David Hesson

We Still need a Legit lead singer, so if thats you, send me a message!

FLAMES (13-6-2) at DUCKS (7-11-3)
Monday, 23.11.2009 / 10:22 PM
-NHL.com

Last 10: Calgary 6-3-1; Anaheim 3-5-2

Season series: First of four meetings this season. Anaheim won three times against Calgary last season, including 3-2 in overtime in the most recent meeting on Feb. 11. Scott Niedermayer, who owns the NHL record for OT goals by a defenseman, scored his second of the game 55 seconds into the extra period.

Big Story: It’s currently unknown how many Anaheim players are Maroon 5 fans, but the team as a whole would be wise to heed the advice of the band’s second album, “It Won’t Be Soon Before Long.” In other words, there’s still time for the Ducks to climb out of the Western Conference cellar and get back into the playoff race, but if they continue to waste opportunities that window will close quickly. This is the third game of seven straight at the Honda Center.

Team Scope:

Flames: Depending on the result of Colorado’s game Monday, Calgary could take over first place in the Northwest Division with a victory. Jarome Iginla’s hat trick in Los Angeles on Saturday afternoon carried the Flames to a 5-2 win, their second straight on the road. It took just 13 seconds for Iginla to get on the board, as he picked up his first of the game with a wrist shot from just inside the Kings’ blue line that changed directions off the skate of defenseman Sean O’Donnell and got past goalie Jonathan Quick

“You always hope for those, they don’t happen very often first shift,” Iginla said. “I was just trying to use him as a screen, I didn’t even see it go in. Scoring that early we were all pretty excited. Especially after a tough last game, to have an early start like that, in an afternoon game, was a big boost.”

Ducks: Not that any reminder was needed that it’s a new season, but San Jose provided one anyway with a 3-2 win in Anaheim on Saturday. The Sharks have already won a pair of road games this season against the Ducks, who eliminated them in a shocking first-round playoff series last spring. Anaheim has split the first two games of this homestand, blowing a three-goal lead to Tampa Bay before winning in overtime on a Niedermayer goal.

“They locked it down and played pretty well at the end of the game,” Ryan Getzlaf said of the Sharks. “We had our chances. We played really well tonight. For the most part, we were right in there in that hockey game. We were playing a pretty good team, so it’s those little mistakes that end up costing you in the end.”

Who’s Hot: Iginla, who now ranks fourth in the League with 15 goals, has six of them in his last four games. Jay Bouwmeester has a four-game points streak for Calgary, with a goal and four assists over that span. Olli Jokinen has a goal and three assists during a four-game points streak of his own.

Anaheim forward Corey Perry is on a 14-game points streak, the longest in the League this season. During it, he has nine goals and 20 points.

Injury Report: Rene Bourque, the Flames’ second-leading scorer behind Iginla, has been placed on injured reserve with an undisclosed injury.

Joffrey Lupul missed the Ducks’ game Saturday with a lower-body injury, while Ryan Carter (foot) is expected to miss another month.

Stat Pack: Bouwmeester has been a minutes muncher for the Flames, averaging 26 minutes, 36 seconds of ice time per game. That’s barely more than the Ducks’ leader, Ryan Whitney, who clocks in at 26:27 per game.

Puck Drop: “Our battle and compete level were high,” Anaheim coach Randy Carlyle said following the loss to the Sharks. The Ducks will need to repeat that and execute just a little better in order to take two points against the Flames.

Game starts at 8:00pm local time and you can catch the action on Sportsnet (HD)

CGY 17 @ SSK 27 F
Sunday, November 22, 2009 – 4:05 PM
Taken from http://www.stampeders.com

There will be no hometown party for the Calgary Stampeders at the 97th Grey Cup.

It’s Saskatchewan that will be representing the West in the Canadian Football League’s championship game on Nov. 29 in Calgary as the Roughriders defeated the Stampeders 27-17 in the West Final on Sunday at Regina’s Mosaic Stadium.

Third-quarter touchdown catches by Andy Fantuz and Rob Bagg put the Roughriders ahead to stay as Saskatchewan earned a Grey Cup date with the Montreal Alouettes while foiling the Stamps’ bid to repeat as CFL champions.Inset_091122.jpg

Assisted by interceptions from James Patrick and Eddie Davis, the Riders defence contained the Calgary offence in the second half until a late touchdown catch by Jeremaine Copeland.

The teams were tied 10-10 at the half as the Stampeders took a 10-point lead and the Roughriders replied to pull even before the midway break.

“We had a good first quarter,” said Stampeders head coach/general manager John Hufnagel. “Then they got the momentum when they had a good second quarter. Then we came out in the second half and they got a big kickoff return (by Jason Armstead) to put them in a control postion and it kind of took the wind out of our sails.”

“What can I say?” said Stampeders running back Joffrey Reynolds, who scored the Stamps’ first touchdown. “It just came down to us not making plays and them making plays.”

The playoff loss comes after a regular-season series that saw the Stamps go 0-2-1 against the Roughriders.

