Post-Game: Cannons silenced

The Calgary Flames strode into Columbus tonight hoping for a good effort. The Blue Jackets are a good team with a scary-good power play. The Flames are the most-penalized squad in the NHL. The signs weren’t pointing towards a win.

But the Flames played some nice, low-event hockey, defended well and got some great goaltending en route to a 2-0 win against the Jackets. That’s right: the cannon did not go off in Columbus.

The opening period was fairly uneventful. The Flames had a power play and a penalty kill. They looked decent on both, but couldn’t generate anything substantial. They were a bit sloppy and made some weird puck decisions, so they were probably satisfied to not be trailing. Shots were 10-4 for the Blue Jackets.

The Flames penalty kill was tested big-time early in the second, as Matthew Tkachuk went off for four minutes after drawing blood on a high stick. The Flames killed it off and a little bit after the kill, Kris Versteeg nabbed a giveaway in the Jackets’ zone and fed it to Troy Brouwer for the tap-in and a 1-0 lead. (Brouwer had a breakaway chance on his previous shift on a nice pass from Tkachuk that he just couldn’t quite corral.) From there, the Flames held on and defended for the rest of the period for the most part. Shots were 15-6 for Columbus in the middle frame.

Columbus came out motivated to start the thrid period, but the Flames rolled with the punches, defended fairly well and drew themselves a power play. And despite playing defense for the majority of the game to that point, they made their PP count. The Jackets stole the puck and attempted to skate it out of the zone, but a head’s up poke-check by Dennis Wideman put the puck right on Micheal Ferland’s stick and he rifled a shot past Bobrovsky to make it 2-0.

Back on their heels a bit in early third, but got a power play and delivered. Columbus can’t skate it out, Wideman poke checks it at the blueline, Ferland collects and rifles it past Bobrovsky. 2-0. Columbus got a late power play and an empty net, but even with a six-on-four advantage the Flames managed to defend well enough to prevent great chances and ice this one. Shots were 9-9.

Give the Flames credit: they got better as the game wore on and they rolled with the punches. They got some panic out of their defensive zone play in the first period and had very little from there on out. Chad Johnson was the difference-maker at even strength, but the Flames did a really good job at their special teams and this was a rarity of a game where their PP out-scored the opposition’s. If that happens, your team usually wins.

Tkachuk’s double-minor and the ensuing kill of said double-minor swung the game. Columbus had tons of time to get their offense running. They couldn’t, and the Flames scored a little bit after the penalty was killed and held on from there.

The game was Columbus’ for the taking, and the Flames managed to prevent them from taking it.

Let’s go with Johnson, who made 34 saves and was by far the Flames best player at even strength.

Stick-taps to Ferland (who battled in the offensive zone throughout the third), the rest of the fourth line (Hamilton and Hathaway had some nice pressure), and Matt Stajan, who seemed to calm down Sam Bennett’s game quite a bit.

(Percentage stats are even strength. Game score is overall.)

The Sportsnet broadcast dug up some footage of Flames general manager Brad Treliving as a member of the ECHL’s Columbus Chill in the early ’90s:

Versteeg collided with Brouwer midway through the second period (after a wonky pass by Monahan that got everyone crossed-up). He left the game twice, but returned and ended up playing the majority of his usual shifts.

The Flames (9-12-1) head off to Boston, where they’ll play the Bruins in the fourth game of their mega trip on Friday night.