Game 53 - Flames vs Ducks Live Chat
Kent Wilson
February 06 2012 07:26PM
Anaheim is bit of a funhouse mirror maze for Calgary - the clubs are basically inverted versions of each other and the Flames frequently get lost when they visit the Honda center.
Anaheim is a grossly top-heavy club - perhaps the most in the league - although the addition of Hagman and Pelley have helped somewhat. The recent trun-around for the Ducks has a couple of primary causes. As Pat notes below that Hiller has regained his form after a terrible first half. In addition, the Ducks shot and possession metrics have improved to middling from putrid under Boudreau.
Since Bruce arrived in town, the team-wide Ducks corsi-tied is 502. That's quite mediocre, but a vast improvement over the .450 or so they were managing with Carlyle. The big guns have begun to find their feet under the erstwhile WAS coach as well: Corry Perry and Ryan Getzlaff boast a .530 corsi ratio over the last 27 contests. That's healthy on most teams and orders of magnitude better than just about any other skater on the Ducks. The deadly duo were floating around .500 for much of the season until the coaching change, but it looks like they are once again driving the bus to a non-trivial degree. As usual, they will likely prove to be a handful for the Flames tonight.
Sven Baertschi Update
Kent Wilson
February 04 2012 12:11PM
We didn't get to see much of Sven Baertschi at the WJC since he got injured very early on. He missed a few games for Portland thanks to lingering concussion symptoms after the tournament, but has since returned to duty. Things haven't gone quite as swimmingly for the 19-year old winger upon his return however.
Flames Scoring Chances - Game 52 vs Chicago Blackhawks
Kent Wilson
February 03 2012 09:44PM
Final Score: 3-1W
Game 52 - Flames vs Blackhawks Live Chat
Kent Wilson
February 03 2012 06:29PM
Not a lot has gone right for the Flames this year, but at least the schedule maker hasn't been overly cruel - I can't remember the last time Calgary had the benefit of this many opponents on the second night of a back-to-back.
They'll need the extra boost tonight. The Hawks may be prone to getting blown out by the Oilers, but they remain a very good team. The couple of times I've seen them this year the weak spot in their play has been the defensive end. Remember the Stempniak inside/out goal on Duncan Keith? Of course, they remain as scary as ever at the other end of the ice as well, which is why they still win more games than they lose.