“You have to say Saskatchewan deserved it,” said Hufnagel. “We played them four times and we weren’t able to beat them even one time.”

Sandro DeAngelis opened the scoring less than three minutes into the contest as he kicked a 47-yard field goal to give Calgary a 3-0 advantage. Early in the second quarter, West Division Most Outstanding Player nominee Reynolds ran the ball in from 17 yards out and, with the convert, it was 10-0 for the Stamps.

The Riders responded with a scoring drive that was capped by a 10-yard touchdown pass from Darian Durant to Chris Getzlaf. Luca Congi’s 18-yard field goal made it 10-10.

Calgary had penalty trouble in the first half as nine of the 11 flags thrown were against the visitors.

Stamps(10-7-1) @ Riders(10-7-1)
Sunday November 22/09
Kickoff : 2:30pm (local time)
Go Stampeders GO!!

Stamps and Riders battle for Grey Cup berth
-taken from http://www.stampeders.com

The Calgary Stampeders and Saskatchewan Roughriders meet in the CFL’s West Final for the right to represent the West Division in the 2009 Grey Cup, which will be held in Calgary at McMahon Stadium on November 29.Burris_091104.jpg

Calgary defeated its provincial rival, the Edmonton Eskimos, 24-21 at home in last week’s Semi-Final while the Riders clinched first place and the right to host the West Final with a 30-14 win over Calgary in the final game of the regular season. The two teams met three times in the regular season this year with Calgary posting a 0-2-1 record against the Riders, one of just two teams Calgary failed to register a win against (Montreal was the other). Saskatchewan beat Calgary 24-23 in Week 5 at McMahon and the two teams tied 44-44 in Week 16 in Calgary before the Riders win at Mosaic in Week 19.

It’s the first playoff meeting for head the two head coaches — John Hufnagel of Calgary and Ken Miller of Saskatchewan — and the first playoff battle between the starting QBs — Calgary’s Henry Burris and Saskatchewan’s Darian Durant. The two teams have met five times in the playoffs since their last Final battle in 1971 and Calgary is 1-4 in those five games, all Western Semi-Finals. Calgary lost 33-26 in 1989, won 36-3 in 1994 and then has lost the last three playoff games with the Riders — 33-30 in 1997, 31-21 in 2006 and 26-24 in 2007. The 2007 game was the only game played in Regina and was the only playoff game between the two teams played in Saskatchewan since the 1971 Final. Calgary is 4-6 in its last 10 regular season games at Mosaic but is 1-3 in its last four (Calgary is 1-2 in Regina under Hufnagel).

This is a meeting of the two most recent Grey Cup champions as Saskatchewan won the CFL championship in 2007 while Calgary won last year. The Riders have made the playoffs for seven straight seasons while Calgary is in the post-season for the fourth straight year.
THE KICKOFF

The 2009 West final is set for 2:30 p.m. MST on Sunday, Nov. 22 at Mosaic Stadium in Regina. The game will be televised on TSN as part of a playoff doubleheader with the East Final between BC and Montreal preceding at 11 a.m. MST. The game can be heard on the radio at QR77 (AM 770 on the radio dial and am770chqr.com on the Internet) and it will also be broadcast on CFL broadband at www.cfl.ca.
THE OFFENCE

Calgary’s offence used a strong ground attack to control the game against Edmonton, rolling up 190 yards rushing, 26 first downs and winning the time of possession battle with 31:25 in the 24-21 win. Calgary has similar numbers in the three 2009 games Lewis_091104.jpgagainst the Riders but have yet to translate those stats into a win. Calgary averaged 172.3 yards rushing, 27 points scored, 26 first downs and won the time of possession stat in two of the three games.

The passing numbers however were down from the season per-game average of 276.7 yards (third best in the CFL) as Calgary could muster only an average of 256 yards passing against the Riders and had just three TD passes to go along with the two interceptions. QB Henry Burris had a strong game in the win last week, passing for 264 yards, two touchdowns and rushing for 63 yards on seven carries. Burris, however, is 0-2 in his Stampeders career against the Riders in the playoffs (losses in 2006 and 2007) and his numbers are not great in those two games — 521 passing yards, one touchdown and six interceptions.

Burris will have four-time All-Canadian RB Joffrey Reynolds to lean on as the veteran has been outstanding this season against the Green and White. He had 356 yards rushing and three touchdowns in the series but his numbers in the two playoff losses are very un-Reynolds like. Despite averaging 91.5 rushing yards a game over his career and posting eight 100-yard games in 15 starts against the Riders during the regular season, Reynolds has only 66 yards on 21 carries in the two playoff games against Saskatchewan.

Calgary’s super slots Jeremaine Copeland and Nik Lewis also have less-than-impressive stats in the two playoff losses to Saskatchewan. Copeland has six catches for 107 yards while Lewis has seven grabs for 55 yards. Both receivers finished the 2009 season with more than 1,000 yards and both put up decent numbers against the Riders with Lewis leading in receptions (17 for 204 yards) and Copeland leading in yards (16 catches for 211 yards). WR Romby Bryant was quiet in two games against the Riders in 2009 with only three catches for 50 yards but did have a good game in the Semi-Final against ArchibaldB_091112.jpgEdmonton with four receptions for 63 yards and his first touchdown of the year.

