Flames Face Elimination
Calgary (CP): Tonight, the Flames face elimination from the first round of play-offs against the Detroit Red Wings. Down 3-0 against one of the best regular season performers in the HFNHL, the Flames need a miracle to make a come-back and win this series. "I don't care about the series, can we just win one game?" quipped veteran Stu Barnes after the worst loss of the series, a tight checking 3-1 game that the Flames never looked like winning.
"It's simple. Their goaltender has been better than ours, and our so-called potent offense needs a shot of Viagra" Barnes noted. Instead of feeling disparaged, goaltender Niklas Backstrom agrees. "I agree. He's (Lundqvist) been great and I let in some soft ones in game 3. I'll be better."
Lundqvist has been hot, leading the HFNHL goaltenders in SAA% (.940) and GAA (1.39). But Backstrom has held his own until Game 3. Then it all seemed to fall apart, right when the Flames needed him to bounce back. A physical series that emerged in game one and two became decidedly pedestrian as the Flames turned instead to a tight checking approach that failed.
Backstrom has denied being tired after the Game 2 double overtime marathon which looks to have crushed the teams spirit. "We'll bounce back. We're a veteran group. If we don't, I think we can all be looking for work elsewhere next season." Barnes noted.
NOTES: The Flames offense has turned anemic. They have yet to score on the PowerPlay.... The Flames look to juggle the lines tonight. Vaclav Prospal will move to the top line and Datsyuk will be moved to left wing.... Aaron Johnson, a healthy scratch in game three, will move back into the line-up at the expense of Brandon Bochenski.... Milan Jurcina remains in the line-up despite struggling while David Hale will continue to watch from the side-lines... Reports emerged on TSN that GM Matthew Kershaw and new head coach Brent Sutter have drawn up plans to create a more physical, playoff team next season that will see high-scoring but lightweight Europeans Vaclav Prospal and Milan Hejduk being moved in the off-season.
