Post Game: Duck this place

It’s only been, as of posting this, 574 weeks and two days since the last Flames win in Anaheim. Which isn’t so bad when you consider that it is only 5,788,800 minutes so really you’re being a big baby. Plus, I don’t think it was very nice of the Anaheim city council (pictured here) to build their rink on Lanny McDonald’s family cemetery. No class in my opinion.

The Ducks beat the Flames 6-3 in a bit of a weird game in which the Flames played very well for long stretches but the Ducks were opportunistic and play hockey in a haunted rink. 

I’m sorry everyone, this game was partly my fault. I distinctly remember saying out loud during OT in LA that if the Flames won this game I wouldn’t care if the Flames lost this game by two touchdowns. So, I’m going to assume that made the Jackman goal happen.

Find out what all happened after the jump!

Well, the first period, like period upon period for the Flames is this cursed place, was a bit of a nightmare. The Flames had a few good chances while the game was still scoreless, one from Monahan and one from Backlund, but then things got verrrry FlamesAtAnaheimy. 

Kyle Palmieri put the Ducks up 1-0 after a complete fire drill in the Flames zone. Ortio never had a prayer. Truthfully, the Flames didn’t have that bad of a start but were unable to bury one and the Ducks banked their first chance. 

The Flames then had two-straight powerplays and were unable to score on either. During this road swing, the PP has stunk the entire time but the Flames were able to win enough to mask that. Tonight, not so lucky. After the second powerplay, the Ducks went up 2-0 on a Patrick Maroon deflection. Again, Ortio didn’t have much of a chance in this one as well. 

To make it a perfect troika of misery for the Flames, the Ducks potted their third of the period on a weird deflection off of Kris Russell. It was that kind of period for the Flames. Ben Lovejoy had two points in the first. Bet you didn’t have that in your Flames at Anaheim bingo card.

 As you can see above, the Flames didn’t exactly have a bad period in the first. Well, except that they got scored on three times. So, that’s obviously not great. Our good friend BoL had some helpful advice about how to enjoy the remainder of this game.

Sage wisdom from an embattled veteran of many an Anaheiming. The second started once again with the Flames on the power play but once again there was nothing to show for it. The Flames really did control most of the play in the second but no matter, there are larger forces at work here. 

I wish I was kidding and I cannot believe I am typing this but Tim friggen Jackman made it 4-Love for the Ducks. You know Tim Jackman? Like the one that used to play for the Flames. Like the one that used to be absolutely horrid. That one, Oh! and who assisted on the Jackman goal you ask? Rene Bourque. I hope you took ol’looby’s advice.

That was it for Ortio, who really didn’t play great but by the same token was hardly to blame for the giant hole that the Flames were in. I don’t think this performance will change the organization’s opinion that he is a solid option for the future, it was just some rotten luck and some overdue bad karma.

However, the Flames WOULD NOT BE SHUT OUT DAMNIT. Through sheer force of will, Lance Bouma battled his way to the front of the net and whacked a puck to Mikael Backlund who made it 4-1. The Flames really did play well in the second, with a few good chances from Hudler and Gaudreau. Gaudreau looked poised to break his mini goal slump but alas, it was not to be. 

However, hopefully you kept watching, because with less than a minute to go, the Flames may have scored one of their best goals of the season. Sean Monahan completed a wonderful passing play from Gaudreau and Giordano to put the Flames within two to end the second. 

That was very, very nice.

The Flames started the third with a lot of good chances for the Flames but the Ducks had a powerplay early on after a Matt Stajan trip. The Ducks looked like they scored on that PP but the goal was disallowed when it was ruled that the Ducks pushed Hiller into the net, which is not allowed. That would be kinda cool though..

Following a successful kill, Mikael Backlund, who is amazing and we all love him, missed an absolute-no doubter-can’t miss-gaping net that would have brought the Flames within one. The Ducks went the other way a little later on and made the Flames pay. Perry found Getzlaf and he put the Ducks up 5-2. Backlund’s miss essentially sealed the Flames’ fate tonight.

It certainly looked like that would be the last goal of the game but the Flames came right back and made it 5-3 off of a Joe Colborne marker. It was a strange goal, once again set up by dish-king Lance Bouma. After that goal, the Ducks pretty much sat on the Flames and the Flames didn’t really have another serious push until the goalie was pulled. 

Adding insult to injury, Ryan Kesler added an empty netter. Final score: 6-3 Ducks. 

Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau (who finished tonight’s game with an unreal seven (!) shots) both had very good games tonight and Jonas Hiller also made some tough stops after coming in to replace Ortio but Lance Bouma, against odds,logic, and his own lack of ability, continues to produce offensively for the Flames. Here’s a highlight of him bashing an assist towards Backlund:

Bouma had four shots, two assists and was a plus two, whatever that is worth. Do I think that this means he should start getting 22 minutes a night? No. God no. However, he gets the coveted Red Warrior as a reward for a job well done. 

Of note tonight, Mason Raymond was a minus four. So, yeah. Get well soon Curtis?

I think it goes without saying that the Flames will still be exceptionally pleased with this road trip, winning four out of five in some very hostile buildings thought it would have been nice to finally exorcise some of those Anaheim demons. 

With this road trip, the Flames have played their way back into wildcard contention and it means that Flames fans will have some meaningful hockey post all-star break which is kinda nice in and of itself. I can personally say that I never expected the first half of the season to go this way and cannot begin to fathom how the final stretch will go. Either way, we know one thing. Brandon Bollig will never score. The games will likely be exciting.