Calgary Flames look forward to Matchup with San Jose Sharks
Having another two day rest after may relaxing days between the three games that were played at home, it’s safe to say that the Calgary Flames are good to go when they have to face the San Jose Sharks in their one of two remaining games at home come
Friday night. It will be their third meeting of the season out of a total four, in which each team has won on their respective home grounds in the previous two contests.
It was October 2010, when both teams last met; Rene Bourque was man of the match, scoring 2 of Calgary’s total 4 goals in the first period alone. Miikka Kiprusoff shut San Jose out that night by deflecting 27 shot attempts 4-0. The Flames didn’t lose
as bad as them the second time when gathering at the HP Pavilion Arena in San Jose, California. http://www.nhl.com/ice/player.htm?id=8469622 and http://www.nhl.com/ice/player.htm?id=8474053 each had a goal, barely making it alive out of the Flames with 4-3 at the end.
"We played with them," Calgary forward Alex Tanguay said. "I thought we dominated the play for the most part, but they're a good team. They capitalized on their chances … but our first period wasn't good. We can play with anybody. Friday's going to
be a big game for us, so we'll be ready."
The Flames are stuck in a competitive situation right now, as six teams battling for the fifth place in the Western Conference and some for retaining their playoff berth. Their all tied with 70 points, making matters only worse as teams who have to
go up against tough opponents will be knocked down out of the race. Calgary is in one of those positions right now; facing San Jose won’t be easy.
"We can't dwell on this. We've had a good stretch here, and we've got to just keep taking the positives and keep it going," Curtis Glencross said.
Who’s Hot?
Noticeably enough, both teams have a right/left wing and a goalie that are unstoppable. http://www.nhl.com/ice/player.htm?id=8471682, right wing for San Jose has picked up 5 goals and an assist in the past
three games, while http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/players/profile?playerId=576 has shown some of his divine powers lately, getting goals in at the most needy time, as we witnessed in Nashville when he scored the overtime goal with less than a minute to go, and again against Pittsburgh, tying the match in the
final period forcing OT, than scoring another game winning goal with just 4 seconds left.
"It's just a sign of our perseverance," game winning Marleau said. "You don't want to see that happen, but when it does happen, you want to see guys forget about it right away."
Curtis Glencross has proved that he has matured in his third season with Calgary, scoring 7 goals and recording 5 assists in only eight games. Miikka Kiprusoff has become one of the best goalkeepers in ice hockey, having a 3-1-0 record and maintaining
a .954 save percentage, he won’t be giving any team an easy time in the upcoming days.
Final Thoughts
Both teams are spontaneous have improved their style of play dramatically. It’s hard to say what can be expected of these two, when both are on a roll, especially the Sharks who will be entering the game with a five match winning streak. Friday will
hold a golden opportunity for both teams, four points will be up for grabs, either San Jose can tie it up with Detroit for second place or Calgary can leave the rest behind eating dust moving comfortably into fifth place.
Tags: