Spotted off the port bow: Defensive Play

Did you see it? Approximately sixty minute's worth.  What was once as elusive as the Loch Ness Monster, Bigfoot, or a fiscally conservative Republican was out there for all to see against Washington the other day.  It was awesome.  Kiprusoff played well (still not quite there yet, but was it ever nice to see some of those big saves again), the defense played well, and the forwards played responsibly, for the most part.  It was a thing of beauty!

The real challenge for this team is now that they've actually won a game, they need to remember what they did right and keep doing that.  And what better team to start stringing the wins together than against Nashville?  (Rhetorical answer: Toronto would be even better)  A good hockey team plays with confidence and conviction, from the highest levels (buying into a "system", if one exists) to the lowest (not gripping the stick too hard).  Watershed moments like killing a nine minute powerplay does wonders for this team, and I genuinely believe that PK is what won the game for the Flames.  Now that they've won the game, it's time to carry that confidence (while avoiding any possible over-confidence) by stringing some wins together.

I happen to have Danny-boy Ellis in one of my hockey pools, so I'm not going to hope for a high-scoring game.  I'm going to predict a 3-2 Flames win, with goals by Lombardi (hot hand!), Iginla, and Boyd.