FGD: Flames Hit the Road in Motown
Ryan Pike
February 05 2013 01:58PM
After spending five of their first six games at home, the Calgary Flames head out of town for their first real road trip of the season beginning tonight. First up? A date with the Detroit Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena (5:30pm MT, televised on Sportsnet West and radioed by Sportsnet 960 The Fan).
Before you get too worked up, this ain't your mother's Red Wings team. First of all, there's no Jiri Hudler, Nicklas Lidstrom or Tomas Holmstrom in Motown. Hudler, as you may know, is playing for the Flames now. Lidstrom and Holmstrom retired. Brad Stuart left for the Sharks. And there are a few folks injured besides. Altogether, the Red Wings are missing seven regulars from their line-up.
The Flames are 1-3-2 on the year, while the Red Wings are a comparably massive 4-3-1. Last season the teams split their four meetings evenly. They each even scored the same number of goals on each other. All-time, the Red Wings have won one more game than the Flames have head-to-head, so there's bragging rights on the line.
And a pair of points that the Flames desperately, desperately need.
THE LINE-UP
The Flames lost a heart-breaker on Saturday against the Blackhawks but everyone – media and coaches alike – seemed very impressed with how the team basically dominated Chicago and lost due to some epically horrible luck.
Friend of the site Pat Steinberg (@Fan960Steinberg) reported no changes at Monday's early morning practice at the Corral prior to the Flames jetting out to Detroit. According to Tuesday's morning skate, your designated scratches will be Tim Jackman and Cory Sarich.
- Cammalleri – Tanguay – Iginla
- Glencross – Backlund – Stempniak
- Hudler – Stajan – Cervenka
- Comeau – Jones – Begin
- Bouwmeester – Giordano
- Wideman – Brodie
- Smith – Butler
- Kiprusoff
Anton Babchuk has been cleared for contact and is traveling with the team, but is a ways away from slotting back in.
As you may notice, there's a shocking amount of balance between the top three lines. Hartley's tended to (smartly) give the Iginla and Stajan lines the offensive-zone high ground, but as the games progress (and depending on situation) he's also sent the Czechs into the defensive zone.
Now if only Glencross and Iginla can start to light the lamp...
THE OPPOSITION
The Wings have been utterly ravaged by injuries but have still managed to keep their heads above water in the standings. They'll be without Darren Helm, Jan Mursak, Mikael Samuelsson, Carlo Colaiacovo, Brendan Smith, Joey MacDonald, Jonas Gustavsson and (maybe) Ian White. As of yesterday's practice, here's their most likely lines, courtesy Ansar Khan at MLive.com.
- Franzen – Zetterberg – Brunner
- Filippula – Datsyuk – Tatar
- Cleary - Abdelkader – Bertuzzi
- Miller – Emmerton - Tootoo
- Kronwall – Ericsson
- Quincey – Lashoff
- Huskins – Kindl
- Howard
Ian White, who led the Wings in scoring against Calgary last year, practiced with the team on Monday but didn't skate in a pairing. He hopes to play, but I'd expect him to be (a) a game-time decision and (b) on the second-pairing if he does swap in, likely at Lashoff's expense.
In an odd quirk of the AHL and NHL schedules, Tomas Tatar and goalie Petr Mrazek played for the Grand Rapids Griffins and beat the Abbotsford Heat 1-0 on Saturday, and now they'll play on the big club against the Flames.
Overall, the Wings have survived quite well without the bodies they're missing. Damian Brunner's fit in admirably, but the team really doesn't have the depth they once had. I mean, Jordin Tootoo is on their team, their bottom-six doesn't really drive the play and their defense is a bit scary.
SUM IT UP
The Chicago Blackhawks are an excellent hockey team that the Flames just took it to on Saturday night, losing through a horrible run of luck. The Detroit Red Wings are not quite as good as the Blackhawks, and the Flames can't keep being this unlucky, right?
Well, it's entirely possible, but it's not likely.
So if the Flames play as well as they did against Chicago, and Jimmy Howard doesn't become the next Ray Emery, there's a good chance that Calgary can leave Michigan with some points. When you consider that the Wings are utterly ravaged by injuries, the Flames won't have a better chance to cash in on Detroit than they have right now.
@Ryan Pike
Zetterberg vs Stajan. Yikes.
I really miss Live Chat.
Ian White has also historically eaten Calgary's lunch.
Casual Flames fan here from SK...but thought I'd chime in. The Flames have some of the tools to be a competitive and entertaining team; however, they also have some aging relics that are better served on a different team.
Without Iggy the Flames will still play some exciting hockey, and will open the door for a new leader to step forward. I'd hate to see him go but for progress sake it's time to start a new chapter.
Begin shouldn't be dancing with Tootoo.
Don't look at it like Stajan vs. Zetterberg, but more likely Hartley wants Hudler playing against that line.
I really hate Jordan 22.. too.. as well... you know what I mean.
Finally Iginla
That's 517 for the captain.
At aboy Iggy!
FINALLY, the captain gets on the board.
Hopefully it opens the floodgates now.
Nice battle by Iginla to score. Thank you to Howard for swimming like a fish on the ice as well.
That was the first scoring chance of the game.
I can't believe Stemps went offside on the 2on1.
Seriously, Backlund is cursed. It's unbelievable.
Akim Aliu is big and enthusiastic, but has serious discipline problems. We got a taste of that during his cup of coffee last year. He looked good when nobody else on the ice gave a damn about the outcome, right up until he was ejected with a 10 minute misconduct for not knowing when to shut his yap. So far this season he has racked up 47 minutes of penalties in just 20 games with the Heat. Zach McKelvie is the only Heat player who has racked up more penalties, but he's played almost twice as many games! Aliu's penalties are not the good kind either. Abusing an official. Multiple counts of unsportsmanlike conduct. These are *not* the result of paying the price to prevent a breakaway! Passion is great, but only if controlled.
Aliu is basically Bourque on steroids when it comes to taking dumb penalties. He would be a *huge* liability to have on your fourth line even if your PK is up to snuff, and the Flames PK is second last in the league! I can see him being called up if there are enough injuries, but he's probably best left in Abbotsford until he learns some self-control, *if* that ever actually happens.
He's got the size and raw skills to be a NHL player, but only if he smartens up.
Does anybody understand Sportsnet's "Fan Right or Fan Wrong" contest?
@beloch
I don't even know if Aliu has the raw skills to be an NHLer. His hands/offensive abilities are pretty low and his acceleration/stride are poor as well.
@Ryan Pike
I don't. It's one of the worst promos I've seen in some time.
@beloch
My concerns with Aliu is what his coach said about him. Paraphrasing, Aliu needs to learn how to treat his team mates and coaching staff with respect. That's a pretty damning statement.
I checked out their website. It's an ad copy problem. They just ask you to vote for whether the specific action is a fan right or wrong.
It makes sense but is explained horribly.
DET has zero chances through the first half of the first.
Of course the Wings promptly get 3 chances as soon as I type that.
5-on-3 for the Flames coming up.
Keeping your feet moving Kent
Thank you Tim Erixson!
5 on 3. Common guys, lets win this one early in first
Around the 9:20 mark
Feet moving! Who had 10 minutes in on the Simmer over/under.
Beauty pass by Cammalleri.
Nice pass for Cammalleri.
Really nice play by Wideman.
Flames already have two goals tonight on just 3 chances. They scored as many on 35 vs CHI.
Stupid backhand passes at the blueline. Good to see Bert hasn't changed.
Now if only Glencross and Iginla can start to light the lamp...
What else do you wish Ryan? :o)
Interesting that this game's #1 PP unit hasn't featured Iginla so far. It's the right decision.
evenin gents, no video so i gotta rely on pete and mike should i expect some bias?
@negrilcowboy
Not from Mike Rogers cowboy. He tells it like it is.
regarding aliu, when he first hit the junior ranks he was highly regarded as a scoring threat then came his infamous run in with downie at training camp, since then all down hill. bad attitude
The Flames have gotten past the first round of the playoffs ONCE since we won the cup in 1989. In 22 seasons they have missed the playoffs 11 times! This is a large reason why so many Flames fans patience has run out with the ownership and management of this organization.
Astute observation, haven't heard that one before.
Comeau looks lost out there. What happened to this guy?
listened to tsn toronto radio today, overwhrlming distain for dion, much of the day was callin. one reporter went as far as questioning if dion has the intelligence to read the play. was bustin a nut, seems leaf nation much like flames nation want to blow the thing up.
He scored 24 goals one year, and they told him he had to start playing hockey. Lost cause after that.
I went to Wikipedia to check my facts. And consider this, if Bertuzzi had not been suspended in 2004 for the playoffs for the Canucks it is highly likely we would have been out in the first round that year as well leaving us zero for twenty-two since 89.
Chances were 5-3 Detroit. 4-2 at ES.
@Rick
Thanks, I was just wondering about that.
@Rick
And if Gretzsky didn't play in Edmonton, Calgary would have 3 more cups.
Shoulda, coulda, woulda.
thanks for making me feel all warm and fuzzy now, i feel like singin koom bya right now.
That was a brutal fight in Philly.
Did Kipper just "Scorpion" that save off Pavel?