What do I know?

So I got it wrong. The Flames played hard, at least in the second half of the game, but were undone by baaaaaad giveaways which gave the Ducks the advantage. Phaneuf's horrific pinch in the third was but one of several awful reads by the Flames throughout the evening.

Then again, Kipper didn't exactly grab a spot on the plays of the night. True, every one of them was the result of sloppy plays by the team in front of him. Still, Kipper let in 4 goals, including 2 on the first 4 shots. That simply should not happen. Except for the final blast which put the game away in the third, which Jesus Himself could not save, there wasn't a save which Kipper had not made in the past. He's got to be better.

Which brings us to Iginla. Through most of the game, he was skating as if he had an injury, or a stick up his ass (which would likely result in injury, I'm thinking). He was without drive or focus, he made bad plays and was not effective.

Until, of course, he sent a missile of a shot straight through Giguere in the second and breathed new life into his team. If there is any argument as to who is the best player on the Flames, that second-period tally provided the answer. The team rallied. Kristian Huselius made a silly ass of a Ducks' defender with some slick stickwork and even slickier finish. They looked terrific.

But then a bone-headed play by Phaneuf, who had been called out after Game 1 for poor play, allowed for the go-ahead goal from which the Flames could not recover.

There is no doubt that a trip to Anaheim for the next two games is exactly what the team requires. Not only can they go for a few rides and hang with Mickey, but they can get away from the vicious glare of high expectations from which they can not escape here in Calgary. They would have been much better off had they started the playoffs on the road, where they would be limited to a few obligatory interviews and not much else.

In an ironic way, the pressure's off. They split the opener, lost home-ice advantage, and now can play the underdog. Kipper got his mediocre game out of the way and Iginla's beginning to light his fire. If I were to be bold, I would predict the Flames will return to the Saddledome with a 3-1 series lead.

But I'm not that bold.