Its over

Wow, a 5-0 loss to the Bruins.

7 Games to go, Detroit has a 6 point lead as well as a game in hand. Barring a miracle, the season is over and this Flames team does not seem the type to have any miracles in them.

I am disgusted and can't even write any more than this right now.

Must win

The puck has just dropped in the Flames Ducks game. Calgary has to win this game or it really is all over.

Who will make the playoffs, and who will hoist the Cup

Ok, time to get a little bit of debating going.

Its looking more and more like Calgary will not make it into the playoffs, especially with today's loss to the Wild. I haven't completely given up hope yet, but there is very little room for error from now on for the Flames.

So my question is, who is going to make the post season, and who will be clearing out the lockers? The race is pretty tight in both conferences, more so in the East where just 11 points separate 5th and 14th place so mathematically there are still a ton of possibilities most being very unlikely.

Its also looking like the Coyotes are going take over 1st place in the Pacific Division today, barring San Jose coming back from a 3 goal deficit with 12 minutes to play. They are playing Edmonton, so I probably shouldn't speak too soon.

My predictions are:

The Sharks will continue to play their version of "playoff hockey" and the Coyotes will clinch the Pacific crown.

Calgary is unable to catch Detroit, even going 8-1-1 down the stretch.

Boston continues to show how much heart the team has and Altanta overtakes them for the final playoff spot in the East.

This pains me to even think, let alone write and publish....but I think the Canucks will meet the Coyotes in the Western Conference final, only to lose in 6 games to the Yotes.

In the East, the Pens and Caps will fight it out for the conference title with the Caps taking their turn at the big show after a memorable 7 game series. AO to score the series winner in OT.

And as I said before, I am backing Phoenix to win it all this year. If Bryzgalov isn't getting some serious consideration for the Hart Trophy, then there most definitely is a bias towards the teams in the Eastern Conference.

What do you think??

C

Respect

As the head shot debate rages on, along with all the other high profile dirty plays being seen around the NHL and other hockey leagues, the problem to me is becoming more and more apparent. And there was another great example last night when Iginla squared off against Clowe. And the problem is respect, or lack of.

Lets have a closer look at that using last nights scrap as the example. Have a look at the fight here .Both combatants knew what was coming, it was not something that occur ed in a scrum of players where the gloves drop in a heartbeat and its on. Last night, both Clowe and Iginla knew they were going to trade some punches, and gave them selves some ice to prepare. The biggest difference was that Iginla took off his helmet and Clowe didn't. Yes, Iggy does wear a visor and Clowe doesn't so according to the NHL rulebook he HAS to take his helmet off when fighting or risk receiving an additional minor penalty, although I am not actually sure how often this is enforced. Having Iggy in the box for 5 minutes is enough.

Now I am making an assumption to start this next bit, but I think it will be hard to find a hockey fan out there that will disagree with me. Iggy would be taking his helmet off in those situations even if he DIDN'T wear a visor. Why do I say this? Well simply because of the kind of hockey player I know Iginla is. He has class, and he has RESPECT for the other players. For a bit more on Iggy, see here A few years ago, I probably would have said that this would be the case for 99% of NHL players. Now, I am not so sure that is the case.

This is not a problem that is going to go away overnight, even with a few rule changes to ban head shots. The lack of respect is still going to be there, and we are going to continue to see bad hockey plays where there are some serious injuries. Players like that will find a way.

Hockey is a fast game, made even more so post lockout and I believe that the game has never been as exciting to watch as it is now. Aside from the shootout that is. Due to the speed, there are going to be accidents at times. Its the intent that matters.

Go the Yotes!

Pop quiz - what team is currently coming 4th OVERALL??

If the Flames season fizzles out, I am jumping on the Bryzgalov bandwagon and backing the Yotes for the Cup. They look to have a team that will play some outstanding playoff hockey. An elite starting goaltender and a more than adequate back up, along with a great mix of youth and experience through out the rest of the lineup. A good grinding team. No real stand out player, but plenty of them who can answer the call in a game when needed.

Calgary may have a favourable overall record against Phoenix, but I sure hope we don't get them in the first round. Considering all the turmoil surrounding the franchise in the off season, it would be hard not to cheer for them. And it makes for a pretty damn good story. Would a Stanley Cup, or even a deep playoff run by the Yotes mean that Bettman was right to keep the team playing in the desert?

C

Toskala

Wouldn't you know it, I was just about to say that Toskala is looking pretty good as a Flame, when he lets in a goal. Luckily, they held on for the win. Stopped 32 shots, so you can't expect much more than that.

2-0 as a starter for Vesa, and he looked good in relief of Kipper when called on. Maybe Toronto really is death for goalies.

Tough Times

After teasing all the Flames fans with a modest 4 game winning streak, the team has now lost 2 in a row, more importantly they lost a game to Detroit after scoring the first goal of the game. 4-3 since the Olympics is no where near good enough for a playoff spot.

The road ahead for Calgary is not an easy one with the Sharks, Caps, Hawks, Canucks and Avs all in the schedule down the stretch. Unfortuantely, no more easy points from Edmonton. 13 games, and its looking like wins in 10 of them may very well be needed. Not good. Could be a very disappointing end to the season, which could lead to an interesting off season.

Heating up

All signs are good for the Flames right now. 4 wins in a row, and they are getting a total team effort in every game. And a bit of luck too which always helps.

Iginla has been leading the way and kept up the form which helped Canada win gold in the Olympics. 7 points in 5 games since the season resumed, and since Bourque has moved up to the first line along with Stajan, the trio have notched 18 points in 3 games. I hope there is lots more of that to come. Kipper has continued to shine picking up his 4th shutout of the season against the Sens yesterday who I am sure are wishing the Olympic break never happened.

I have to admit, Staios has been looking pretty good since joining the Flames and being paired with J Bow, making Sarich look more and more redundant with every game. Regher and White have been an outstanding duo, both of them a plus 10 since Dion left town. It must be Ian's 'stach as its what the team has been missing since Lanny retired. Mayers and Higgins have both been playing hard, even if they aren't putting up huge points. If Hagman and Kotalik can start to turn up their game a little the Flames will be a tough team to take on down the stretch.

Every game is still crucial. Right now the Flames are battling with Detroit and Nashville for the final 2 playoff spots in the West with just one point seperating them as of today. No time to let up, bring on the Canucks on Sunday!

Game Day: Flames Vs Wings

Have been a bit busy lately, so haven't had much time to post anything in a while. Time to get back to it.

It's that time of year again. The trade deadline (yawn) has passed, the teams are set, and everyone has about 16-17 games to play. 32-34 more points up for grabs. For all the teams jostling for a playoff spot, and there are a lot of them, every game is a big one. And in my opinion todays game for Calgary has to be considered massive.

The Flames have gone 2-1 since the Olympics, getting shut out first game back, then finding the back of the net 5 times in back to back wins against two of the leagues top defensive teams in The Wild and Devils. And that's what I want to see more of today.

The Wings are no longer the class of the league, but still show glimpses of what they are capable of so they are still an opponent not to be taken lightly. I am hoping for a truly dominant performance by the Flames today. I need something to help restore my faith that Darryl hasn't completely lost his mind with some of the deals he has made. Some of the parts he picked up do seem to really be working well so far, but now is when it all has to come together every game.

93 - that's pretty close to the magic number to make the playoffs. The Flames have 34 points available to them and are sitting on 73 points, 1 behind Detroit for 8th spot. You do the math. As I said, todays game is a massive one.