By Iain MacIntyre
Vancouver Sun
CALGARY — The most truculent person in the Calgary Flames’ organization is president Brian Burke. Winger Mikael Ferland is a close second.
The Flames are not supposed to be a team that intimidates, that wins on physicality. But Calgary’s forecheck caused Vancouver Canuck players to miss the puck or give it away Sunday, leading to the first three Flames’ goals in a 4-2 victory that broke a 1-1 tie in the teams’ National Hockey League playoff series.
A heavy hit by Joe Colborne on defenceman Dan Hamhuis preceded Sam Bennett’s scrambly goal that made it 3-1 and essentially clinched it for the Flames at 2:14 of the third period. Bennett bolted into the Vancouver crease to knock a loose puck past goalie Eddie Lack.
Calgary added another during a 5-on-3 power play at 14:36 when Vancouver penalty-killers looked confused and Sean Monahan easily converted Johnny Gaudreau’s pass into the slot. Canuck Jannik Hansen scored a goal in garbage time, rifling in a wrist shot from Bo Horvat’s pass at 17:41.
After Friday’s 4-1 Canuck win in Game 2 ended with a line brawl and a slew of game misconducts, Vancouver defenceman Kevin Bieksa quipped: “Hopefully we’ll see Mason Raymond next game.” Well, the Canucks did. And at 6:35 of the first period, with Bieksa on the ice after a turnover by defensive partner Luca Sbisa, Raymond assisted on Brandon Bollig’s goal that made it 1-0 for the Flames.
Bollig, among Friday’s brawl brigade for which Calgary coach Bob Hartley was fined $50,000 by the NHL, sniped a shot into the top corner after Raymond’s shot was blocked and caromed to his teammate. Raymond, the ex-Canuck, was a healthy scratch the first two games of the series.
Another unlikely scorer, Shawn Matthias, tied it 1-1 at 9:09 by kicking the puck to his stick and shooting while being checked as Calgary goalie Jonas Hiller made snow angels after a strong back-post save on Radim Vrbata. It was Matthias’ first ever playoff goal, and just his second in 15 games in the last month.
It led to a spell of strong play by the Canucks that ended at 15:02 when they fell behind again. Vrbata, possibly shaken up by a collision away from the play that the Canucks thought was interference, turned the puck over once in the defensive zone, then whiffed on it entirely as a forechecker targeted him. Flame defenceman David Schlemko relayed the puck cross-ice to his partner, TJ Brodie, who fired through Bennett’s screen and past Lack from 60 feet.
It was the third time in five Calgary goals in the series that Lack was beaten from the point.
He did, however, make strong saves against Johnny Gaudreau and Mikael Backlund in the final minute of the opening period to keep the Canucks within a goal.
And 15 seconds into the second period, Lack gloved David Jones’ shot on a breakaway after an uncharacteristic fumble by Canuck defenceman Chris Tanev.
The Canucks outshot the Flames 6-4 in the middle frame and their best chance to tie was a one-timed shot by Alex Edler after he emerged from the penalty box to join Daniel and Henrik Sedin on a rush. But Hiller read the play and got across his goal quickly to keep his team ahead.
Hiller, who went from first to third on the Anaheim Ducks’ depth chart last spring before being cast adrift and signed by the Flames, has been one of the keys in this series. So has the Flames’ forecheck.
Teams that won Game 3 after a split through two games have gone on to win 67 per cent of the series in Stanley Cup playoff history. Game 4 is here Tuesday.