OT Ben Archibald was named to the CFL’s All-Canadian team along with Reynolds and Copeland (second selection, previously picked in 2003 with Montreal) and will represent the West as top lineman at the league’s award banquet Grey Cup Week. The last Calgary o-lineman to win the league’s Top Lineman award was Fred Childress in 1998 and the last Stamp to represent the West was Jay McNeil in 2001. Reynolds is also an awards finalist as he is up for the league’s Most Outstanding Player (for the first time in his career) and will be up against Montreal QB Anthony Calvillo, who has won the award twice before. Current Stampeders coach Dave Dickenson is the last Stamp to win the MOP award — he did it in 2000 — and current Stamps QB Henry Burris was the previous Western Finalist for that award when he lost to Calvillo in 2008.
THE DEFENCE

The Stampeders defence surrendered an average of 32.6 points in the three games against the Riders this season (only 28 points per game in regulation time) but did give up some substantial yardage along the way. Saskatchewan averaged 450 yards per clutch_091104.jpggame during the season series including average totals of 122 rushing yards and 338 passing yards. Calgary collected five sacks in the three games but could only manage two turnovers — a turnover on downs and an interception — and was even for the series with Saskatchewan in the turnover-differential stat.

Calgary’s double-shutdown threat at the cornerback positions played well against the Riders in 2009 with Dwight Anderson leading the way with 12 tackles, one interception and two knockdowns while Brandon Browner had 10 tackles. Both were Western all-stars and Browner was named to the CFL all-star team for the second straight season. He’s the first Stampeder corner to repeat on the All-CFL team since Marvin Coleman in 1996 and 1997.

Calgary’s leading tackler against the Riders in 2009 was LB Dwaine Carpenter with 15 followed by Anderson’s 12. LB Shannon James and MLB Tim Johnson each had 11 stops while rookie LB Malik Jackson had 10 tackles and a sack. DT Jim Davis and DE Tearrius George each had a sack as well as eight combined tackles.
THE SPECIAL TEAMS

Calgary surrendered it’s first kick-return touchdown of any kind since 2005 and its first kickoff-return major since 2002 when Eskimos rookie Skyler Green returned a kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter of the West Semi-Final. KR Demetris Summers preceded that play with a 91-yard return in the second quarter but Calgary could only manage a field goal out of the resulting field position.

K Sandro DeAngelis was good on seven of nine field goal attempts in the three-game series with the Riders (77.7 per cent) compared to his season mark of 85.7 per cent and he scored 29 of his season total of 176 points against the Riders. In the two playoff losses at the hands of the Riders in 2006 and 2007, DeAngelis went three for four in field goal attempts and scored 14 points. PR Markus Howell returned a punt 93 yards for a touchdown in the Semi-Final loss to Saskatchewan in 2006, the last time the Stampeders had a return major in the playoffs.
THE OPPOSITION

This is the first playoff start for Saskatchewan QB Darian Durant (#4) but the 2009 West Durant_091104.jpgDivision all-star did win a Grey Cup as a member of the 2007 championship team as the backup to Kerry Joseph. Durant played a strong game in the division-clinching win over Calgary, passing for 296 yards and two touchdowns and he has good numbers in the three regulars-season starts against the Red and White. Durant passed for 980 yards, seven touchdowns and threw only one interception.

His main weapon has been SB Andy Fantuz (#83) who caught 22 passes for 272 yards and a major score in the two games he played against the Stamps. SB Chris Getzlaf (#89) has had major success against the Stamps in 2009 with 13 catches for 229 yards and four touchdowns, impressive numbers when compared to his overall season stats of 41 catches for 531 yards and six touchdowns. SB Rob Baggs was the Riders’ team nominee for top Canadian after career highs in receptions (59), yards (807) and touchdowns (five) but Bagg had modest numbers against Calgary with nine grabs for 76 yards and one touchdown.Inset_091107.jpg

RB Wes Cates (#25) also did limited damage to Calgary this year with 181 yards rushing, 85 yards passing and no touchdowns but the former Stampeder can’t be counted out as he has more than 3,000 yards rushing and 26 touchdowns in three seasons as the Riders’ running back. On defence, Riders ends John Chick (#97) and Stevie Baggs (#90) get a lot of press and the two all-star defensive linemen both had great seasons and good numbers against Calgary. Chick, the West nominee for top defensive lineman and an all-Canadian, had 32 tackles and 11 sacks overall and seven tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble in two games against Calgary. Baggs had 55 tackles, 12 sacks and an interception in the regular season and had 14 tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble in three games against the Stamps.

