If there were ever a game that could turn around this season for the Flames, it’s against the Penguins.
In my early years around the game I never was much of a believer in the theory that one game could turn around a series or especially a National Hockey League season.
But then I saw Dominik Hasek step in for an injured Grant Fuhr. I saw Marty McSorley of the Los Angles Kings get called for an illegal stick in the Stanley Cup final against the Montreal Canadiens. I saw Carolina goalie Cam Ward step in for the injured Martin Gerber and reverse a series by carring a team all the way to a Stanley Cup championship. I saw Patrick Roy's infamous Statue of Liberty Drop reverse the fortunes of the Colorado Avalanche, a team that seemed destined to put away the New Jersey Devils.
I saw it all and now I believe. I believe it can happen because I know it does happen and not just in the playoffs.
I mention all this because Thursday in Calgary, the Flames face Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins and if there were ever a game and a night that could turn it around for the Flames this is it.
Am I optimistic?
Not exactly.
I happened to mention at the end of the previous season that the problems in Calgary went far beyond scapegoated coach, Jim Playfair, and that the team looked old, slow, not particularly deep up front and considerably less than mobile on the back end. I also mentioned -- incurring the wrath of Flames fans everywhere -- that it played without passion and that those who worship at the altar of general manager Darryl Sutter might find that he hasn't really built the model for a franchise hockey team in the "new" NHL. I believe I also tossed in the theory that even all-world goalie Miikka Kiprusoff was showing signs of not playing up to the standard that carried the franchise to its memorable Stanley Cup run vs. Tampa Bay way back in the pre-lockout era and for a couple of seasons since.
Nothing I've seen so far has changed those opinions; not the hiring of veteran taskmaster Mike Keenan as coach and not a couple of patchwork acquisitions up front.
But all that doesn't mean the Flames can't turn around a so-far dismal season (Calgarians and Toronto bashers across the country are loathe to admit this, but the Flames were worse than the much-maligned Maple Leafs through the month of November).
If the Flames really hope for a turnaround, one might argue that it has to start tonight with Sid the Kid in town and seemingly the entire Canadian media corps on hand to chronicle the event.
Of course, it would have to start in goal. Kiprusoff has gone far beyond his "slow start" reputation and has looked old, slow and out of shape in doing it. His save percentage has been on a downward spiral for several seasons now, but he is a competitor and is not beyond reinventing himself in the face of stinging criticism from his coach and many of his previously loyal supporters.
Not giving up the first goal -- especially to Crosby, Evgeni Malkin or one of the other rising young Penguins stars -- would be a good first step. The Flames can and do at times play well when they have the lead and holding the line until Jarome Iginla or someone else wearing a Flames sweater gets one past the sometimes-inconsistent Pittsburgh goaltending could be a difference maker.
Winning a few faceoffs, a key factor in playing the possession game that the Flames can sometimes be good at would also help. Having one of the many passengers that make up Calgary's third, fourth (and occasionally second) lines do something in the scoring department would help. Having the forwards come back regularly to help an oft-broken defence would also be a statement of sorts. Making a commitment to superior special teams play would do the same.
None of this is beyond the realm of possibility.
Keenan has been preaching it for weeks and if the players would stop thinking about his maniacal reputation and pay attention to the reasoned and disciplined procedures he and the still-employed Playfair have been trying to instill in them, they might surprise themselves.
They certainly surprised their fans when they played a solid game against the much-improved St. Louis Blues earlier this week. Kiprusoff gave up the first goal early in that one, but neither he nor the defence panicked. Kiprusoff settled in to play a strong game; the players in front of him supported him with in-close physical play and good puck clearing. The forwards were physical and often came back to help while the offence, weak as it is, was disciplined in its attack and, eventually, got the job done.
In other words, it was an indication that things could possibly improve for Calgary if the players listen to their coach, play as a team, support their goaltender and in turn get support from him.
It's not the stuff that the Penguins are made of, but it's an effective way to beat a team that comes at you in waves and if the Flames can do that Thursday, it may well convince them that they can, perhaps, turn around what has so far been a dismal and disappointing season.
Like I said, it's only one game, but ...
