Flames Purr, Cats Corralled

“It’s a big win for us.  It’s a road win. We need points obviously, and it’s a huge win anyway you look at it. But again, it’s a lesson to be learned for us in the third.” – coach Brent Sutter

Five in a row. Five in eight nights to be exact. It seems pretty clear the Flames enjoy playing the game much more than practicing the games, an indication that coach Sutter’s brand of tough love is finally paying dividends.  And that’s a good thing, considering the club has another five games on the slate in the next eight nights.

Bolstered by stingy defense, the nightly miracle of Miikka goaltending and opportunistic scoring from David Moss, Olli Jokinen and Daymond Langkow, the Flames purred out a 3-1 win over the Nashville Predators

So how does a team that seemed so out of sorts only 10 days ago completely reverse their direction and begin to perform with the consistency and attention to detail that was missing on so many occasions?

Well, you start by allowing only five goals in five games. Even with the club’s offensively challenged attack, keeping the opposition off the scoresheet goes a long way in turning one-goal losses into one-goal victories.

Toss in an energetic effort to improve in the face-off circle and a defensive determination to limit the amount of rubber fired at their goaltenders, and you have a recipe for success that coach Brent Sutter has been not-so-patiently preaching since the club convened for training camp in September. Calgary has won the battle in the circle in three of the five games on their current winning stretch and has out-shot their opponents in an equal number of matches. Not overwhelming by any means, but potent evidence that small steps can lead to a big leap.

It seems that ever since Steve Yzerman and the Team Canada brass decided not to include any member of the Flames blueline brigade on the Olympic roster, the trio has been playing as though a hefty weight has been lifted off their shoulders. And it wasn’t just the Big-3 that felt the sting of the snub – every member of the team took it personally. Any player selected to represent their country is also representing their NHL team and their success is shared – and their failures are felt with equal frustration.

Jay Bouwmeester has been outstanding, displaying each and every one of the attributes that made him the most wanted commodity on the stock exchange before Sutter snatched him from the Panthers at the annual entry draft. The burly blueliner has controlled the pace of the game with astute passes, wise rushes and a steadfast defensive stance. Dion Phaneuf, playing through the pain of a leg injury and the wash of wounded pride, has been focused and forceful. Robyn Regehr has been his usual attentive self – efficient and effective.

Make no mistake, this club isn’t going to scare the Blackhawks or the Sharks into submission, but now that the policies preached by the Sutter system are starting to click, the task of overtaking those adversaries doesn’t seem so daunting.

It only took a poke in the collective pride of the club to pinpoint the problem.

On Deck – The Flames mid-season report card