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Thursday, September 16, 1999
Guns blaze!
But three goals ... around here that's the equivalent of a basketball game.
Rising from the dead, Calgary's rigor mortis offence sputtered and lurched to life, albeit fitfully, tripling their exhibition output in a 3-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Granted, the Leafs didn't exactly field their No. 1 team, but that shouldn't detract from the positive signs Brian Sutter and his bunch could take away from last night:
* The powerplay scored.
* Guys that are counted upon to produce offence -- Phil Housley, Cory Stillman and Derek Morris -- did.
* Centre Marc Savard -- who GM Al Coates had been talking up as if he was Denis Savard -- chipped in with two assists.
* They held Toronto to 14 shots.
This one certainly had a bit more verve than either the 2-1 loss to the Habs or the perfunctory 3-0 dismissal by the Sens. Rocky Thompson and Tie Domi saw to that, even if they didn't go toe-to-toe.
Although he wasn't tested often, Fred Brathwaite made a huge toe stop, spitting back Lladislav Kohn's try from 15 ft., six minutes from the end to preserve the win.
After an opening 10 minutes in which Toronto appeared far the more polished and prepared team, the Flames shrugged off the jitters and settled down. For one prolonged stretch, reaching almost 20 minutes, Brathwaite wasn't required to make a save. The only official shot he faced during that span, a 2-on-1, went through no fault of his own into the net.
That goal stalemated the score, 2-2, with just 17.6 seconds remaining in the first period. Domi breaking free down the right flank and skimming a pass across to defenceman Sylvain Cote, jumping up into the play.
Brathwaite dove desperately across the face of the crease but had no chance.
Calgary dominated play in the second, outshooting Toronto 13-6 and hitting for the lone goal. That came via Morris, on a powerplay, on a slapshot to the short side, cleanly beating former Flame Jason Muzzatti.
Muzzatti played the opening 40 minutes for Toronto, replaced by the well-travelled Jimmy Waite. Brathwaite went the distance for Calgary, relegating Jean-Sebastien Giguere to spectator status.
Only 1:26 in, Lonny Bohonos snuck to the near post and cashed a pass from centre Kevyn Adams. The Leafs nearly went up a deuce when Kohn slipped into a hole in centre ice that looked as if it'd been blown open by an elephant gun, the defence tandem of Cale Hulse and Eric Charron nowhere wearing the powder burns.
But Kohn snapped the shot a shade wide off the far post.
Calgary dodged another bullet after Thompson, obviously itching for a dust-up after eight months out of action due to a concussion/inner ear problem, decided to scrape off the rust by challenging Domi. But Tie, usually a willing dance partner, decided to play wallflower, and goaded Thompson into a double-minor (plus a misconduct).
Hunkering down, the home side's penalty kill held fast during the four-minute disadvantage.
Then, outplayed to this point, the Flames nonetheless drew level at 7:01, Muzzatti befuddled by a wrist shot from off the boards that sailed in off the post. And -- surprise! surprise! -- forged ahead at the 19-minute mark on the powerplay, Savard slinging a no-look, behind-the-back pass out as he neared the end boards. Rico Fata, standing in front, chipped the puck across, through a hole in the Leaf defensive coverage, where Stillman slapped in his first goal of the pre-season.
That lead lasted all of 42.4 seconds, Cote scooting up to convert the lovely set-up from Domi.
Next up is a game in Ottawa on Saturday.
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