Down East Feast

Same old Song and Dance

“It’s a good atmosphere in (the Molson Centre) and the crowd gets going. They’re on every hit and into the play and stuff. It’s definitely another fun building to play in.” – Jarome Iginla

If this is what a broken record sounds like, then it must be sweet music to the ears of the Calgary Flames. For the fourth consecutive contest, the Flames climbed aboard the broad shoulders of Jarome Iginla and Miikka Kiprusoff and rode that double-dieseled engine all the way to a 1-0 whitewashing of the Montreal Canadiens.

The captain opened the scoring for the Flames midway through the opening frame with a wrist shot from just inside the point that squeezed its way past a partially screened Miroslav Halak in the Canadiens’ crease. Iginla’s ninth goal of the campaign – and fifth goal in the past four games – marked the twelfth time in 15 outings that the club has notched the first tally of the game.

Kipper the Keeper was magnificent once again, forcing Scott Gomez to lose control of the puck on a clear-cut breakaway with a stylistic post-to-post slide, placing a pad on a point-blank drive by Brian Gionta and snaring a whistler off the blade of Jaroslav Spacek. The goose egg was Kiprusoff’s 31st career zero and 200th victory as a member of the Calgary Flame. Equal commendation must be afforded to Halak, who matched Kiprusoff save for save for throughout the spirited affair.

Although the Montreal Canadiens were adorned in the celebratory colors of the franchise’s 1910-11 team – a club that featured immortals such as Newsy Lalonde, Georges Vezina and Didier Pitre – it was Calgary who resembled the Flying Frenchmen.  The Flames zipped, dashed and darted around the ice surface of the Molson Center in an entertaining contest that featured outstanding goaltending, a pair of toe-to-toe, blow-for-blow tilts, creative playmaking and diligent defensive work.

The Flames blueline brigade was especially effective, forcing the Habs to the boundaries of the boards, clearing the shooting lanes and constantly pressuring the Canadiens attackers. Dion Phaneuf was at his physical peak, battering the Canadiens with a bevy of booming body checks.

One week after the Sutter surge and Saddledome meltdown, it seems obvious that the hard lessons were learned, the punishment purged and the tilting ship stabilized.

Calgary journeys to Buffalo on Friday for their first trip to the City of Light since February 10, 2007. The Flames were slashed 3-2 by the Sabres on that occasion. On Saturday, Calgary visits Toronto to wind up the three-game Down East Feast.

Flame Flicks:

Jarome Iginla was named the NHL’s 1st Star of the Week in recognition of the captain’s four-goal, five-point performance in the Flames three victories last week.

The Flames fourth consecutive win improved their road record to 5-1-1 and upped their season status to 11-5-1, good for second spot in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference.

Tuesday’s victory was Calgary’s first on Montreal ice in nine years. The last time the Flames defeated the Habs in La Belle Province was December 13, 2000 when they slipped past Montreal by a 3-1 count.

Brian McGrattan was effective in his five minutes of action, connecting for a pair of shots and menacing the Canadiens with his physical presence.

Rearguards Staffan Kronwell and Aaron Johnson were healthy scratches for the Flames. Burly Curtis Glencross was also on the sidelines, a perch he will occupy for at least two more games as he sits a three game suspension for his slightly-less-than-legal hit on NY Ranger forward Chris Drury on Saturday night.

Fredrik Sjostrom, who has been nursing a wounded wing, was expected to miss the match but he pronounced himself fit to fly and saw almost 11 minutes of ice time.