Flames, Canucks in Game 7
TSN.ca Staff w/files from CP
4/19/2004
For the Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks, tonight's Game 7 matchup may have long term implications, beyond the fact that the winner will advance to the second round of the playoffs.
The two teams have faced each other twice before in Game 7 showdowns, with the Flames winning in 1989 and the Canucks emerging victorious in 1994. In each of those years, the winning team has gone on to the Stanley Cup finals.
The Canucks have a slight edge when it comes to Game 7 showdowns, having won four of seven but they lost last year's deciding match against the Minnesota Wild. The Flames last played in a Game 7 match in 1995, losing to the San Jose Sharks that year. They are 2-1 on the road when it comes to deciding matches but the Canucks are 2-1 at home under the same circumstances.
Don't be surprised if tonight's game goes into overtime. The two previous Game 7 encounters between these two teams needed overtime to settle the issue.
Geoff Sanderson knows history means very little once the puck drops.
"We really expect them to bounce back and Miikka Kiprusoff seems to bounce back and play really well after every loss. He has great bounce-back numbers."
During the regular season, Kiprusoff lost back-to-back games just twice - the last time coming March 20 to March 25 when he lost to Nashville, Dallas and San Jose.
Along with getting over the disappointment of losing Game 6 in triple overtime, the Flames have to deal with a spate of injuries as well.
"We're just trying to hang on," said Flames coach Darryl Sutter.
The Flames will be with two starting defenceman, Denis Gauthier and Toni Lydman. Steve Montador is expected to make his NHL playoff debut as Gauthier's replacement.
Forward Chris Simon, one of the Flames' character players since being acquired from the New York Rangers in March, has been out since Game 3 with a lower body injury.
Simon was replaced by Stephane Yelle, whose return added significant experience to Calgary's penalty killing efforts. But Yelle missed nearly 30 regular-season games in an injury-plagued campaign and his overall health remains a question mark.
Added to the list of walking wounded are key Flames forwards Martin Gelinas and Craig Conroy.
Assistant coach Jim Playfair said injuries are the price a team pays for going the distance in a long, gruelling series.
"It's what the playoffs are about," Playfair said. "It's a battle each and every night and the battles get harder as the games go on."
Playfair admitted that losing Saturday night after rallying from a 4-0 deficit was a big disappointment. But he said it will not be an excuse for Monday night.
"This is about men being men and playing for the championship of the series, and I think that's where we are now," he said. "There's no room for people to feel sorry about what didn't happen - it's about getting it done now."
Flames enforcer Krzysztof Oliwa said despite the injuries and exhaustion, his team must play Monday night with a sense of desperation.
"We've talked about it for many nights now that you've got to play every shift as your last shift of the season, and we are basically in this position," he said. "The very next shift you're going to take, it might be very much your last shift of the year, so I would think that everyone's going to be very ready."
For the Canucks, they have openly embraced a seventh and deciding game in this series.
"Our ultimate goal was to play another game in Vancouver," veteran forward Brad May tells the Vancouver Sun. "It's a one-game deal now and it's going to be a ballsy effort from both teams, no question."
If experience counts for anything, then the Canucks have it in spades. Nearly every player in Vancouver's lineup - with the exception of rookie netminder Alex Auld and defenceman Bryan Allen - has played in a seventh and deciding game at the NHL level. Mike Keane leads the way with nine followed by Trevor Linden with seven and May with four.
The Flames have only seven regulars in their lineup who can draw upon Game 7 experience.
Cheers,
Aquaman