stupid goaltender interference penalty. Somehow he managed to coax the Anaheim player into a retaliation penalty. It was a stupid penalty, but it actually gave the Flames a chance because it opened up space in the game. Sami Vatanen check the pot over the glass in the final minute and dad gave Calgary a five on three PowerPlay. When the Flames squander their sixth PowerPlay?
It looked like they were going to skate out of ‘Dome losers, but in the dying seconds Mr. Johnny Hockey, with barely any facial hair to sport is playoff beard, found the top corner against a six-foot five goaltender. The crowd went wild! A tie game meant overtime for the first time in the post-season.
The nervous Saddledome what’s buzzing with anticipation. Once again Anaheim poured on the pressure and before you knew it, that top line with Getzlaf and Perry we’re getting scoring chance after scoring chance. It’ll wasn’t for Kari Ramo the game would’ve been over in the first two minutes. But the Flames hung in.
Moments after the big saves, I delete pedal he against Anaheim gave Calgary a six on 5 advantage. After icing call The fourth line out Calgary controlled the puck, and with patience, ha ha a few opportunities. Finally it was Mikael Backlund, off of the lucky bounce, putting home is first of the postseason, his first overtime winner in a playoff game, to give the Flames the much-needed win, sending them hometown crowd into a frenzy, and giving the Calgary Flames life in this playoff series.
Never say guy for this commonplace team. The model is never quit and it’s true, not because they see it but because they play it.
What time it is for this city, the Flames are guaranteed one extra game. Game four Will be playing on Friday. Can they take Game 4? They have life.
Notes: Only one lineup change to start the game, Markus Granlund in for David Wolf. Diaz in for Wotherspoon. He played 11 minutes. Schlemko played 17, the most in this post-season. That’s a good omen because the bottom pairing is eating much needed minutes.
It was a night of surprises. The NDP one a majority government in the provincial election. A provincial election and a playoff game is something to happens once-in-a-lifetime. The resulting both probably will never happen again.
History repeats itself 11 years later with the only difference being that Martin Gelinas’ contribution had not been reviewed while Sam Bennett’s goal had been judged as inconclusive. Brandon Brandon Bollig’s initiative provided a lot of momentum to his teammates; and although the subsequent tying goal had been alarming, one cannot discount the fact that the opposition had also come to play and would not have under any circumstances handed the victory to the Flames on a silver platter. Focusing on the positives, the inspirational point in the game was the shorthanded marker by Joe Colborne that boosted his teammates again. Defensive breakdown? The term should not be labelled as such. Being world class skilled hockey players, the opposition had to demonstrate their status, but the victory in itself is something to cherish because it was well deserved and justified. Talking about team performance, Matt Stajan’s penalty had been unwarranted on the basis that he had been pushed by the opposition but if one failed to witness the puck crossing the blue line had also failed to observe this fact. Tribute to the Flames for their resilience; and to Karri Ramo for limiting the 6 goal deficit to 3 goals. Indeed practice makes one perfect.