Flames’ Woes Persist at Hands of Conklin, Blues

CALGARY- Ty Conklin powered the St. Louis Blues to a shutout victory over the Flames in Calgary Monday.

Conklin earned his eighth win and third shutout of the season despite Calgary’s 34-29 shot advantage in the game.

“He did a phenomenal job for us,” recently promoted Blues coach Davis Payne told the Associated Press. “You win hockey games on the road, you win close games, you win in situations like that when your goaltender performs like that.”

The Flames are now winless in six straight games in Calgary, equaling their longest stretch without a home win in over nine years.  They have lost seven straight overall for the first time in over seven years.  During the seven-game skid, they have scored just nine goals, putting up one goal or fewer in five of their last six outings

Despite a stronger offensive effort than Flames fans have seen at home during this slump, the spectators on hand booed vociferously near the game’s conclusion as the Flames were shut out for the second time at home in the past ten days.

“We know they’re disappointed, we know they’re frustrated, when you’re not scoring any goals,” Flames captain Jarome Iginla told the Calgary Herald. “They want to see wins, they want to see goals, they want to have things to cheer about. We’re not giving them enough to get off their seats.”

Iginla and Dion Phaneuf were aggressive in this game, each hitting the net five times and generating scoring chances. The Flames could not mistake activity for achievement though, as their pressing skaters were rejected repeatedly by the collected Conklin.

The tandem of Iginla and Phaneuf generated the game’s initial excitement during an early power-play opportunity.  Phaneuf wound and fired a puck on net that came to Iginla on his off-wing in front of a nearly empty net.  The puck got caught in Iginla’s skates and his diving swipe at the biscuit sent it harmlessly across the blue paint and into the corner.

Soon after, Iginla floated a touch pass across the crease to set up a tap-in for Craig Conroy, only to see the puck go wide yet again.

Calgary’s next chance established the tone for the evening, as Cory Sarich’s shot from the point generated rebounds for the entire Calgary forward line.  A sprawling Conklin denied efforts by Brian McGrattan, Brandon Prust and Dustin Boyd to push the puck into the bottom of the net.

Miikka Kiprusoff showed commensurate vigilance, snaring a slap shot off a Paul Kariya breakaway and later denying a diving Jesse Winchester off a brilliant one-time pass from the wall by Brad Boyes.

The teams went into the intermission scoreless despite a fast-paced first frame.

“I think we had a good period,” Fredrik Sjostrom told Rogers Sportsnet.  “We skated hard, we went on the body, we wanted to put a couple pucks on the net this period. But obviously we’d like to score a couple goals”

The second stanza featured a markedly slower pace and some serious physical play.  Cam Janssen, who fought Brian McGrattan early in the first period, took down Brandon Prust in a fight after Janssen nailed Jay Bouwmeester into the boards as the puck exited the Calgary zone.  Cory Sarich drilled Alex Steen into the glass moments earlier and both teams were eager to throw the body during the period.

A smooth Andy McDonald setup of a Keith Tkachuk wrister was denied by a gliding Kiprusoff  before nearly a minute of sustained pressure yielded no goal for Calgary as the period progressed.  With under four minutes to play, an Iginla wrister produced a juicy rebound for Olli Jokinen, but a backchecking T.J. Oshie lifted Jokinen’s stick to neutralize the Calgary threat.

St. Louis opened the scoring on not-so-presentable goal when a Patrik Berglund wrist shot turned the puck into a pinball.  The burnt biscuit hit Daymond Langkow and Dustin Boyd in front before deflecting into the twine off the skate of Brad Boyes.

The Blues nearly struck again off another capricious puck from Alex Steen’s stick struck the backboards before falling directly under Kiprusoff as Tkachuk crashed the net.  Seconds later, the Flames went into the second intermission needing only one goal goal to even the game.

“We’re gonna have to look to score a greasy goal here … We gotta win 20 minutes and then take it from there,” Flames assistant coach Dave Lowry told Rogers Sportsnet.

The Flames came out firing in the third, twice sustaining pressure early and generating solid chances for Phaneuf, Giordano and Jamie Lundmark.  The Flames then drew a penalty and sprung Rene Bourque for a breakaway on the ensuing power play.  Conklin swallowed up Bourque’s wrist shot and a scrum broke out after the Calgary forward swiped for a potential rebound.

Calgary’s power play, 0 for 2 on the night, is now a woeful 2 for 34 during the Flames’ seven-game funk.

The final solid opportunity of the night went for naught as a Prust pass to a streaking Bourque during a 2-on-1 rush was foiled by Erik Johnson’s heady, diving poke-check.

The Blues added an insurance goal just past the halfway point of the final frame.  Following an icing call against Calgary, Andy McDonald won the offensive-zone draw back to Darryl Sydor who intentionally fired wide of the net.  McDonald collected the puck on his backhand and feathered a slick pass across the crease to David Perron who buried the biscuit from his off wing.

St. Louis played conservatively the rest of the way, focusing on puck support and getting the puck in deep against a seemingly impotent Calgary offense.

The Flames would bring on an extra attacker in the hopes of evening the scoring in the final 2:22 but their 6-on-5 time created very little excitement.  When an Iginla backpass squirted out of the zone, many of the remaining fans in the Saddledome serenaded their team with boos.

One player spared in the scathing criticism in Calgary has been Miikka Kiprusoff, who stopped 27 of 29 shots Monday.  He has allowed two goals or fewer in 8 of his last 12 games and posted a save percentage above .900 in 9 of those 12 contests.

“We know it’s tough on our fans and we know it’s tough on Kipper. He’s playing great in there and we aren’t getting him any goals. You’ve got to do that to win,” Iginla said.

Iginla was visibly frustrated as he engaged Blues captain Eric Brewer after the final horn. No punches were thrown.  Iginla has scored just once in 15 games and now has gone 11 straight contests without a tally.

The Flames have 30 games remaining to climb the standings and this upcoming stretch could provide them the opportunities they need.  In the next 14 games, they play 10 teams who would miss the playoffs if the season were to end today.  Calgary hits the road for a back-to-back with the Dallas Stars Wednesday and the Phoenix Coyotes Thursday.

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