Friday, January 7, 2011

Red Wings @ Flames

VICTORY (SO)
5 : Detroit Red Wings @ Calgary Flames : 4




Some Notes From The Game:

Enemy feed this time. This is the fourth and final meeting between the Wings and Flames this season. We're searching for that magical sweep of the series, as we've won the first three meetings.

We're missing Filppula to a sore groin. Eaves is back, though.

The First Period:

Nicklas Lidstrom is 40 years old. It had to be said.

Some hockey is played for a few minutes. Nothing noteworthy. At all. Tanguay takes a puck to the back of the leg. He didn't look to enjoy it.

Ugghhh, snooze-fest. Teams are even on shots, and the hockey is all north-south.

Finally, halfway through the period, the Flames score. A shot fired at a sharp angle is blocked by Jimmah, but Glencross swoops in across the crease and nails the rebound. Ew.

The Wings double ice the puck. We finally get our shift change, and then a Flame heads to the box for slashing Miller. It's a pretty chintzy call, honestly. I'd be pissed if I were a Flame fan.

We pull out our 4th in the NHL power play. We're also pretty awesome at some other stuff, too.

Rafalski gets a good slapshot off that's deflected. No joy for the first unit. The second unit spends too much time going offside to generate much.

Back to 5-on-5.

Franzen gets a nice wrister off. He shoots it wide. Of course.

Helm's goal:

Helm wins a puck battle along the left boards. He taps it to Franzen and then skates towards the goal, receiving the puck back. He's at a shit angle but lets it fly anyway. The puck sneaks between the goalpost and Kipp'off, and we've got a tie game.

Someone's learning to finish
We follow this by sending Mursak to the box for interference. He gets into a collision with a Flame, who whacks Mursak in the face with his stick as he falls. No high-sticking penalty, because... well, it's the NHL.

Sorry, kid
Congrats on making your NHL score sheet debut, Mursak.

The Flames have an atrocious power play. Just so you know. 25th in the NHL.

Kronwall blocks a shot. Didn't look to enjoy it. Other than that, nothing. Yeah, it was pretty painful to watch.

Full strength, and we ice the puck at the end of a shift. Probably not a good thing.

And then, in the last nine seconds of the period, the Flames score.

Of course they do.
 
Damnit Jimmah...
The Second Period:

Rafalski's goal:

Rafalski skates from the defensive zone, through neutral, and into the offensive zone and just lets one go at the blue line. And it saucers right into Kip'off's five-hole.

Whoops
Ahaha. Raffi can't believe it either. First of the season.

We call this relief
It took Raffi 30 games to score his first. The record is 33 for defensemen. Good thing, eh? That's a bad record to have.

And then on the next shift, the Flames score. It's that Glencross guy again...

And holy sweet baby Jesus, there is at least two minutes of absolute chaos in our end. Lidstrom is on the ice, and probably saves at the very least two goals. It's not often you see Nick diving to the ice to poke a puck away, but he rocks the living shit out of this shift.

Wow.

We finally clear and the Calgary crowd is going nuts.

The next shift sees the Flames right back in our crease mucking it up. Jimmah makes some saves.

Big E takes a penalty for hooking, but was forced into it to prevent a Flame from firing into an open net.

Stuart dumps Iginla. Him and Iginla have been jawing with each other all game.

Then the Flames score by a slapshot from the point.

Damn
And then Eaves takes a tripping penalty. Blah.

Whoops
Helm starts off the penalty kill by throwing his usual one man party. The announcers find it strange that the Wings only have two short-handed goals so far in the season. Datsyuk has one, and Eaves- the man in the box- has the other.

I'm not as surprised, as our penalty killing sucks.

But we manage to kill this one off without much action.

Kronwall goes in deep and then there's a three-on-one break that we thankfully manage to break up.

Helm gets hauled down on a breakaway by two Flames, drawing a tripping penalty.

Maybe they just wanted to be friends...
At least we take a lot of shots this power play. Wow. Lots of crisp passing and good chances. Kip'off makes some good saves.

And then a Flame defenceman flips the puck over the glass.

5-on-3 time.

Uncle Mike takes a time out to rest the first unit.

Don't fuck this up, boys
No joy, as Glencross wins the faceoff and they Flames clear twice in a row. We're back on 5-on-4, and the Flames have some good times in our crease looking for that shorty.

Eaves' goal:

So much for momentum, eh? drives down the middle, and passes to Bertuzzi on the right. Todd dishes back to Hudler at the right boards, who snaps it across ice to a wide open Eaves on the left, and bam. Goal.

The Eaves Reclamation Project is in full swing
We head to the locker room trailing by one.

The Third Period:

The Flames give Jimmah a little tap. Salei doesn't appreciate.

Keep it clean, shmuck.
Raffi loses his stick hounding Glencross.

Then Stajan trips Zetterberg. Power play time.

Nice work, Z
The first unit throws an absolute party. Kip'off looks like he wants to rip Holmstrom's head off. Zetterberg, Kronwall, Rafalski, Lidstrom, and even Hudler pepper Kip'off with shots. No joy.

Lidstrom disrupts a Stajan breakaway, and then Stuart trips Iginla and heads to the box.

