FGD: A Trip to Texas
Ryan Pike
February 17 2013 01:19PM
Two teams missing their awesome goalies collide in the Lone Star State tonight! The Flames (4-5-3) are missing Miikka Kiprusoff (career 2.46 goals against average, .913 save percentage). The Stars (8-6-1) are missing Kari Lehtonen (career 2.69 goals against average, .915 save percentage). Lehtonen's been better than Kiprusoff this year, but both teams wish they had their number-ones.
A win here puts the Flames back at .500, a lofty perch which they've gotten to but have yet to cross over entirely. And it's already a quarter of the way into the season.
Of course, Calgary beat Dallas last Wednesday in a 7-4 game. It was crazy, in that both Leland Irving and Richard Bachman looked shaky. In a shocker, Bachman still has an NHL job while Irving is back in the AHL.
It comes with the territory in the wacky world of the NHL.
THE LINE-UP
After Friday night's set-back against the St. Louis Blues, Flames head coach Bob Hartley hit shuffle on his line-up card. And the Flames waived Blair Jones, demoted Leland Irving and called up Danny Taylor.
Oh, and Blake Comeau is a centre now.
- Cervenka – Tanguay – Hudler
- Cammalleri – Stajan – Stempniak
- Glencross – Comeau – Iginla
- Horak – Begin – Jackman
- Giordano – Bouwmeester
- Wideman – Brodie
- Butler – Babchuk
- MacDonald
Overall, the big question mark is Comeau up the middle. Why you put the team's worst possession forward on any line besides your fourth - and your captain to boot - is beyond me, but I'm not the coach. The top two lines look solid, though unspectacular by NHL standards.
MacDonald has the worst numbers of the three Flames goalies, at least in terms of save percentage, but he's only played one game. With Irving looking shaky as a leaf in his last few starts – and nowhere near as poised as he did last season – giving MacDonald a shot is a good idea. If he looks as bad as he did in the St. Louis game, it'll look like a worse idea.
THE OPPOSITION
The Stars are firmly in the middle of the pack in the West. They don't have their starting goalie or the habitually underrated Ray Whitney, but their top six is still very dangerous and their bottom six boasts some very useful players. They beat Vancouver on Friday night.
Via Sportsnet's Roger Millions (@rogmillions), here's Dallas' likely lines.
- Benn – Morrow – Jagr
- Smith – Roy – Eriksson
- Roussel – Eakin – Ryder
- Nystrom – Fiddler – Garbutt
- Dillon – Robidas
- Rome – Daley
- Goligoski – Larsen
- Bachman
Bachman (1-2-0) is statistically the worst of Dallas' three goalies used this year and he looked pretty bad in Calgary last week. Then again, it's just one game. As mentioned, he's in because Karri Lehtonen is on the shelf.
SUM IT UP
The Flames beat the Stars and have the ability to do so again. That said, Dallas beat a very game Canucks team on Friday and can't be under-estimated – and it's very unlikely they'll be as lousy as they were in Calgary.
The Flames, meanwhile, need to regain their confidence in their goaltending and find the swagger they had against the Stars. They were shaky and uneven against the Blues, and they cannot afford to get in a hole early down in the heart of Texas.
Game-time is 4pm MT on Sportsnet West and Sportsnet 960 The Fan.
the ukrainian trainwreck is just flatout terrible. where's badchuk from anyways, chernobyl?
Stars special teams have been awful so far.
Chances were 6-2 Calgary in the first. Flames have 3 chances on special teams while the Stars had none.
Nice to see Cammelleri's game is coming around. Much better since his return from injury.
It's been night and day for Cammalleri. Good to see since it tends to be the reverse when a Flames player comes back from an injury.
Also i believe false teeth have a screw that goes into the bone. Imagine jow much damage a puck into that would do? Way worse then the missing teeth. I would guess hockey players use denture pieces until they retire then get real teeth.
Loving the turn around. Will really help if we should make a trade or decide to blow it up.
Neither teams goals were scoring chances.
