Reeling squad can at least focus on the bright spots
CALGARY HERALD
The Calgary Flames hit the halfway mark of the season Tuesday night at Washington, suffered a 3-1 loss and slipped to .500 on the season. Beset by key injuries to such players as Mark Giordano, David Moss, Derek Smith and Alex Tanguay, their drive for a playoff berth has stalled. Given those circumstances, however, they have battled hard with a growing rookie-laden lineup. Overall it’s been a decent performance given the number of injuries and changes from last season. So, keeping in mind Thursday’s 9-0 drubbing to start the second half doesn’t factor into this report, Herald hockey writer John Down is giving the team an overall grade of B through the first 41 games. Here’s how he scores the individuals: * After 41 games * Report cards on players (outside of goalies) with 10 or more games. HEAD COACH Brent Sutter Is a stickler for systems and 60-minute efforts, but is everyone in the dressing room listening? Not blessed with most talented lineup and beset with key injuries. Has pretty much gotten the most out of what he has to work with. Perhaps more importantly, he has the ear of the general manager. A with acquisitions of Lee Stempniak, Roman Horak, Chris Butler, Paul Byron, Derek Smith and Blake Comeau. Not afraid to give youngsters a chance. Good rapport with coaches, players, media and ownership. A DEFENCE No. 4 Jay Bouwmeester 41-1-13-14. Minus 6 Continues to play big-time minutes in all situations, but never seems to satisfy public’s call for more offence. Reliable workhorse game in and game out. B+ No. 5 Mark Giordano 23-4-4-8 Minus 2 Seemed to struggle at times in defensive end early in season, but still brings as much grit to the table as anyone else. Adds considerably to offence with his quickness. A No. 6 Cory Sarich 25-0-1-1-2 Even Coming off nagging injury crimped his style early in season, but a battle-seasoned veteran who still brings stiff shoulder even though he has slowed down with age. B- GOAL No. 34 Miikka Kiprusoff 17-14-4; 2.47 GAA, .915 Save% Arguably the team’s top asset as he once again shoulders the majority of starts and continues to give consistently, rock-solid performances. A+ No. 35 Henrik Karlsson 0-4-1; 3.48 GAA; .895 S% Difficult to judge on just five starts, but seems to have brought about the same game as last season. Sometimes crazy hot, sometimes a bit inconsistent. C+ No. 37 Leland Irving 2.23 GAA; .942 S% Would seem to have the game to stay in the league given his heroics in his first three NHL starts. Jury remains out, however, until he plays more games. B No. 7 T.J. Brodie 25-1-7-8 Minus 2 Strong skater who doesn’t hesitate to join or lead offensive rush. Makes some rookie mistakes, but is exciting and destined to land a permanent job in the future. B+ No. 23 Scott Hannan 41-1-4-5 Minus 7 Might be getting a little long in the tooth, but has shown his veteran smarts and that allows him to be a consistent performer. Plays hard on the body when necessary. BNo. 27 Derek Smith 32-2-8-10 Plus 2 Probably the biggest surprise of the season. Developed some chemistry right away and has played strong in all three zones. Plusses far outweigh minuses. ANo. 33 Anton Babchuk 11-0-4-4 Plus 1 Haven’t seen much of him due to broken hand, but appeared to be struggle mightily as he did when he first arrived last season. Suspect he’ll find spot again. C No. 44 Chris Butler 41-1-8-9 Plus 3 Has played strong enough to make everyone forget about Robyn Regehr, the man he replaced. Also playing big minutes in all situations. No complaints. B+ FORWARDS No. 8 Brendan Morrison 25-4-7-11 Even Had tough time getting up to speed after off-season knee surgery. Team likes him at centre, although might be more effective as a winger. Still very smart player. BNo. 10 Blake Comeau 21-2-4-6 Minus 1 Always an adjustment period for a new player while he gets to know his linemates. Good speed, can play tough, but has yet to push his offensive abilities. C+ No. 11 Mikael Backlund 26-3-2-5 Minus 7 Broken finger kept him out early season and has struggled to find his mojo and consistency. Still young, still learning and still a big part of future. C No. 12 Jarome Iginla 41-15-17-32 Minus 3 Got off to another slow start after missing training camp with bad back, but is on a 30-goal pace. Plays his best when, to steal a phrase word from coach, is “fully engaged.” B+ No. 13 Olli Jokinen 41-12-20-32 Minus 1 Arguably has been most consistent performer since Day 1. Only knock remains his want to pass instead of shoot, but otherwise has been a force in most every game. A No. 15 Tim Jackman 41-1-6-7 Minus 10 If success were measured by effort, would be one of the top guns. Leaves everything on the ice, but hasn’t finished some glorious offensive chances. BNo. 16 Tom Kostopoulos 40-3-5-8 Minus 7 Another busy bee who plays hard-nosed hockey. Had some struggles, but appears to be back on his game. Would like to see a wee bit more offence. BNo. 17 Rene Bourque 38-13-3-16 Minus 3 Can drive observers half-crazy with what appear to be lackadaisical shifts. Is most effective when consistently using his speed, toughness and great shot. BNo. 18 Matt Stajan 27-1-5-6 Minus 5 Pretty much has settled in at fourth line at centre. Works hard, brings as much as he can, but it simply hasn’t been enough and he knows it, too. C 20 Curtis Glencross 39-16-11-27 Minus 3 Coupled with Jokinen has formed dangerous pair, often playing against opposing top-liners. Plays in all situations, plays hard and has raised his offensive game. A+ No. 22 Lee Stempniak 41-8-8-16 Minus 6 Has added significantly to team speed, appears to put in an honest night’s work, but most everyone would like to see his plus bulge and minus tumble. BNo. 25 David Moss 15-1-4-5 Plus 1 Injuries have once again messed up his season. Huge asset in that he can play any of three forward positions effectively. Tough to fairly judge his season. B
No. 32 Paul Byron 14-2-1-3 Plus 2 Not a lot to go on from this rookie, but clearly brings speed and certainly isn’t afraid to get dirty despite his size. Would seem to be part of the future young
wave. B No. 40 Alex Tanguay 33-5-17-22 Minus 3 Remains a gifted playmaker and cagey veteran. Biggest knock is he often opts for pass instead of the shot. Like Iginla, is at his best when “fully engaged.”
B+ No. 51 Roman Horak 35-2-7-9 Plus 5 Rookie won a starting job with team and did it with sound play in all three zones. Still thinks defence-first, but would like to see more offensive creations. B