DB Lance Frazier (#15), a Western all-star in 2009, had two picks off Calgary QB Henry Burris and had five picks in total to lead the Riders. The Riders also had two Western all-stars at linebacker in Sean Lucas (#31) and Tad Kornegay (#24). Lucas had 81 tackles, four sacks and six knockdowns while Kornegay had 74 tackles and three interceptions.
THE NUMBERS

Calgary has some work to do to improve on its offensive efficiency for this week’s playoff game against the Riders. Calgary played only once in Regina this season and the 14 lockup_091104.jpgpoints in that game was the second fewest scored by Calgary in 2009 (11 was the lowest total, recorded in a loss at Montreal). Calgary averaged 26.7 points scored on the road (compared to 31.4 points at home) and averaged just 17.5 points in the last four road games. Calgary did move the ball to the tune of 417 yards in the final game in Regina but had to settle for field-goal attempts in the second half when Calgary needed touchdowns to narrow the 18-1 lead built by Saskatchewan. Calgary had three field-goal attempts, two were made and one resulted in no points when it hit the uprights.

Calgary ran the ball well with 171 yards and had 32:30 time of possession but passed for only 263 yards. Calgary ran 20 times on first downs compared to 16 passing plays and averaged 7.9 yards on first down (the Stamps had 27 first downs on the night, four more than Saskatchewan). That average gain fell to 5.4 yards on second down and Calgary converted only 52.2 per cent of second downs compared to Saskatchewan’s 8.0-yard average gain and 60 per cent conversion rate on second downs. The Riders scored two touchdowns in their two red-zone trips while Calgary had one TD and two field goals in three trips inside the 20-yard line.
THE OTHER GAMES

The only other game this week is the East Final and it features a battle between the Montreal Alouettes and the crossover BC Lions. Montreal finished first in the East and first overall in the CFL with a 15-3 record (the best record in club history) while the Lions finished fourth in the West at 8-10. The Lions became only the second Western team to win an Eastern playoff game (following on the heels of Edmonton in 2008) as they beat Hamilton 34-27 in overtime in last week’s Semi-Final. The two teams split their season series in 2009 — BC won 19-12 at home and Montreal took the rematch 28-24 the following week at its home field.
THE EXTRAS

Calgary has made the playoffs in 52 of its 64 CFL seasons (an .812 playoff percentage) and has played in the West Final 25 times (a .390 percentage). Calgary’s record in Finals090808reynolds.jpg is 12-13 and breaks down as such — 5-2 against the Riders, 5-5 against Edmonton, 2-3 against the Lions and 0-3 against Winnipeg. The Stamps have actually played in 41 West Final games total as prior to 1972, the CFL played West Final series instead of single games. Calgary was involved in 11 such series and played a total of 27 games in West Final best-of-series. Calgary’s overall record in all West Final games combined is 19-21-1 including a 10-12 home record and a 9-9-1 record on the road.

Since 1972 and the advent of single-game elimination Finals, Calgary is 7-7 in 14 West Finals and 3-2 on the road. Calgary is currently on a two-game Final winning streak after victories in 2001 and 2008 and has won its last three straight road West Finals — 1991 in Edmonton, 1999 in BC and 2001 in Edmonton. This is Calgary’s second consecutive Final as the Stamps hosted the Final in 2008. The most consecutive Finals Calgary has played in is seven, from 1990 to 1996 (the Stamps played in 11 of 12 Finals from 1990-2001, missing only in 1997). From 1967 to 1971, Calgary met the Riders in five consecutive Finals.

Calgary and the Riders have met in seven Final series since 1948 (this is the two teams’ first single-game Final ever) with the Stamps holding a 5-2 record. Calgary has played eight Final games in Regina and owns a 4-3-1 record over that span. The tie came in 1948 in a two-game series that Calgary won 21-10, the scores being 4-4 in Regina and a 17-6 Stampeders win in Calgary.

— Written by Mike Hardiman

Flames(5) @ Kings(2) F
Saturday, 21.11.2009 / 8:54 PM
Associated Press

GOAL SCORERS
CGY: J. Iginla (00:13 – 1st) , J. Iginla (PPG, 06:51 – 2nd) , D. Langkow (SHG, 07:22 – 3rd) , J. Iginla (15:53 – 3rd) , D. Moss (PPG, 19:14 – 3rd)
LAK: D. Doughty (03:22 – 2nd) , A. Frolov (04:00 – 2nd)
GOALIES
CGY: M. Kiprusoff (W)LAK: J. Quick (L)

LOS ANGELES (AP) -

Jarome Iginla created effective scoring chances even when he sat in the penalty box.

Iginla scored a goal in each period to lead the Calgary Flames to a 5-2 victory over the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday.

The Flames captain completed his first hat trick of the season, and ninth of his NHL career, with a shot from the right circle that got past Kings goalie Jonathan Quick with 4:07 left in the game. It was Iginla’s 11th goal in nine games.

He scored Calgary’s first goal just 13 seconds after the opening faceoff had tied it 2-2 during a 5-on-3 power play 6:51 into the second.

