Newman

Calgary, AB • Canada • 29 Years Old • Male

Flames improve playoff chances

The Flames won 2-1.

The Avs lost 5-2.

“So you’re telling me there’s a chance!”

With the events of tonight, the Flames now sit only two points behind Colorado with a colossal, gigantic, enormous match-up against those same Avs on Friday night in the Mile High City.

Miikka Kiprusoff single-handedly won yet another game for the Flames, who have leaned on their goaltender far too often this season. He robbed numerous Coyotes on multiple opportunities throughout the game. That included a flurry of about two minutes in the first when the line of Stempniak-Lombardi-Wolski did everything but score. There was also about a five minute surge by the visitors in the final frame where Miikka was on his head making acrobatic saves at every turn.

The power play did score a goal; a laser beam off of Bourque’s skate. For the most part though, and especially in the first period, the power play hindered the Flames more than helped them.

On a side note, does anyone else think it is utterly hilarious and ironic that the Flames former back-up goaltender just gave the current Flames a much needed boost? Curtis McElhinney —Kipper’s former stick boy — was the winning goaltender for the Ducks tonight over the Avalanche. This was Mac’s 4th straight win as well. A guy who was shunned out of this city for not being a reliable back-up to call upon has now given the Flames more help than he ever provided wearing the flaming C. Irony at its finest.

Ales Kotalik: Scoring Machine?

A new nickname perhaps? Most likely not, but the fact that Kotalik is finally finding the net has been an added boost for the desperate Flames. That, along with line-mate Mikael Backlund’s performance tonight gave Flames fans something extra to cheer about.

Backlund is starting to show signs of the potential the Darryl saw in him when he drafted him 24th overall in 2007. Backlund has now picked up three points in his past two games and showed some grit tonight diving in front of pucks and battling down in the corners. He has the potential to be the number one centre that Iginla has always wanted, but is that asking too much from a rookie with only 19 games of professional hockey experience under his belt?

Speaking of the Flames number one centre, did you see Matt Stajan skate over the blue line and then drop the puck back over the blue line putting himself offside?

That guy’s got Skills, with a capital S! I’m sure glad the Flames didn’t sign him long term…

And one final plug, for all those people who did not catch my radio debut today on the CBC, click here:

http://twaud.io/6Xj

This has been,

Newman on the Flames

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