Circus

So the Sean Averys are in town tonight. What do we expect? Well, in terms of guys not playing hockey, the trash talk will be flying fast and furious (I expect "sloppy seconds" to be mentioned more than once) between all the usual suspects.

On the ice? Well, Turco has been all sorts of abysmal this year. So the key will be to just get as much on the net as we possibly can. Ideally, we get a game like we had the other night against Vancouver, where Kipper could have been replaced in net by a sack of potatoes for all the action that he saw.

Should be a gooder tonight... I'm just sad that nobody's mic'd up.

And maybe now everybody will spell it "Brenden"

Well played last night, Dallas Stars, well played. Well worth staying up for.

Thank you for avenging our golfers.

Walk This Way, Talk This Way

The Flames have split the first four games of this roadtrip, and are now facing the most challenging opponent of that entire road trip. Dallas has a history of owning the Flames as of late, and I'd hope that this does not continue.

Iginla has been picking it up again. I'm not going to say he's been hot, but he's been better than he has been recently. Phaneuf has been a (sorry) MONSTER. Ever since his signing, he's been the top Flame.

But on not-so-optimistic side, Calgary currently sits in 8th. On the edge between Playoffs and "This Is Oil Country", and a first round date with Detroit (which admittedly, isn't as scary as it once was right now). This is somewhat of an oddity, but Vancouver and Calgary are in an exact tie right now and I'm not sure why Vancouver is in 7th and not Calgary -- can't we at least go alphabetically by city name?
Vancouver: 60GP, 30-22-8, 68pts
Calgary: 60GP, 30-22-8, 68pts

I'm also continually amazed to look at Kiprusoff's stats and see a big fat "0" in shutouts this season. The guy can't seem to buy himself a shutout this season, though his sub-standard play is of course part of the blame, worse goalies have gotten shutouts this season? Is tonight the game for his shutout? Nope.

This will be a tough one, and everyone knows it. Part of me is scared to watch it. But, make no mistake, this is a BigGame™. Winning it can be the start of something beautiful!

Liveblog: Audience of one

Well, that's it kids! This feels better than the last time I did this. Or the time before that. And Duncan, we missed you. You gotta watch the games, apparently.

Back to school, sigh.

9:10 PM: Oh, Dave. You're opting for Master Chief, over thissss? Lombo just gunned it and put in the net! We win! I hear "You can put it in the win column!" for the first time in a long time. Sucka!

(Yes, Dave, I'm calling you a sucker. Hasn't been the first time, has it?)

9:08 PM: Good shift for us... but it's back in our end now. Then they took it back...good chance for Aucoin and Langkow there. Sounds like, as usual, a run and gun kind of OT...

9:05 PM: We got a point! We got a point! Wait, why am I cheering? I don't know why the guys on the radio are talking shootout stats. Don't we have to survive OT first?

9:03 PM: A minute left... let's keep it clean...20s...a whistle with 2.4s left in regulation, but the faceoff will be in our zone. No pulling Kipper this time! 2.7s left, actually. And another hard shot at Kipper just as the buzzer goes. Whew.

8:59 PM: No goal there. We continue to keep the puck out of the net...

8:56 PM: I wince as they scramble for the puck in Kipper's crease. While we're on the PK. It stays out. How about getting the lead for once? Geez. They're reviewing the scramble now. Boo. Urns.

8:49 PM: Tanguay with a good chance. I was just woolgathering over the last little bit, and it feels to me at least that overall, this is a mostly consistent game. They've been almost-good all game, as oppposed to goodbadgood or some combination thereof.

8:43 PM: I am home alone, and I just yelled out loud. That's right, kids! Lombo. Short handed! Woohooo! Actually, it's even strength, just barely. I love it when Lombo remember to bring his jet pack.

8:38 PM: I am envious that kids nowdays get to be the Flames Jr. Reporter(TM). Discipline, discipline, discipline. Sarich is off again.

That almost rhymes.

8:34 PM: Great shift by the first line just now. But like I yelled at them repeatedly at points last month, just SHOOT! Dammit... muttering to myself that the period is young yet. Yet.