But after being whistled for tripping early in the third, Iginla was left to nervously watch from the penalty box as the Flames tried to shut down the Kings’ power play. Daymond Langkow scored a short-handed goal to break the tie and send Calgary toward victory.

“I was hoping and praying,” said Iginla, who was pleased to see the Flames’ penalty killers shut down three L.A. power plays on Saturday. The unit allowed four power-play goals to the Blackhawks in a 7-1 loss on Thursday.

“They worked hard all night and were so determined,” Iginla said.

David Moss also scored for the Flames, and Miikka Kiprusoff made 23 saves.

“We were assertive, we played an intelligent game, and we were smart,” Calgary coach Brent Sutter said. “Iginla played a wail of a game, just not the fact that he scored. He was just rock solid in a lot of areas.”

Drew Doughty and Alexander Frolov scored for the Kings, who were in trouble from the first shift.

Iginla gathered a pass from Olli Jokinen at center and whisked a wrist shot just inside the Los Angeles blue line that clipped the skate of Kings defenseman Sean O’Donnell and continued past Quick.

“You always hope for those, they don’t happen very often first shift,” Iginla said. “I was just trying to use him as a screen, I didn’t even see it go in. Scoring that early we were all pretty excited. Especially after a tough last game, to have an early start like that, in an afternoon game, was a big boost.”

Frolov, skating on the Kings’ top line while versatile forward Ryan Smyth is sidelined with an upper body injury, had gone 10 games without a goal before he swiped in a rebound in the second period to give Los Angeles a 2-1 lead. That came 38 seconds after Doughty tied the game.

“We had a 2-1 lead and they came back and tied it, we had 25 shots maybe, but not too many good scoring chances,” Kings captain Dustin Brown said. “That is the result of players not playing hard, and not playing together.”

Anze Kopitar, who leads the NHL in scoring, had an assist on Frolov’s goal. After averaging more than a point per game in his first 20 games this season, Kopitar has just three assists and no goals in his last five.

“We just needed a few plays to gain some momentum,” Kopitar said. “The game was right there for us.”

NOTES: Kings D Rob Scuderi plans to skate on his own Sunday morning for the first time since sustaining a lower body injuring at Tampa Bay on Nov. 14. Scuderi hopes to return to the lineup Wednesday at Edmonton. … The Flames will conclude a two-game road trip at Anaheim on Monday.

Three star selections
1st: CURTIS GLENCROSS
2nd: DAYMOND LANGKOW
3rd: DREW DOUGHTY

The Flames continue a mini tour through California as they travel to Anaheim to take on the Ducks on Monday at 8:00, Shown on Sportsnet(HD)

Go Flames GO!!

Saturday, 21.11.2009 / 10:23 AM
NHL.com

FLAMES (12-6-2) at KINGS (13-8-2)

Last 10 — Flames 5-4-1; Kings 5-4-1

Season series — This is the first of four meetings. In 2008-09, Calgary swept all four games and allowed only five goals. Jarome Iginla scored two of the four game-winning goals. Iginla and Mike Cammalleri each scored 2 goals and 3 assists in the series, and Craig Conroy recorded 5 assists. Alexander Frolov (1-2-3) and Kyle Quincey (0-3-3) had 3 points each for the Kings. Miikka Kiprusoff recorded all four wins for the Flames.

Big story — Two of the top five teams in the Western Conference, points-wise, meet, and each is coming off a loss. Calgary sports an impressive 6-1-2 road record, while the Kings are two games above .500 at home (5-3-1) and feature the NHL’s leading scorer in Anze Kopitar (14-18-32).

Team scope:

Flames — Calgary is beginning a two-game swing through Southern California after home losses to Colorado (3-2 on Tuesday) and Chicago (7-1 on Thursday).

Though the Flames are just a few points behind Colorado for the Northwest Division lead, there are rumors of internal strife as coach Brent Sutter molds the team in his image — and that image is not to be outscored 10-3 in back-to-back losses at home.

“I’ve seen a lot of shouting matches between players and coaches, some behind closed doors and others on ice. It’s something that happens. Tempers flare and it’s an emotional game, so that’s what happens,” defenseman Cory Sarich told the Calgary Sun. “We’re all big boys and learn to work through stuff like that. Usually a day or two after, it’s water under the bridge.

“It’s like a little family here. Everyone has their scraps, but as long as you grow from it, that’s all that matters. If it’s done the right way and for the right reasons, we can all suck it up and know it’s for the ultimate goal, which is improving.”

Kings — Los Angeles is wrapping up a two-game homestand that began with a 3-2 loss against Philadelphia on Wednesday.

It wasn’t a good night for the Kings, who played their first contest without second-leading scorer Ryan Smyth (lower body) and lost despite outshooting the Flyers 39-20. “It’s a game I think we’re going to look at as (one) we gave away,” center Anze Kopitar said. “I think we’re playing decent but just those two break downs in the second period cost us a goal, and when you’re behind you’re trying to chase it.”

Goaltender Jonathan Quick said: “At the end of the year, you want to have games like this under your belt that you won, and tonight we couldn’t get it done.”

