No standing Ovechkin

But, nonetheless, the Flames only played half a game - again! - and were unsucessful in beating one of the lower-tiered NHL rosters last night. The Capitals were outshot and out-chanced from the second period onward but still managed to upset the hometown fire eaters 4-2, with captain Chris Clark netting the open twine at the end.

Dainius Zubris, the only other offensive talent on the slowly-improving Caps (or is that Richard Zednik?), was named the first star though I don't know why Ollie the goalie, who is still in the top half of starting tenders in the league, wasn't given more credit. The veteran netminder saved 37 shots last night, many of which were in close and while his defense was outmanoevered in front of him. His size has always taken away proper credit due to him because the man is a master at picking the angles and staying in position, thus making his saves look easier than their actuality. If he had the sort of team that Martin Brodeur has had throughout his entire career, perhaps Kolzig would receive more recognition.

Ovechkin wasn't an unstoppable force but he is the first player I've seen in a long, long time who made me sit at the edge of my seat everytime he touched the puck. He was so strong, as evidenced by the few times Phaneuf tried to hit him head-on. (And let's not forget the near-leveling at centre-ice of Robyn Regehr, of all people. He made some outstanding moves and almost caused the Saddledome faithful to head en masse to the loo to clean their collective shorts at the end. I am so glad I had the opportunitiy to see him play live. Wonderful, wonderful.

The Flames weren't the worst thing in the world, when they felt like playing. The top line of Iginla-Langow-Huselius was the most entertaining unit on the ice, making some nifty passes and creating scoring opportunities. They seem to have a much better feeling for each other than last season, and should remain together for a bit longer if the Flames wish to capitalize on this. Besides, Huselius does so much dipsy-doodling, he's a liability when playing with any other unit. The second line was almost non-existant last night: Lombardi's 6-game point streak ended as he, Tanguay and Kobasew weren't able to generate chances on a regular basis. The best line of the evening had to be Amonte-Friesen-Lundmark, who might have been playing for their spot on the roster after GM Darryl Sutter let his team know how well their Omaha AHL franchise was performing due to their high-flying prospects.

In any case, there is word among some of the broadcasting crew that the Flames might not be among the elite in the league anymore, that now is time that changes might have to be made. Perhaps, but I think they need to get into a rythm, that their lines need to be set for a bit longer so that players start getting used to one another. Sutter might be able to snag a top-line centre, something this franchise has lacked since Joe Nieuwendyk was swapped for a young prospect named Jarome oh-so many years ago. That being said, is Toronto captain Mats Sundin up for a move west in exchange for a few peospects down in Nebraska town?

Stay tuned.

UPDATE: I forgot to mention the biggest disappointment in last night's game. Perhaps it was the presence of Donald Brashear on the roster, but I have to ask why not a single Flame stood up for the Kipper after he was leveled by Richard Zednik following the latter's breakaway goal in the third period. That the goal was legitimate is not the issue; Zednik was in all-alone and smashed into the crease on his own accord. Luckily for the Flames, no one was hurt. However, not only did the team not stand up for its goalie, it showed the biggest glaring weakness in the entire organization, a weakness which hadn't been seen since December 2003: The Flames lack passion.

And passion, above all else, wins Stanley Cups.