Bad weather in Calgary pushed the Canucks flight to early afternoon, meaning the team got to the arena just 2 hours before puck drop. Bigger news, Cam Barker played his first game in a Canucks uniform today, after sitting in the press box for the beginning of the season. He was called in to replace Bieksa, who was deemed unable to play. Barker played on the first defensive pairing with Edler, while Hamhuis and Garrison anchored down the second, leaving Alberts and Tanev to fill in the third.
Vancouver was put onto the penalty kill just 25 seconds into the game, and the fantastic kill seemed to set the tone for the period. There were no shots on goal until around 7 minutes in, and less than a minute later the Canucks drew first blood. Hansen's pass from his own zone found Higgins past the D, and Higgins snapped it blocker side on Danny Taylor. Moments later, Mason Raymond almost made it 2-0, as he hit the crossbar coming down the right wing. Just over 4 minutes left in the period, and a shot from the blueline on the rush by Cammalleri found it's way in the net. There was no real screen, and he had a good 40 feet to see the shot. The puck tipped off the top of his glove, rolled over him, and in. The Sedin line almost shoveled the puck past Taylor a few times in the last few minutes, but the Calgary net minder stood tall. End of the first, 1-1.
Early in the 2nd, Luongo was forced to make a few great saves. He robbed a sure goal from Iginla, coming across the net and getting his pad on it. Despite the pressure from Calgary, it was the Canucks who took the lead. After Cam Barker's point shot bounced off the goalie, Hansen batted it out of mid air and past Taylor to give Vancouver the lead. But not for long. 4 minutes later, Cammalleri's shot from the right wing found it's way behind the net, and was recovered by Matt Stajan. Stajan found Stempniak at the front of the net, who roofed it.
Feeling the need to do something useful with his hands, Brian McGrattan dropped the gloves with Sestito. Sestito got his butt handed to him on a silver platter, but McGrattan was given a 10 minute misconduct for celebrating the fight. As the period progressed, Vancouver picked up their play. Booth and Kassian had a great chance on a 2 on 1, but Kassian skated past the rebound. The Raymond line generated 3 or 4 good chances in one shift, but a combination of luck and Danny Taylor kept the score tied. 2-2 after 40 minutes.
In direct contrast to the end of the second, Calgary all but dominated the first 10 minutes of the 3rd. With 9 and a half left, AV started screaming his head off at the refs for a penalty he thought should've been called. Instead, Vigneault was issued a bench minor for 2 minutes, served by David Booth. The Flames didn't capitalize on the powerplay, but just a few seconds after. Iginla's shot from the corner went off Garrisons leg and in, just as Booth was returning to the ice. 3-2 Flames, with 7 minutes left. Vancouver wasn't able to put up any real pressure until the 3 minute mark, where they forced Taylor to make a goal line stand, as they attempted to shovel the puck into the net.
With 1:28 left in the game, faceoff in the Calgary zone, Luongo on the bench. Hansen attempted to recover the puck alongside the boards, but slashed Glencross in the process and put the Canucks on the PK. The Canucks won the faceoff and managed to get the puck into the Calgary zone, and pulled Luongo. They managed 30 seconds of pressure and a few close chances, but Cammalleri potted the empty netter and the Flames won it, 4-2.
Tidbits:
- Sestito: 7:21 TOI, 5 PIM's, 0 shots, minus 2. It's nice having a dedicated fighter in the lineup, despite the fact that he's otherwise useless.
- Barker: 14:28 TOI, 1 assist, 2 shots. Good in the offensive zone. Playing with Edler, he wasn't too tested in the defensive zone.
- Raymond: Playing centre seems to bring out the best in him. Picks better paths and finds better plays. Didn't take a faceoff in the 1st, went 63% in the other 2 frames.
- PP: 0/2. Clearly not together in this game, couldn't hold the puck in to save their lives. Kind of funny, seeing as the powerplay lines are the same as the 5 on 5 lines, and the 5 on 5 lines have no problem controlling the puck.
- PK: 2/3. Played a pretty solid game, didn't let the Flames gain the zone easily and didn't mess around with clearing the puck.
Next game is Tuesday against the Sharks at 7.
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