Who’s hot — For the Kings, Drew Doughty has 2 goals and an assist in his last three games, Jarret Stoll has 2 goals and an assist in his last two games, Kopitar has 9 goals and 10 assists in his last 14 games, and Randy Jones has 2 goals and 2 assists in his last five games. For the Flames, Dustin Boyd has a goal and 2 assists in his last three games, Jarome Iginla has 3 goals and an assist in his last three games, Rene Bourque has 3 goals and 9 assists in his last 12 games, and Nigel Dawes has 6 assists in his last seven games

Injury report — For the Kings, defenseman Rob Scuderi (lower-body) and Smyth (upper-body) are day-to-day. For the Flames, there are no injuries to report.

Stat pack — Flames defenseman Jay Bouwmeester holds the longest current consecutive game streak in the NHL at 362. … Calgary has scored the first goal of the game in 15 of the 20 games it has played in this season, with a 10-3-2 record when getting on the score sheet first. … Kopitar, the NHL’s leading scorer, is on pace for 49-64-113, which would be the most by a Kings player since Wayne Gretzky had 130 points in 1993-94.

Puck drop — “There needs to be a lot more consistent emotion. It is staying with it, dealing with adversity. The game is 90 per cent mental. This team has a lot of work to do with that. A sense of urgency has to be there.” — Flames coach Brent Sutter on his team’s recent play

Chicago(7) @ Calgary(1) F
Friday, 20.11.2009 / 2:04 AM
Associated Press

GOAL SCORERS
CHI: T. Brouwer (PPG, 09:15 – 1st) , K. Versteeg (PPG, 02:01 – 2nd) , D. Byfuglien (08:01 – 2nd) , A. Ladd (12:51 – 2nd) , P. Kane (PPG, 18:46 – 2nd) , K. Versteeg (PPG, 19:22 – 2nd) , B. Eager (15:26 – 3rd)
CGY: O. Jokinen (PPG, 00:14 – 2nd)
GOALIES
CHI: C. Huet (W)CGY: M. Kiprusoff (L) , C. McElhinney

CALGARY, Alberta (AP) -The Chicago Blackhawks overpowered the Calgary Flames in a rematch of their first-round playoff series.

Kris Versteeg scored two power-play goals in Chicago’s five-goal second period to help the Blackhawks rout the Flames 7-1 on Thursday night.

“Great game across the board, I’m very happy with all aspects and areas of our game,” Chicago coach Joel Quenneville said. “Everyone contributed.”

The Blackhawks beat the Flames in six games last season in the playoffs, ending the series with a 4-1 victory in Calgary. On Oct. 12 in Chicago in their first meeting of the season, the Blackhawks overcame a 5-0 deficit to beat the Flames 6-5 in overtime.

Troy Brouwer and Patrick Kane added power-play goals for the Blackhawks, 4 for 5 with the man advantage. Dustin Byfuglien, Andrew Ladd and Ben Eager also scored to help Chicago open a six-game trip with its fifth straight victory.

“The (power play has) been struggling a little bit this year, but it’s nice to get it back on track tonight,” Kane said. “Obviously, we have a lot of skill on both units, so it’s good to get that going and hopefully we can keep it going.”

Cristobal Huet made 27 saves, allowing only Olli Jokinen’s power-play goal.

Chicago converted all three of its power-play chances in the second period, each the result of an undisciplined penalty.

On the go-ahead goal, Nigel Dawes was in the penalty box for roughing after he jumped Blackhawks defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson in response to the Swede’s heavy open-ice hit on Rene Bourque. Chicago’s decisive two-man advantage came as a result of a too-many-men-on-the-ice penalty followed by a roughing penalty on Dion Phaneuf.

“We had a lapse in the second and they capitalized on that,” Phaneuf said. “That’s not acceptable. As a group, we have to be better. We have to play a full 60-minute game.”

The Pengrowth Saddledome crowd voiced its displeasure with the home team, soundly booing the Flames off the ice at the end of the second period.

“There wasn’t a guy in here, every single one of us, that was nearly good enough especially in an important time of the game in the second period where we just had a meltdown,” Flames captain Jarome Iginla said. “We’ve been doing that against this team for a while and we haven’t been good enough lately. That was embarrassing.”

NOTES: Quenneville has 496 victories to tie Glen Sather for 14th on the career list. … Kane celebrated his 21st birthday. … Duncan Keith had three assists. … Calgary was 1 for 5 on the power play.

Three star selections
1st: DUNCAN KEITH
2nd: CRISTOBAL HUET
3rd: KRIS VERSTEEG

The Flames are in action again on Saturday as they travel to L.A. to take on the Kings for the first of a 2 game mini road trip. Puck Drops at 2:00 local Calgary time and you can watch it on Sportsnet West.

Thursday, 19.11.2009 / 1:50 PM
NHL.com

BLACKHAWKS (12-5-2) at FLAMES (12-5-2)

Last 10 — Blackhawks 7-2-1; Flames 6-3-1

Season series — It’s the second of four meetings this season. The Flames would undoubtedly love to forget the first one — they took a 5-0 first-period lead but lost 6-5 in overtime on Oct. 12.