WTH was Babchuk doing?
Okay, well the Smith goal was a legit chance.
Doing what Babchuck does crap the bed.
Flames look terrible in this period so far.
@Kent Wilson
They're not moving their feet
Flames are lucky Dallas keeps taking stupid penalties.
I have always wondered if you loose your stick and a players stick from the other team is on the ice would you get a penalty for grabbing it?
We suck! Sooooo outmatched! Comeau blows!
MacDonald seems to fall all over the ice whenever the puck is shot at him.
Another men vs boys lesson tnite! We suck suck suck!
never thought i would say it but i miss olli
I don't know if I've seen Iginla at ES this period yet.
Check that. He was out int he first couple of minutes at 5on5. Not much since then though.
Proposal for a drinking game at the Tilted Kilt: everytime Comeau falls and everyone finishes their drink?
Yeah, he doesn't exactly look positionally sound does he?
Calgary starting to reel things in after that poor first 5 minutes or so.
Joey macdonald is garage sale bargain basement trash! Lololol! Feasters crying as we speak!
Nice rebound
Lol then they score
Good grief
Spoke too soon.
Well crazy flames fans. I've seen enough of this high school hockey by iggy! Just give us our lottery pick now! Out!
kent can you explain why iggy is being handled this way. hartley is doing something, but i dont know what or why. i am confused.
You know who you never hear about... Jankowski. What's he up to these days?
Chances were 8-6 Stars in the second.
@Brent G.
12 points in 23 games. Not a lot to talk about.
@negrilcowboy
Hartley is scrambling to find something that works. After the first little while it looked like he wanted to give Iggy some shelter and then give guys like Hudler and Stempniak more ice time.
At the end of the second he went back to the classic Cammy-Tanguay-Iggy combo because, well, nothing else is working.
@Kent Wilson
Way too early to say I know but I feel like that's tremendously underwhelming even given his age. Another wasted 1st rounder?
Hey guys, what'd I miss?
(At the Hitmen game.)
@Brent G.
Nah, can't say that yet. He's really young and his team is lousy.
Still, he was completely oversold to the fanbase by the decision makers. Janko obviously won't be the best player in the 2012 draft.
@Kent Wilson
No I appreciate that. You would think Feaster would have learned by now to stop making such bold statements publicly because he just ends up looking really silly and embarrasses the Flames (as if they aren't doing that enough by themselves lol).
I missed about 15 minutes of the 1st after getting home from work, thoroughly expecting Dallas to be up by 2 or 3, it was nice to see Calgary up 1-0. The 2nd period was forgettable, but expected. Calgary was charitable and gave the puck away, could not check Ryder off of the puck and for the second time, Eakin scores from the high slot. Dallas gains the zone again, while they are still announcing Eakin's goal and Macdonald is way out of position at the side of the net, tap in, 3rd goal a la juicy rebound from the afforementioned Joey Macdonald. No crisp passes, lazy coverage and no will or traffic against a backup. Debating whether or not to watch the 3rd (I know that I will though)
Other thought...
I'm starting to feel like Iggy not having signed an extension yet is likely a much bigger tell of his intentions than many are recognizing. If Iggy wanted to resign in Calgary I have no doubt he has received gigantic over payment offers and yet hasn't.
outshot 22-12 in the second
No. Some one actually scored with an opposing player's stick last season or the season before. I think it was one of the Koivu's that scored. I can't really remember. All I can remember is that the stick was his wrong hand.
way to break my heart kent, i thoroughly bought what feaster was selling. i feel like such the fool.
@Chris Fairfield
Yeah. In a way the Flames were lucky it was so close chance wise.
Well that's a good start.
And it's a new ballgame.
Strange or what?!
@Gunk
Possible now.
Stajan was never as bad as he seemed under Sutter. Brent just couldn't stand him.
I'm tired of this crap! Flames always find a way to climb out of a hole just to fall into another one.
Dallas win this 5-3.
The patented Comeau "skate around the perimeter" actually leads to something!