Backlund played really well yet again. He's drawing penalties and his line was able to turn the momentum in the 3rd period when Calgary was playing overly cautious to protect Irving.
The Cammalleri-Tanguay-Iginla line was very strong tonight. Iggy and Cammi with some nice plays to generate goals, but I think Tanguay had a really good game. There were numerous instances of him winning battles with his quick stick in the slot in the Flames zone. Good stuff from a guy who looks pretty comfortable in the middle all of a sudden.
Hudler and Cervenka had a very lousy game, Cervenka in particular. He looks like he's lost his confidence. Hopefully they can put together a few good shifts against Columbus and get him that first goal.
Bouwmeester and Brodie were great tonight. They both skated really well and made smart passes. Butler played pretty well too, while I barely noticed Smith (which is good). Good on Wideman and Giordano for getting those shots through. Both were huge as they changed the complexion of the game.
I really like the Glencross-Backlund-Stempniak line. Hard working guys who can skate, cycle, play definsively responsible and have some skill. Reminds me a bit of the Niemenen-Nilson-Donovan line from years back.
Irving has good hands and legs. I like the way he moves as a goalie, but he needs to control his movement sometimes as he loses the net. I thought he looked pretty confident though. Hopefully Kipper isn't out for long at all, but if he is, I have some hope that Irving can step up and give them a reasonable chance to win games.
|