Morning Skate Update — The Flames, 6-4-1 at home, and having lost three of their last four at the ‘Dome are looking to correct that tonight. “We aren’t playing much at home this month and when we do we have to take advantage of it,” said head coach Brent Sutter, noting the team hs just four home games in November. “We haven’t been please with the way we have played at home recently. It’s an important game for us.”

Added Flames captain Jarome Iginla: “We’ve had good home records and we have to get their again. There are no excuses. We realize we have to be better here. We are going to be really focused.”

Big story — The Flames have some demons to exorcise as the Hawks pay their first visit of the season to the Pengrowth Saddledome. Not only will they be looking to atone for blowing a five-goal lead at Chicago last month, they’ll be hosting the Blackhawks for the first time since Chicago eliminated Calgary from the playoffs at the Saddledome last April. The Flames are also coming off a disappointing 3-2 home loss to Colorado on Tuesday.

Team Scope

Blackhawks — As is the case every November in Chicago, the circus is in town for two weeks — and the Blackhawks aren’t. This is the opener of the Hawks’ annual “Circus Trip,” and they may miss the friendly confines of the United Center, where they just swept a four-game homestand that included wins over Colorado, San Jose and Los Angeles. The Hawks will have plenty of momentum as they start a six-game swing through Western Canada and California, but the road hasn’t been nearly as kind to Chicago as the Windy City.

The Blackhawks haven’t won away from home since Oct. 15, and this trip will provide few breaks. Only two of their six opponents have sub-.500 records, and four of them made the playoffs in 2008-09. Still, if the Hawks continue to get production from young guns Patrick Kane, who has scored in three straight games, and Jonathan Toews, who has four points in four games since returning to the lineup, Chicago may start feeling more at home away from home.

Flames — The Flames didn’t let the blown five-goal lead get them down. They regrouped in October and are 5-1-1 in November, including a 4-1-1 mark away from the Saddledome. While Calgary is coming off a disappointing loss to Colorado on Tuesday — a win would have put the Flames in first place in the Northwest — it’s still on a torrid pace over the first half of the month.

Much of this can be attributed to the play of Miikka Kiprusoff, who had given up just five goals in the Flames’ five games prior to the loss to Colorado. Offensively, Rene Bourque and Jarome Iginla have combined for 15 points this month.

Who’s hot — Rumor has it Kane is one of three young players on the verge of signing a long-term extension with Chicago; if his recent performance is any indication, it will be money well spent. In addition to his three-game goal streak, Kane has at least one point in seven straight games and 10 of his last 11. For Calgary, Iginla looks as strong as ever, scoring eight goals in his last seven games.

Injury report — The Hawks’ offense will get a boost soon, as Marian Hossa is expected to return at some point during the trip. Also, forward Kris Versteeg is listed as probable for Thursday. Calgary should have a full lineup.

Stat pack — While the Hawks’ recent road woes are well documented, Cristobal Huet doesn’t seem to be suffering from the same ailments. Huet’s 2.25 goals-against average ranks 10th in the League, but he actually has a better mark on the road (2.06 GAA) than at the United Center (2.32 GAA).

Puck drop — Chicago has won five consecutive regular-season games against Calgary, and nine of 11 overall. Coming off a loss that would have put them atop the standings, the Flames will be eager to get another shot at first place. Breaking their hex against the Hawks in the process wouldn’t hurt. Puck Drops at 7:30pm Local Calgary time.

Go Flames GO!!!

Wednesday, 18.11.2009 / 2:14 AM
Associated Press

Three star selections
1st: RYAN WILSON
2nd: RENE BOURQUE
3rd: SCOTT HANNAN

CALGARY, Alberta (AP) -Ryan Wilson’s first NHL points fittingly came against the team that traded him away.

The Colorado rookie scored his first career goal and added an assist, Milan Hejduk got the game-winner and the Avalanche beat the Calgary Flames 3-2 on Tuesday night.

Originally signed as a free agent by Calgary on July 1, 2008, Wilson was dealt to Colorado last March along with forward Lawrence Nycholat and a draft pick for defenseman Jordan Leopold.

“I didn’t really play with them but it’s always nice to score on your old team or old organization,” Wilson said. “I’m just happy to get the win and to score my first goal in a winning game. Certainly I’ll remember this one but I have to keep playing this way and hopefully this little streak I’m on continues.”

Cody McLeod also scored and Paul Stastny had two assists to help the Avalanche (13-5-3) move three points ahead of the Flames (12-5-2) for the top spot in the Northwest Division.

Jarome Iginla had his 12th goal of the season – and eighth in his past seven games – and Rene Bourque also scored for the Flames, who had earned points in each of their previous six games.

Avalanche goalie Craig Anderson made 34 saves and the defense blocked 24 more shots to keep Calgary off balance.

