Flames Extinguish Sharks California Blaze
The start to this season for Calgary was slow and bothersome. In San Jose the victories quickly piled up and the Sharks managed to pull together a wonderful home streak; by being undefeated in regular time for no less than 11 months. When the Flames visited on November the 13th they had no better luck than anyone else. Like Tampa Bay recently, they got a real spanking and lost 6-1. Revenge was on the cards as they met again yesterday.
Calgary coach Mike Keenan said of his team’s previous visit, that they had “improved so much since that game,” and they seemed very eager to show everyone just how much they had indeed improved. One man in particular had a point to make: Dion Phaneuf. The defenseman which was brought in to get some defensive scoring on the board – hadn’t in fact got a goal in the last 26 games for the Flames. It was time to get lopsided and step in to the breaches – to breach the waters of the shark pool.
San Jose, 20-0-2 on home ice this season, swiftly circled around its prey and drew first blood with less than a minute on the clock. Ryane Clowe beat Miikka Kiprusoff, nicely fed by former Lightning Dan Boyle in the slot; it was Clowe’s 19th goal of the season. The Flames, who had beaten the Sharks last week 5-2 in Calgary, didn’t get rattled and responded well to the added challenge. The equalizer came through Chris Conroy, early in the second period, but massive Shark center Joe Thornton restored order – later that same period.
Once again however, the Calgary players came back and it was a late goal in the second period by Langkow, on the power-play, that got the all-important leveler for the Flames, behind Nabokov in the net. When coming in to the third period it was a wide open game, between two hard working and very skilled teams, and it was anyone’s guess who’d come out on top.
Determined to break San Jose’s streak, and make a statement to the rest of the Western Conference, it was the visitors that would display the greatest indomitable attitude and take the spoils back to Calgary. And who got that momentous winning, 3-2 goal?
It was Dion Phanuef, breaking that 26 game streak without scoring, and handing his team a moral boost by shattering their rival’s impressive home stand. “I think it hit a stick. All I know is that it went in,” Phanuef said of goal. “I’d been getting a lot of chances. It feels good to get one.” Undoubtedly it did, and there is no discrimination in Hockey – they all count equally – the spectacular – and the ugly ones.
In this case it was worth more than just the two points, it could be argued. The confidence gained will probably help Calgary more than the points will: “We want to keep climbing, moving up,” said Flames captain Jarome Iginla. “We want to get to the next tier.” Indeed. And this is how that’s accomplished.
As for the San Jose Sharks they played a good game, despite losing, and will surely bounce right back again. But a warning shot has been fired and Calgary can’t be ignored any longer. They have quietly improved and now look ready to step out of the Sharks – considerable – shadow in the Western Conference. The Flames won this battle, but who wins the war – remains to be seen…
