Gameday 12-15-09: Blues vs Flames
Game Info
Location: Scottrade Center, St Louis, MO.
Game-time: 7 pm Central
TV: NO TV
Radio: KMOX 1120 AM
Stat Pack
Calgary Flames: 5th in Western Conference & 2nd in Northwest Division – 42 Points
St Louis Blues: 14th in Western Conference & 5th in Central Division – 31 Points
Power Play:
St Louis (Home): 10.8%, 30th in NHL
Calgary (Road): 15.2%, 22nd in NHL
Penalty Kill
St Louis (Home): 83.3%, 12th in NHL
Calgary (Road): 87.3%, 2nd in NHL
Goals Scored per Game vs Goals Against per Game
St Louis (Home): 2.12 GF/G (30th) | 2.82 GA/G (19th)
Calgary (Road): 2.72 GF/G (10th) | 1.94 GA/G (3rd)
Hot & Cold
St Louis: None | Andy McDonald (1 assist in his last 7 games)
Calgary: Jarmoe Iginla (12 goals in 18 road games) | Not Many when on the road.
Food For Thought
Yet another night where the Blues will honor a member of days past. Tonight’s ceremonies are for the great Golden Brett, Brett Hull. The last time such a ceremony was held, former coach Mike Kitchen was let go a short while after. Will history repeat itself?
The Blues do not have a good history against Calgary, at least in the last few years. The Blues can look no further than Mikka Kiprusoff for an explanation why. In his last 8 starts against the Blues (2007 to current season) he is 7-1-0 with a 2.23 GAA and .916 Save%.
Calgary is the third stingiest team on the road in the NHL. Posting a 1.96 GAA on the road. The previously mentioned Kiprusoff has something to do with that. On the road Calgary has one everyday player at s negative figure in the +/- column (Eric Nystrom, Minus-1). Do those two figures paint an accurate portrayal of what the Blues will be facing Tuesday night? A team that plays tight road game and gets good goaltending. The Blues have had issues with teams that play that way all season.
Will Calgary push over the powder puff version of the Blues? Hopefully not if Barret Jackman has anything to say about it. I absolutely love his attitude in a quote from a recent St. Louis Post Dispatch article.
When Andy Murray heard what Barret Jackman said after the Blues’ 5-3 loss to Edmonton on Friday, the coach was puzzled.
Frustrated after the team blew a three-goal lead, Jackman told reporters, “If guys need to be sitting, or if guys need to be smacked upside the head by a teammate, it’s going to have to happen.”
Truer words haven’t been spoken by Barrett. Yes, he was an accessory to the crime last Friday night, but his words still ring through. This team is playing soft and easy to run over on Scottrade Ice. Chris Mason talked about the Blues problems on his weekly segment on 101.1 ESPN Radio’s The Fast Lane Monday night as well. To paraphrase, Mason said that he cannot remember a game last year where the team was outworked. That Scottrade was one of the hardest arenas to play in throughout the league and this year it’s the opposite.
The part that should really bother Blues fans is that they are both 100% on the mark and very little has been done 30 games in to the season. At least very little that the everyday fan can see. Sure, things might change behind the Blues doors, but the fans still see the same song and dance on the ice.
I was at the HoHo Show Sunday night down at Scottrade (Thanks Breaking Benjamin for the seats once again). I have to say that I was more entertained at that show than I was by any hockey game I’ve seen in person this year. I heard Sick Puppies play You’re Going Down and wondered when the last time I heard that at a game? As much as I want to see four lines roll, I want to see Cam Janssen dress (whom I saw with quite an entourage at the concert) and beat the tar out of someone in a Calgary uniform. The Blues need to be dirty and scrappy and not be pushed around on a night celebrating the greatest player to play for this franchise. Wayne doesn’t count, he wasn’t here long enough. I really hope that I show up tomorrow and see Winchester-Tkachuk-Janssen on a line multiple times.
Difference Makers:
It’s not going to be goal scoring…at least for the Blues. This is about strength against strength.
This is going to be about the “McSteenbeen” Line and the Jackman-Polak pairing getting back on their feet and shutting down Calgary’s top line. All five were touched for goals late in Edmonton’s comeback. They will all need to be on their top form to stop the likes of Rene Bourque, Jarome Iginla, and Olli Jokinen. Then all the have to worry about is Jay Bouwmeester and Dion Phaneuf activating off the blue line.
I know many fans, myself included, want to see less matching and more flow at home. THe Blues can do that, but they need to keep tabs on the top producers and at least try to match them against Jackman and Polak.
Player Notes:
I do not see how Chris Mason will not get the start after Conklin’s 3rd Period shelling last Friday.
The Lines/Pairings looked like the following at Sunday’s skate per St. Louis Post Dispatch Blues writer Jeremy Rutherford.
Andy McDonald-Keith Tkachuk-Brad Boyes
Paul Kariya-David Backes-T.J. Oshie
David Perron-Jay McClement-B.J. Crombeen
Brad Winchester-Patrik Berglund-Alex Steen
Barret Jackman-Roman Polak
Darryl Sydor-Erik Johnson
Carlo Colaiacovo-Mike Weaver
Looks like we may not see Cam Janssen, but given some of the recent chippy history between the two teams, I could see Berglund being scratched in favor of Cam.
Keys to the Game
1. Shut Down the Big Men
- The Blues did this for 2 periods against Edmonton. Can they do it for three? If they get Jokinen and Iginla, can they stop Bourque. Maybe one of the most underrated scoring wingers in the NHL right now. He is cut from a comparable mold that fit David Booth and Zach Parise. A strong, quick, agile left winger who can produce goals from all over the offensive zone.
2. Watch for the Defensemen
- Another team from Alberta and another team to worry about offense off the blue line. Phaneuf and Bouwmeester are deadly threats from the point. IF they Blues want to win, its not just Iginla and Kiprusoff they have to resolve.
3. Take the Game to the Flames
- There must be a 100% commitment to the North-South game. Working hard to support exiting the zone, getting through the neutral zone, getting pucks deep and supporting the forecheck. Do that, just like in a road game and two points should be attainable.
Who to Watch for?
Jarome Iginla
With 12 goals in 18 road contests, the Blues need to be on the lookout for one of the best power forwards in the league.