8:29 PM: Ummm...third period is underway? Nothing too interesting? I'm going over the stats page nhl.com has put up for this game. It's interesting. You can see quite clearly Phaneuf is having a monster night, as is Iggy. This is as it should be.

8:17 PM: Curtis McElhinney on the interview for the intermission. He talks like a robot, but mentioned he'll be back soon from his injury, and discussed his note-taking skills. This is almost school-related! (Er. Almost.)

8:07 PM: It didn't work, but I like this. With 1.2s left in the second, Keenan pulls Kipper. Awesome.

8:05 PM: Speaking of powerplays, Modano's in the box right now. It happened while I was musing about the labour market here. And speaking of squandered PPs... though the period is nearly done now.

8:01 PM: Another great Iggy chance. This was after a squandered PP... I love Calgary, where every radio commercial is a help-wanted ad. Anybody know how to work with steel?

7:57 PM: No goal. And three minutes.

7:54 PM: Oh, the plot thickens. Langkow has a fantastic chance, dings the post, and the light goes off. Incidentally, seems like some Dallas player has landed in the box. I wonder how long it'll take Peter Maher to mention Game 6...

7:47 PM: Hagman. On the PP. Fifth goal of the year. Sigh. The good news? We're about halfway through the game. As a side note, Zyuzin just notched an assist for Chicago. Oh, happy days...

7:43 PM: Warrener goes off. Or doesn't. That's Phaneuf in the box (the radio guys are convinced it should have been Warrener. I'd rather have him sitting than Phaneuf). I think I've mentioned my misgivings about discipline before, can I repeat myself? Curled up in a corner and twitching now... (Not really. But I can pretend.)

7:40 PM: I can't believe we killed all those penalties off. Especially given MG's recent misgivings. Can I curl up in a corner and sob for a bit?

7:37 PM: Sarich goes off. Gawd.

7:34 PM: Oh. Karma, huh. Or something. Dallas sends another player to the box. I wince as Lundqvist gets out of the box...and gets a breakaway. Happy thoughts, kids, happy thoughts!

7:33 PM: Bah! Iggy gets a double minor for interference...and unsportsmanlike. This takes away our PP. Yeah we were on the PP. Why didn't I tell you earlier? Dishes. So looking forward to living in a house with a dishwasher that doesn't have two legs again...

7:11 PM: I can't believe I just delivered snaps for that. But. Iggy. Oi! Oi! Oi! 1-1. With about 21 seconds left in the 1st.

7:05 PM: In other news, Andrei Zyuzin has collected a holding and a hooking minor for Chicago. We hardly missed ye. Oh, the game? Iggy had a breakaway. Couldn't convert. This Ctrl-S thing is driving me nuts. Good pressure this shift though.

6:59 PM: Jere Lehtinen gets hit. Hard. How come damn Ctrl-S doesn't work to save a post the way it used to? I sigh and resort to the mouse.

6:57 PM: Peter Maher points out how Atlanta is the only other team in the league who hasn't won a game yet either. How...appropriate (given where we moved the Flames from). A good attempt by Stu Barnes gets steered away.

6:51 PM: Peter Maher decides now is a good time to point out just how long it's been since Calgary's won a game in Dallas. What were you doing six years ago? The colour guy blames the defence. He might have a point, at that.

6:47 PM: Damn Stastny. He's killing me in various fantasy leagues.

6:44 PM: Modano. Sigh. We're down 1-0 already.

6:43 PM: I finish labouriously jotting the reference for the paper in my notebook. Having to stick to American spellings is going to kill me one day. Yes, I know we can do this electronically these days. And oh, we had some decent pressure in the Dallas zone.

6:38 PM: Puck drops. Interesting note - Phaneuf is paired again with Aucoin. Huh.

6:32 PM: The broadcast crew is re-iterating the obvious. I am looking at upside-down A's and backwards Es and a bunch of other symbols, and bitterly remember that once upon a time, this was supposed to be gibberish.

Well... here we are. I'm going to be reading some papers for school the same time as the game goes and during the liveblog...if you're here, welcome, but understand that you need a life about as badly as I do. Maybe more.

