The Vancouver Canucks and Calgary Flames battled in a classic Northwest Division matchup featuring two fights and extra time as the Flames beat the Canucks 3-2 in the shootout.
Mason Raymond and Alex Edler were stopped in the skills competition and Jarome Iginla had his revenge on Roberto Luongo to seal it in the third round, keeping the Canucks from collecting all eight points on their four-game Western road trip.
The Hat Trick
Classic Northwest ClashIt only took a few minutes for the energy of Hockey Day In Canada’s finale to overflow in the veins of players, leading to the first of two spirited scraps between the Flames and Canucks.
Lance Bouma and Mike Duco dropped the gloves six minutes into the first period in an even exchange leading up to second period heavyweight bout featuring Tim Jackman and Andrew Alberts.
Jackman got the better of Alberts as the two traded big blows at center ice.
Booth Battles BackAfter Calgary controlled the first half of the hockey game Saturday, Cody Hodgson eventually turned the tied with a backhand rebound past Mikka Kiprusoff to put the pressure on the Flames.
Nine minutes into a pressure filled third period David Booth buried his ninth of the season to tie the game at two, setting the stage for a thrilling final few minutes.
Goaltender’s DuelMikka Kiprusoff and Roberto Luongo were engaged in a duel of their own all night in Calgary as the skaters in front of them traded blows in an emotional divisional battle. Kiprusoff made 29 saves in the home win, stopping all but Alex Burrows in the shootout.
Roberto Luongo came up with a sensational breakaway stop on Jerome Iginla late in the third period to preserve the loser point before being beaten by the Calgary captain in the shootout.
Flying V’s Hat Trick: Flames Catch Canucks in Shootout Win - (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Larry MacDougal)
V’s ThoughtsThe Canucks came short of winning all eight points up for grabs on their four-game road trip but battled hard in one of their best games of the trip in Calgary.
Considering the team is arguably still searching for their A-game post All-Star break, the Canucks can come home satisfied after a frustrating yet rewarding few games away from Rogers Arena.
QuoteThree Stars“In my mind this was probably the best game of the road trip, and we lost, and you know that’s hockey.” Alain Vigneault was the happiest he has been in years after a loss to the Flames on Saturday.
1st. Miikka Kiprusoff – SAVE PCTG: 0.935
2nd. Dan Hamhuis – GOALS: 0| PTS: 1| ASST: 1 SOG: 2| PLUS/MINUS: 1
3rd. Roman Horak – GOALS: 1| PTS: 1| ASST: 0 SOG: 1| PLUS/MINUS: 0
BOXSCORE | Q’s POST GAME RECAP
Calgary 3, Vancouver 2
When: 10:00 PM ET, Saturday, February 11, 2012
Where: Scotiabank Saddledome, Calgary, Alberta
Referees: Lonnie Cameron, Mike Leggo
Linesmen: Dan O’Rourke, Mike Cvik
Attendance: 19289
© Kevin Vanstone for North West Sports Beat, 2012. | Permalink | No comment |
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Post tags: 3 Stars, Alain Vigneault, Alex Edler, Analysis, Andrew Alberts, boxscore, Canucks Blog, Canucks hockey blog, Canucks Recap, Canucks vs. Flames, Cody Hodgson, Game 55 Analysis, Jarome Iginla, Lance Bouma, Mason Raymond, Mike Duco, Mikka Kiprusoff, NHL Highlights, NHL Recaps, Roberto Luongo, Three Stars, Tim Jackman, Vancouver Canucks Blog, Vancouver Canucks vs. Calgary Flames, Vancouver vs. Calgary
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