Tuesday, April 7, 2009

flames v. canucks: this is it

well, we're finally here at the final NW division marquee matchup, and like huey lewis once said: THIS IS IT. it'd sure be nice to see the flames get a win tonight and clinch the NW, but if there's one thing i know about my team it's that they don't like to do things the easy way.... add to that the fact that we're heading into the second night of a back-to-back (it's technically the second night of a back-to-back, back-to-back), and i certainly wouldn't be putting money on a victory...

i attended the game last night and did NOT eat a pocketdawg. i'm starting to think that it really doesn't matter what i eat or wear, the flames are gonna either win or lose as the hockey gods see fit.... i presented this theory to my buddy mike, who responded, "You don't think small changes in your routine affect the team's play ? Weird. I was sure that brushing my teeth in clockwise circles got us this far." haha... *sigh*

i wonder if lombo still writes HENHENHEN on his sticks in the desert....

anyhow. with no mike brophy to annoy me along the way to misinformation, i saw some stuff last night with my own eyes:

- jokinen is as bad as bertuzzi (worse, if you factor in salary) except where todd does NOT move his feet, olli likes to skate these hugely wide circles down one wing, around in front of the (defensive) net, and back up the other wing --where he receives an outlet pass from the blueliner to start the up-ice play.... not bad, actually, except he rarely makes it to the offensive blueline with the puck on a forward trajectory.... somewhere between bluelines (last night, at least) it would be taken away by the opposition with ease...

-phaneuf is as bad as bertuzzi (worse, if you factor in salary) except where todd is forgiven for his terrible defensive play because he provides some minimal offense, dion is.... well... also forgiven for his terrible defensive play because he provides some minimal offense and, according to keenan, is still learning. hahahaha.... too bad about the big boy salary....

-bertuzzi is BAD.

-big ups to matty pelech for the 2/3 of a gordie howe hatter in his second NHL outing.

-aside from the obvious stinker, kippy had a decent game. which presumeably means he'll be awful tonight and we'll see Qmac by mid-second.

-in the concourse at the saddledome, i noticed (as always) a plethora of iginla jerseys, phaneuf jerseys, regehr jerseys, kiprusoff jerseys, and an emergence of a handful of moss jerseys. i'm still 100% sure i'm the only person sporting #5.

okay. enough for now... GO FLAMES !!!
(fingers crossed !!!)

3 comments:

duncan said...

I had the same unfortunate thoughts last night about OJ. But I'm also willing to think that he's been sold a bill of goods about his "role" on the line with Iginla, that he has to carry the puck around and try to find Iggy and/or Cammalleri. Which is stupid.

Notice how Iginla was on together with Langkow and Cammo for about 15 seconds last night, and it led to a goal? Iginla and Langkow work well together, period. Cammalleri and Iginla create room for one another. They should be on the same line.

Jokinen should work with, I don't know, Moss and Lundmark? I don't really care. Just please, for the love of everything, separate Jokinen and Iginla.

walkinvisible said...

yep.

i find it fascinating that the only two centres that have ever worked well with iggy (no matter who they brought in) are the current team's second and third liners.

i think conroy's best offensive years are behind him but langkow is still in his prime. yep. i think jokinen was another sadly failed sutter experiment.... AND we get to have him sucking up the top line for another whole year.

god i miss lombo.

Mike H. said...

Watching the game last night, I agree it was obvious that Berts was sucking on every shift (I think he actually was penalized for "laziness"), and that Iggy and Langkow make a great combo. Didn't really notice Jokinen except when he was giving away the puck, but maybe that's how they play hockey on his planet (I still contend he looks like a space alien).

To not be totally negative, Moss, GlenX, and Nystrom are running around trying hard to fill the Lombo "high energy" role (yes I know WI, not nearly as prettily or doe-eyed). Fun to watch though.

Can't wait to watch tonight's game, and I sure hope to be able to lord over the canuckle heads in the office tomorrow. Unfortunately, I'm not convinced. Still 17 butts on the bench, so-so offensive performance, barely satisfactory goaltending, practically no PP, and apparently we're playing junior hockey on defence.

I turned the channel during intermission to avoid Mr. Brophy's "analysis"; no idea what went down. Here's a little of my own "inside dope" though: Tonight's winner will definitely be the team that leaves it all on the ice, plays solid defensively, and gets more pucks in the net.

GO FLAMES!

p.s. Word Verification: jazingly