“Their ‘D’ seemed to get in front of every shot,” Bourque said. “The last time we played them, same thing. They did a good job of taking our space away and they got big in front of you.”

Calgary goalie Miikka Kiprusoff made 21 saves as he lost in regulation for the first time in November.

Aided by an early power play, the Flames had the first six shots of the game but couldn’t get one past Anderson.

The Avalanche then bounced back to send seven straight shots at Kiprusoff, scoring on one. After Kiprusoff made two straight pad saves on shots by Wojtek Wolski, Wilson crept in off the point and picked up a loose puck in the slot before backhanding a shot into the Calgary net 8 minutes into the game.

“The puck was in there for a while and I think everyone just got tied up and the puck squirted loose,” Wilson said. “The goalie was down so I moved to the side and put it in there.”

At 11:39 of the second period, Curtis Glencross spotted Iginla wide open in the high slot and sent him a perfect pass that the Calgary captain one-timed into the top corner past Anderson.

About 5 1/2 minutes later, with the Avalanche on the power play, Bourque snapped a shot into the top corner over Anderson’s outstretched glove to put Calgary up 2-1.

Prior to the play, Avalanche defenseman Kyle Quincy broke his stick when he took a slap shot from the point. Dustin Boyd alertly picked up the puck and sent it to Jay Bouwmeester, who feathered a great cross-ice pass to Bourque on the left wing in the Colorado zone.

McLeod converted a feed from Stastny past Kiprusoff to tie the game at 2-2 with 2 minutes left in the second period. Wilson had an assist on the play to double his total to four points on the season.

“That second goal was a terrible goal to give up,” said Calgary head coach Brent Sutter. “You get up 2-1 and you’ve got to really clamp down and do it the right way.”

Just 66 seconds later, Hejduk attempted to hit Darcy Tucker with a cross-crease pass while the Avs were on a power play. The puck deflected off Bouwmeester’s skate instead and behind Kiprusoff to give Hejduk his eighth goal of the season.

The Flames pushed hard to tie the game in the third, but Anderson preserved the victory when he made a nice pad save on a point-blank shot by Olli Jokinen with 3 minutes left.

“I’m there for my teammates,” Anderson said. “There’s going to be breakdowns, you’ve got to make the save for that and keep the score 3-2.”

GOAL SCORERS

COL: R. Wilson (08:00 – 1st) , C. McLeod (18:00 – 2nd) , M. Hejduk (PPG, 19:06 – 2nd)
CGY: J. Iginla (11:39 – 2nd) , R. Bourque (SHG, 17:18 – 2nd)
GOALIES
COL: C. Anderson (W) CGY: M. Kiprusoff (L)

NOTES: Glencross returned to Calgary’s lineup after missing three games due to a suspension for a hit on Chris Drury of the New York Rangers during a 3-1 win for the Flames at home on Nov. 7. … It was only the fifth time in 19 games this season the Flames failed to score the first goal of the game. … Colorado played without injured defensemen John-Michael Liles (shoulder) and Ruslan Salei (back). Forward T.J. Galiardi, who suffered an ankle injury the last time the two team’s played back on Oct. 28 in Calgary, also missed the game.

Flames(5) vs Leafs(2) F
Sat Nov 14/09 9:15pm
By David Hesson

The way the Flames have been starting games this year, its no surprise that they scored 2 quick goals within the first 2 minutes of tonight’s game. That being said, its also no surprise that they basically stopped playing once they got that early lead. If it wasn’t for another outstanding performance by Miikka Kiprusoff, the Maple Leafs could have easily tied the game up by the end of the first. Fortunately for us Flames fans, Kipper seems to be firing on all cylinders making another 38 stops on the night.

After an abysmal performance during the first 2 periods, the Flames were lucky to be in the lead. Whatever Sutter said to them in the dressing room during the 2nd intermission must have really sunk in because the Flames came out in the 3rd with an extra jump in their skates and sealed the deal with another 2 goals.

The Flames have earned 11 points in their last 6 games, and the captain Jerome Iginla has 7 goals in his last 6 . They look to continue their point streak as they take on one of their divisional rivals, The Colorado Avalanche, a team who has come out surprisingly strong and beat the Flames in their first match-up of the season.

Three star selections
1st: JAROME IGINLA
2nd: MIIKKA KIPRUSOFF
3rd: FRANCOIS BEAUCHEMIN

GOAL SCORERS
CGY: J. Iginla (01:21 – 1st) , E. Nystrom (01:37 – 1st) , D. Boyd (09:54 – 1st) , J. Iginla (02:30 – 3rd) , J. Bouwmeester (13:30 – 3rd)
TOR: F. Beauchemin (PPG, 05:24 – 1st) , M. Stajan (PPG, 04:41 – 2nd)
GOALIES
CGY: M. Kiprusoff (W)TOR: V. Toskala , J. Gustavsson (L)

The Flames are in action again on Tuesday as they travel back home to the Saddledome to take on the Avalanche. Puck drops at 7:30 local Calgary time. Should be a good game! Go Flames GO!!!