Calgary Flames Torch Tampa Bay
I’m so exhausted (I’ve got my last paper of the semester due tomorrow) but I’m also that good exhausted - you know, the kind when you’re so happy you’re almost delirious? Yeah, well it was the Calgary Flames‘ early Christmas gift to me (no crying, Tampa Bay Fans)!!!!!
I haven’t lived here all my life but I was here in 2004 during Calgary’s heartbreaking loss in the Stanley Cup finals. When they made the playoffs, I took to eating buffalo wings and fries on game nights and, on the nights when I didn’t eat this nutritionally devoid meal, they would lose. So, I thought (like the superstitious fool that I am) that I needed to keep eating wings and fries on game nights. I didn’t expect them to make it that far. I am not kidding you - I gained almost 40 pounds during the playoffs. I’m still working on it (sooooo stupid). I literally almost fainted when they lost in game 7 (especially after the whole "phantom goal" thing in game 6). Going back to Tampa Bay tonight was scary - worse than scary with how the Flames have been playing - and I tried not to get my hopes up. I’m glad I didn’t because I got to really enjoy that roller-coaster of a victory last night! They beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 9-6!!!!!!!!!!
Kristian Huselius (Flames), who I had all but decided was either a lost cause or being paid to play unpredictably, got his first career hat trick and Flames captain, Jarome Iginla, added his sixth hat trick to his resumé. Calgary defenceman, Dion Phaneuf, was also stellar, racking up 5 points!!! My baby, Miikka Kiprusoff allowed 6 of 31 shots on goal - not his best. Here’s what he said about it:
"It’s not a goalie’s dream game, but you still have to be able to win these crazy games. You just have to keep working. At the end of the night, you look, it’s two points, and you have to be happy with that."
Here’s what some others had to say:
"In those games, nobody’s thrilled with the way it’s going," Iginla said. "To be able to corral it and find a way, especially here in Tampa, it feels real good."
"Anything and everything that could happen did," Calgary coach Mike Keenan said. "Neither coach would be happy with this game in the terms of defensive play. And if you’re an offensive-minded coach, you love it. I don’t know if there’s any in the league, though."
"I’ve never been a part of a game like that, with 15 goals total," Martin St. Louis said. "I think it was a closer game than the result."
"It was a weird night, and unfortunately we gave up nine," said Tampa Bay defenseman Shane O’Brien, who had three assists. "Everything was just going in. I felt bad for Homer, that we let him down."
Tampa Bay goalie Johan Holmqvist was pulled from his second consecutive start after allowing four goals on six shots. He was replaced by Marc Denis. I’ve gotta say that I was surprised that Kipper didn’t get pulled. I think it was unfair to pull Holmqvist. It was one of those nights and, to be honest, I think it would have been best to just leave both goalies in and ride the craziness.
Here are the NHL’s Three Stars of the Night!
Related Stories
POSTED IN: Calgary Flames, NHL, News, Scores, Tampa Bay Lightning
1 opinion for Calgary Flames Torch Tampa Bay
Lauren
Dec 15, 2007 at 10:37 am
Woo hoo! Those are my boys! We totally smoked the Lightning.
Have an opinion? Leave a comment: