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Sunday, November 28, 1999
Forsberg picks apart Flames in first game back
DENVER -- They got a taste of the Pepsi last night. And it was enough to make a fella swear by Coke.
In their first visit to the new rink here, the Flames may have come out flatter than a glass of day-old cola, but the fans on hand were drinking in a slug of Classic Forsberg.
It's their new slogan: Things Go Better With Pete!
Marking his return from July 19 shoulder surgery, Peter Forsberg rocked the $160 million Pepsi Center, scoring twice in the first period as the Avalanche laid a murderous licking on the Flames, 7-1, squashing the three-game winning streak.
The super Swede also added three assists.
"A night you dream about," said Forsberg. "I had a lot of energy saved up. The shoulder feels fine. We got the early lead, they had to chase us, and that opened things up even more.
"Maybe it didn't look like it, but I was tired. Especially at the end of the second period, with all the penalties.
"I was dying on the bench."
And the Flames were dying on the ice. He made them look slow, slow-witted and decidedly second rate.
"It's no surprise, Forsberg making great plays," sighed Calgary captain Val Bure. "He's a great player. But we've got to do a better job on him, coming back. It's not fair for our D to have to take him on 1-on-1.
"We knew the first few minutes would be crucial. Forsberg was back and they'd had a tough night (Friday). If we get through them, the momentum is ours. But we didn't."
No one could stop Forsberg and neither Fred Brathwaite nor Grant Fuhr could stop anything. Colorado wound up with seven goals on 16 shots. The Flames took 47 at Marc Denis.
"For whatever reason," said Calgary coach Brian Sutter, "Freddie couldn't make any saves early. Their first two shots go in, three of their first four ... we didn't make many mistakes and lose 7-1. What can you say?"
The crowd figured it out.
"Cal-gary SUCKS!" they chanted. There weren't any arguments.
The Flames walked into ambush. And, fools, they should've sensed the inherent danger.
The Avs had lost four of five. They'd been been dissected like a cadaver in a medical class, 7-0 by Phoenix the night previous. And Forsberg's presence in the lineup clearly made this an emotional evening.
Oh, the home side received some bad news just prior to the game -- captain Joe Sakic unable to go because of a rib cartilage problem. But on this night they were simply not to be denied.
They shredded the Flames defence, chased the heretofore solid Brathwaite in under five minutes.
The carnage began on Colorado's first shot, at 1:26, Forsberg dragging the puck between Phil Housley's skates, emerging on the other side, and misfiring a slow roller that nevertheless found a crack between Brathwaite's pads.
Brathwaite, by this time, was on his knees, figuratively bowing to Forsberg's brilliance. It's Murphy's Law: Whenever Forsberg's out there against you, whatever can go wrong usually does. And he's the reason.
The din had barely died down when Shjon Podein connected 33 seconds later on the Avs' second shot of the game.
Alex Tanguay followed up a couple of minutes later -- Sayonara Freddie. Enter Grant Fuhr. But he too was unable to stem the Forsberg tide.
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