Calgary Flames burn Edmonton Oilers but out of playoff race
The Flames continued their winning streak and extended it to three on Wednesday night after burning the Edmonton Oilers 6-1 at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta.
Over 19,000 fans attended the match to witness their team come closer to the playoffs, but near the end got the news of Calgary’s elimination.
Chicago and Anaheim, who were above the Flames in the Western Conference, each won their games and gained an unmatchable lead by the time regulation season ends.
Calgary only has one game remaining, which would not be enough to take over either the Blackhawks or the Ducks.
Flames captain, Jarome Iginla, showed an amazing performance against the Oilers. He scored a hat trick and picked up an assist. The crowd might not see their team in the playoffs, but they were happy at how the season ended. Calgary fans gave Iginla a standing
ovation after the match while chanting “Iggy!, Iggy!”
Home goalie, Miikka Kiprusoff, faced half as many shots, as the away goalie, Nikolai Khabibulin. Kipper made 22 of 23 saves for a near shutout while counterpart, Khabibulin, fell short six, blocking 41.
Both goalies were able to hold down the offense for the opening period, but Rene Bourque broke that barrier when he scored early in the second, during a power play opportunity.
Iginla added double goals to extend the lead to 3-0 with four minutes remaining. He took control on Edmonton’s third consecutive penalty.
Alex Tanguay fired off the fourth for Calgary giving Mikael Backlund his third assist of the night, and, Iginla his first and only. Magnus Paajarvi, who has been a leading scorer for Edmonton in their past few games, ended the Flames shooting spree at the
3:47 mark in the final period.
Curtis Glencross washed away their hopes of recovery and Iginla insured the match, both within 23 seconds of each other. Iginla’s third and final goal of the game made it his 42nd of the season. 50 goals were his highest ever, which he achieved
in the 2007-2008 season.
Hats rained down onto the ice from fans that had deep appreciation for their team. It gave the Flames the will to improve themselves for next season. They face off against the league leading Vancouver Canucks on Saturday to end an amazing season.
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