CALGARY , Alberta – The Calgary Flames definitely needed a change in scenery in the playoffs against the Chicago Blackhawks as they came home down two games in the best of seven series. To get back into the series they needed to sustain the strength that they had to start in the first two games throughout the full sixty minutes. To start the game they had a few things going for them. Defenseman Cory Sarich played in the game after putting up only a few minutes and then leaving in the last game after returning from an injury. Also one of the Blackhawks young stars did not play. Patrick Kane woke up in the morning to flu-like symptoms, didn’t make it to the morning skate and was scratched for the game.
With all that and seeing their sea of red in the stands, the Flames came back and took game three to send Calgary one game closer to tying the series at two games a piece.
The Blackhawks needed to come out strong and score first to take the crowd out of the game along with working a good power play. And they did both to start the scoring in the game. The scoring sequence started as veteran Olli Jokinen placed a shot on goal that Blackhawk’ goalie Nikolai Khabibulin froze. Jokinen continued to skate towards the net and ran down defensman Niklas Hjalmarsson for a two minute roughing call. Chicago cycled the puck; Martin Havlat passed it down low to captain Jonathan Toews who made a pass across the crease to Patrick Sharp. Sharp then easily tapped the rubber in past Miikka Kiprusoff to give the ‘Hawks the first score of the game in the series at the 2:03 mark.
But the Flames came right back as forward Curtis Glencross made a dish pass to Eric Nystrom to tie the game at one. Both teams played well in the first but the ‘Hawks picked it up much sooner than they had in the past two games. They played a much stronger, physical game and controlled to puck well in their zone.
Into the second, the intensity that was in the first seemed to have wandered away a bit as even the fans in the Pengrowth Saddledome seemed almost lulled to a whisper. But late in the period, former Blackhawks skater Rene Bourque took the puck around and fired from behind the net that hit Khabibulin’s pads and deflected in to give the Flames to go-ahead goal with 2:53 left in the period. Chicago head coach Joel Quenneville later said this goal was pivotal in the Flames win.
The Chicago Blackhawks found themselves trying to come back from behind going into the third, but could they pull themselves out of a hole? The Flames answered that quickly as a neutral zone transition turned into a goal as Adam Pardy took the puck in hard and fired a huge rebound right to David Moss as he flew in on a change to give Calgary a two-goal lead a minute eighteen in. Moss did it again a little over four minutes later as Glencross shot a pass on net towards the goal that deflected off his skate and in between the pads of Khabibulin. The Blackhawks had opportunities on two consecutive power plays but could not convert as both sides played extremely hard with their special teams with no affect on the scoreboard.
Sharp got the Blackhawks started as he skated with speed down the near lane and passed the puck across to Havlat who found the open side of the net to cut the lead in half with with 4:25 left. But the Blackhawks cound not get any closer even with Khabibulin being pulled for the extra attacker at 1:25. A few roughing penalties negated the advantage as Calgary prevailed with a 4-2 victory
Sharp got the game’s third start with a goal and an assist, Dave Moss’ two goal night for Calgary earned him the second star while his teammate goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff was named the first star as he faced 38 shots letting two in while hi s counterpart Nikolai Khabibulin gave up four goals in 28 shots.
Calgary will now try to even up the series in game four on Wednesday night and the Chicago Blackhawks will hope Kane is well enough to start to give the offense the boost that it will need to bring the team a chance to win the series at home.
Contact the author at matt.chin@prohockeynews.com Catch all the playoffs at Intotheboards.net
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