Apathy Month

So, even though this is hardly an unexpected start to the season, I have to confess I'm a little annoyed that we haven't got a win yet. That Derek Morris scored a goal this season before Iggy did. That piling on the Philly bandwagon seems more of a sure-shot method to fantasy hockey victory than putting your chips behind Kipper.

I know we'll pull through, but I also understand what the Herald reported Keenan as having said this morning as well. As an outsider coming into the team, it must be completely flabbergasting to see your captain not quite ready to turn the jets on, to see your unflappable goalie...well... as unflappable as always, sigh. So far, this is one of the qualities I like about Keenan - no one will be too complacent, with him around.

So tonight! A visit to a rink where it seems like we never, ever win. Remember the last visit? That was a liveblog wasn't it? In keeping with tradition, maybe I'll liveblog this...

(Yes, it's a Friday night. But this is a PPV, and ... I have no life... lucky you!)

Dallas liveblog

Thought I'd run away from our Flames for good, hey? It's been a bit busy between work and other things, but I haven't gone away. I haven't done a lot of useful analysis lately... maybe my play by play will be better.

11:09 PM I believe Dave has already done the post game. That will be all. Thanks for hanging out, everyone. We'll have to do it again sometime.

11:05 PM Bah. They bag an empty netter. Physicality ensues. Well...I think that's it kids....

11:02 PM Woo! The big line. 3-2, finally.

11:01 PM I didn't even have time to pick up the needles again. Another PP. I will give Dallas this - it's not as if they're trying hard to run away with this game.

10:57 PM No dice.

10:53 PM P2tog without slipping sts off needle, then K2tog over same sts...P2to...

Oh. We're on the PP again.

10:51 PM Oh, Iggy. Just shoot it. Like Ritchie just did.

10:47 PM Hagman lamed by a lousy shot block. Good pressure this PP. No dice yet. This is definitely a better effort tonight by the guys Who Were Named, but... well. We will see.

Stupid broken sticks. Susan.

10:45 PM Ha! Boucher off to the box, after some decent pressure by the boys. Am I the only one who thinks, "Chuckwagon driver" when I hear "Kelly Sutherland?"

10:44 PM Fantastic chance by Huselius. No dice. I swear I heard "Marvin Turco."

10:40 PM Noodles makes a key save on a post-PP break. PK wasn't too shoddy, but was two minutes we couldn't spend trying to score.

10:37 PM Primeau again. This is the same script we saw last night, but with more emotion.

10:32 PM Modano's back. Our Davey loses his assist, which goes to Hammer.

10:23 PM 2nd intermission, Out of Town Scoreboard edition It's a good night for the NHL. So far the lowest announced attendance is 15,091 at TD Banknorth Garden. Callups: D. Fata? Is that any relation to that prime ex-Flames prospect, Rico? And much like back in the days of Joe Who, are sportswriters 'round the league going to have to learn how to spell Dubielewicz on a regular basis?

Oh god, I think they're brothers.

10:18 PM No word from the dressing room about Regehr. We'll be lucky if they'll acknowledge that he's injured at all, much like Conroy or Warrener.

10:13 PM Hm. This doesn't work when they keep on shooting it down the ice, does it? Buzz.

10:11 PM Oooo! PP! Say what you will, it's been a good two days for that. Time to pimp the Club Card for Safeway(TM) for Score & Win (TM)

10:08 PM Guess who's on in the Hockey Update by Japanese Village(TM)? None other than Darryl Reaugh...Play resumes. Kipper hasn't traded ballcap for mask, so Noodles must be either ok, or in his playing-with-broken-sternum mode. Oh, don't start with the Dallas-leading-after-two-periods-with-two-goals-stats.

Happy thoughts!

Still no Regehr.

10:06 PM Not good. That last goal seems to have shifted the momentum of the game a bit. Noodles gets hit by a Boucher shot. Mask is off. Uh-oh.

10:02 PM I knew that was going to happen as soon as I hit Ctrl-S on my last entry. 3-1 Dallas. Oh, right! Happy thoughts! Um. Ovechkin finally puts one behind a goalie in a shootout? I check the scoresheet. Zubov is making me feel unclean. But. He is generating happy thoughts.

10:00 PM What do you think? Primeau this time. With Modano's bell rung, and a good period to this point, we better see some stepping up and the tightest PK ever.