This is about the nine billionth tripping penalty this game, it feels like.

Whatever. Penalty kill time. Don't fuck this up, Wings...

Helm dives to knock the puck clear after a faceoff loss.

There's some digging for gold in the crease.

The goal light flashes. The spotlights go off. But no - it hits the post, and Jimmah gloves the puck. I may have said some colorful things to my computer monitor.

DENIED
Helm and Zetterberg try for a shorty.

Rafalski's goal:

I was so sure this was shorthanded, but apparently it was the second after the penalty kill ended. Helm had driven up the right, with Zetterberg on the left. Helm passes across ice to Zetterberg, who lets a shot go. It goes wide and rolls around the boards. Helm tries to collect it but can't, but Rafalski has just come on the ice from a shift change. Using some pretty good speed he grabs the puck just before it crosses the blue line. He shoots - and scores.

Raffi is having a good night
Bertuzzi gets smooshed into the boards. He didn't look pleased.

And then Kostopoulos breaks Stuart's jaw with his shoulder.

No fucking joke.

Iginla and another Flame power down the middle. We're unable to disrupt the cross-ice pass, and then the Wings converge on Iginla as he tries to bury it. Stuart is standing next to the goal when Kostopoulos comes barreling into the play, catching Stuart with his shoulder.

Not good
Stuart is down on the ice until Piet comes out to assist. Kronwall and Zetterberg help him off, leaving a trail of blood behind.

Is there blood? Oh god, there's blood
We'll lose Stuart until about mid-March. Kostopoulos is given a minor for roughing, but after the game the play is reviewed by the league and Kostopouslos is fined $30,000 and suspended 6 games.

Fuckin' A.

So now we're down to 5 D and we've got a power play. Nothing much there, as we can't generate a decent entry.

That is, until Morrison goes to the box for hooking Eaves on yet another failed entry.

Another 5-on-3 for the Wings.

We're this close to scoring, but the refs whistle and call it a hand pass, moving the faceoff outside. Hudler is none too pleased, as he felt he'd gotten his stick on it before Bertuzzi almost buried it a crease party. Whatever. We squander the rest of the 5-on-3 and we've got a power play for the rest of the hooking penalty.

Franzen has some fun, and Zetterberg nearly grabs the rebound.

Back to 5-on-5.

Iginla gets a breakaway. Big E denies that.

Helm gets a nice deflection off a Lidstrom shot from the point. Play is whistled down and a Flame gives Helm a good shove. Bertuzzi enters the scene to make sure everyone knows what he thinks of that.

Not cool, bro
 Someone throws an octopus on the ice. Some extremely attractive women come out and clear it off the ice.

Hell yes
Holmstrom gets shoved around in the crease when he goes fishing for a Lidstrom rebound.

This is Raffi's 800th game.

Hagman and Draper jaw at each other on the faceoff.

Back da fuck up!
In the final minute, havoc ensues in the Wing's end. It's pretty bad. The crowd is going nuts. Jimmah makes some good saves. Iginla really tries. Luckily we clear in the final seconds, and then head into overtime.

Overtime:

We revisit our epic overtime history with the Flames this season. This will never ever get old.

The Most Unnecessary Dangle In The History Of The World
Nothing for the first two minutes. North and south hockey.

Both teams are very careful to set up before trying for an attack. This kills a lot of clock waiting in both ends. Bertuzzi sends one over the net. And then gets sent to the box for slashing.

There's some chaos on the delayed penalty, but Jimmah is on his game. Eventually the Wings touch, and Bertuzzi heads into the box. He's swearing at the refs the entire time.

Calgary uses their time out.

Don't fuck this up, boys
Faceoff in our zone. We control. Salei clears. The Flames carefully enter, and shrink the power play. Iginla gets a shot off. Followed by another one. Jimmah rocks his socks off both times.

Next faceoff. Helm wins. Lidstrom clears.

Thirty seconds left. Another faceoff win. Lidstrom clears. Helm throws a one man party.

Shootout:

This is our second shootout of the season. We lost the first one to the Avalanche.

Jiri Hudler. Career: 7 of 19 (36.8%)

Straight down the middle, wrister. Glove save.


Alex Tanguay. Career: 11 of 30 (36.7%)

Swings right, tries to deke and stuff it glove side. Jimmah makes the pad save.


Todd Bertuzzi. Career: 9 of 27 (33.3%)

Heads slowly down the middle. Forehand, backhand, top shelf. Goal.

Attaboy, Toddzilla

Niklas Hagman. Career: 4 of 16 (25%)

Speeds in, backhand forehand, Jimmah makes the pad save.


Henrik Zetterberg. Career: 11 of 39 (28.2%)

Down the middle, fakes going for a wrister, decides to deke instead and stuff it. Pad save.


Rene Bourque. Career: 3 of 12 (25%)

Loops right, sends a forehand backhand wide. Miss.

Sweet Victory
Don't Think We Didn't Notice:

At the end of the first period we've got a stupid .8 seconds left on the clock and a faceoff in our zone, forcing us to do that ridiculous faceoff where everyone is just camping in front of the goal.

Ridiculous
No one Served With Pride.

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