Flames v. Blues Postgame: Still got them no-goal Blues
By RCN
14 years agoSt. Louis Blues: 2 — Patrick Berlund [GWG], David Perron
Calgary Flames: ZERO!
After three days to re-group and get ready to push themselves back into a playoff spot, the Flames were all geared up to break a six game winless streak. The recipe – a St. Louis Blues hockey team that sat just six points back of them.
Just over two minutes in, the crowd was on its feet as Brian McGrattan and Cam Janssen went at it (seen at the beginning of above highlights). And while Jannsen stepped up a weight class, McGrattan got the building rockin’. Unfortunately that was the climax. These Flames cannot score! The favorable bounces they were getting at the beginning of the year aren’t there anymore. In their last 11 home games, the Flames have scored 15 goals, scoring more than two just once during that stretch (btw, the third goal that night was into an empty net). Jarome Iginla continues to be in a terrible slump with no goals and two points in his last 11 games. Jay Bouwmeester has gone 34 games without a goal, and has two goals on the season. This, after scoring 15 times each of the past two seasons and signing a big-money deal with the Flames this past off-season. And the PP sits in an abysmal 28th place. Miikka Kiprusoff continues with his stellar play, but he can’t score the fricken goals. I don’t know what the answer is, but they better figure it out "toot-sweet".
The Flames continue to be the scrappiest team in the league with 56 tilt’s and Brandon Prust continues to show he’s a gamer. He went for a shot at redemption with Cam Janssen, a St. Louis native, who last season broke Prust’s jaw. After fighting McGrattan earlier, Janssen was more than willing to engage with Prust for a rematch…
UP NEXT:
The Flames will hit the road for a deuce before returning home to face the Oilers Saturday… and you just know they’re due for a win. Calgary has two chances to end this streak before then, starting with Wednesday’s visit to Dallas (01/27/10 @ 6:30, as always live on FAN960).
RANDOM TIDBITS:
- Brian Burke may want to reconsider omitting T.J. Oshie from the American Olympic roster. He’s looking better and better with each game. Would be nice to see the Flames with a young up-and-comer like him.
- Would Brian Burke do the Flames another favour? After taking Wayne Primeau off their books (the Flames could use a decent faceoff man, no?), this past summer, could any of Matt Stajan, Alexei Ponikarovsky or Niklas Hagman be of interest to Daryl Sutter? Are any of them of interest to you? Stajan & Ponikarovsky are impending UFA’s, while Hagman is signed for two more years at $3 million. He’s also an ex-Panther, something the Flames seem to have an affinity for (see: Nilson, Marcus; Jokinen, Olli; Bouwmeester, Jay). Could have something to do with Flames Director of Player Personnel Duane Sutter and his past with the Panthers. Perhaps something to watch for.
- Does a reasonably signed (and healthy) David Moss get you into the Colby Armstrong conversations? Worth the look, but I have a feeling Armstrong may be in high demand. He’d sure look good in red though.
- Daryl Sutter denies any of his core (including Dion Phaneuf) will be moved before the deadline. And while that may yet ring true, it doesn’t mean that he won’t move one of them before next season… like say at the draft. Phaneuf has a no-trade clause kicking in July 1st, and where there’s smoke… there’s fire. My take – for the right price, I wouldn’t hesitate moving Dion. Without 1st & 2nd round picks this year, and a prospect list that isn’t exactly blooming, the Flames don’t have a whole lot of valuable assets to parlay into a scorer (or two).
- Here’s a look at 5 Possible Uses for Olli Jokinen from The 4th Line Blog – a humorous take on the man they call Olli Postagain, Sex Panther, Pumkinhead & Nolli Goalinen (the 5th possible use is sad, but true).
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