9:56 PM Modano gets Phaneufed. He's down for the count. I wanna see this on the highlights with my morning cereal. HG's boy is clearly back, much abashed for his off-ice behaviour, and struggling to make amends...

9:52 PM Maher is clearly unused to the idea of Noodles playing. More good chances for our boys. They would be so good if they played like this all the time...

9:49 PM Iggy gets a fantastic chance off a blocked shot then running it in on a breakaway. Only a chance though. Damn you, Marty!

9:46 PM It sounds like it's been a good couple of shifts...except that the puck's been our zone an awful lot. Peter Maher can't keep his Finns straight. Apparently Jussi Markaanen is playing this one.

9:42 PM About not getting enough time with the man advantage... Lombardi! 2-1. Woot! From Moss and Tanguay.

9:39 PM Dammit, can't Edmonton do anything right? PP sounds ok to me. We just don't get enough time with the man advantage ;)

9:34 PM Here we go again... the radio guys seem to have been reading more positives out of Perry Berezan's spiel than I did. Modano goes to the box.

9:28 PM Perry Berezan thinks the guys have to have emotion in their bellies, like teenaged la-la-la-la-I-don't-waanna-hear-you emo kids. But with discipline!

9:18 PM Not much time in the first period thank goodness. New offensive style or not, did anybody imagine Chris Clark would bag a hat trick before anyone playing for Calgary?

9:13 PM Way to end the PP. Hamrlik gets some time off. Our guys seem pretty out of control tonight. Should I be glad I can't hear all the "combustible," "explosive," "burnout" type puns on TV right now?

9:09 PM Oh. We get to go on the PP now. How refreshing. It would have been nice if the Stars hadn't got the first chance after the penalty started. And not that we'd use him on the PP, but still no Regehr.

9:05 PM Sigh. Let's see how we play even strength, hey? Eventually? Stars ahead 2-0. Still on PP. Must not get tea stains on baby blanket in-progress.

9:02 PM Another minor. Noodles, for unsportsmanlike?

9:00 PM Hey Dave: "Bringing the only guy you know with louder lungs than you? Priceless." Eh. EH?? Man, I love having all those repetitive radio commercials... Regehr is a bit shaken up apparently. Woo! Susan can play more minutes! Woo!

8:56 PM, II I take my last comment back. Modano is one step closer to passing Joey Mullen.

8:56 PM Looks like the PK is holding together. But could we stop taking penalties? Ack ack ack...

8:51 PM Aw, Matt from BofA is doing a liveblog too? This groupthink thing is ridiculous. I swear I decided to do this spontaneously, in a grumpy-no-life-but-hockey mood.

8:46 PM PK actually came through, we're still going offside, and I've decided there's no point in tracking who's playing with who tonight. If I hadn't picked up Zubov for one of my fantasy teams, I'd be very mad at him.

8:41 PM 41 seconds into the game, and Stuart draws one for highsticking. Way to start things on a good note. Also, why the hell am I doing this working just off the radio?

8:38 PM Rough flight, eh, boys? No Hale, no Yelle, no Conroy, no Warrener. Noodles, no Kipper. Let's see what happens. I'm not taking it as a good sign that my not-typing project is done in colours of white, and green, and yellow.

For what it's worth, there were some bright spots last night. The PP, Lombardi, Moss, and Giordano, namely. It wasn't a pretty game. I don't have much else to say that hasn't already been said and won't drag us through the same old, same old again. Say, aren't we glad this isn't 2002?

Dallas Pre-Game | Dallas Post-Game

Pre-Game:
Blah blah blah must win blah blah blah string wins together blahblahblah tough road game blahblahblah turn it around bla-bla-blahhhBLAHBLAH PLAYFAIR BLAHBLAHblahblah blah...blahblahblahdamnyoueviltwinsblah :( Go Flames!

.......

Preemptive Post-Game:
Damnit! Why can't this team play on the road, even in clutch games? I'm tired of the excuses. Minnesota has a joke of a schedule (games against awful teams like Edmonton and LA and St. Louis) and there is no way we can catch up playing like this. UGH! Disgusts me. Words escape me, except for the ones preceding this sentence.