Two Canadian teams. Two different series. Two well-known, hockey-crazed crowds. With their teams on the verge of falling into that uncomfortable spot between a rock and a hard place, the fans in Montreal and Calgary know exactly what their role will be in each team’s Game 3 tonight: the all-important “sixth man.”
There is no doubt that the Montreal Canadiens and Calgary Flames each have a diehard following — the Canadiens, being of the original six, have a long history in the sport and have generations of fans to support them. The Flames, while being a younger team than the Habs, have become known for their fan support and the infamous “C” of Red, the name given to the awe-inspiring sight of the entire Pengrowth Saddledome filled with fans clad in red. Both teams are currently stuck in a 2-0 deficit in their respective series, with little to be happy about in their struggling performances. However, coming back home may carry the momentum of the series in their favor thanks to the noise and support of their fans.
“This building is loud, and it can definitely shift the momentum,” says Calgary forward, David Moss. “This city is waiting for a win. Hopefully, by doing that tonight, we can kind of spark this thing, get everyone behind us, and start rolling.”
While not known for it’s visually stunning fan support, the Canadiens are home to a large stadium that never ceases to sell-out, the stands brimming with Habs fans dressed in their red, white and blue. The noise generated from the crowd following each big hit, poor call, or highlight-reel goal can be intimidating for the opposition, and tonight in both the Bell Center and the Penngrowth Saddledome, it will be the “sixth man” watching the game that will make or break these two Canadian teams’ chances of righting their wrongs from the first two games.
Tag: Calgary Flames
Flames can’t defy regular season record with Blackhawks
Although they were matched in overall wins in the regular season, the Blackhwaks are the one team that the Calgary Flames would have wanted to avoid in the post-season. Chicago dominated Calgary in the regular season series, posting a record of 4-0-0 and outscoring the Flames 19 to 7. With statistics like these, fans were expecting a much different performance by the Blackhawks than they displayed last night in game one at the United Center in Chicago.
From the moment the puck dropped, Calgary played a physical game to establish their presence and stir up the inexperienced Blackhawks — only ten of their players have playoff experience, and their lack of confidence showed early on in the game. However, Calgary’s level of play was matched by Chicago later in the second; after tying the game at one in the middle frame, then again falling behind in the third, Chicago’s stand-out player of the night, Martin Havlat, evened the game with 5:33 to go in the game after scoring off his own rebound.
With the game unsettled after 60 minutes, the two teams went into overtime expecting a hard-hitting battle for the win that, if the previous periods had shown, would be a long and even-matched series of periods. However, once again Havlat shined for the Blackhawks and scored only 12 seconds into the extra period on a controversial goal that saw Chicago’s Andrew Ladd accidentally-on-purpose interfere with Mikka Kiprusoff. Havlat’s performance landed him the first star of the night. When these two teams meet again on Saturday, Calgary will no doubt up their already high level of play to return the favor to the Blackhawks, aiming to tie the series at one a piece.
Flames can't defy regular season record with Blackhawks
Although they were matched in overall wins in the regular season, the Blackhwaks are the one team that the Calgary Flames would have wanted to avoid in the post-season. Chicago dominated Calgary in the regular season series, posting a record of 4-0-0 and outscoring the Flames 19 to 7. With statistics like these, fans were expecting a much different performance by the Blackhawks than they displayed last night in game one at the United Center in Chicago.
From the moment the puck dropped, Calgary played a physical game to establish their presence and stir up the inexperienced Blackhawks — only ten of their players have playoff experience, and their lack of confidence showed early on in the game. However, Calgary’s level of play was matched by Chicago later in the second; after tying the game at one in the middle frame, then again falling behind in the third, Chicago’s stand-out player of the night, Martin Havlat, evened the game with 5:33 to go in the game after scoring off his own rebound.
With the game unsettled after 60 minutes, the two teams went into overtime expecting a hard-hitting battle for the win that, if the previous periods had shown, would be a long and even-matched series of periods. However, once again Havlat shined for the Blackhawks and scored only 12 seconds into the extra period on a controversial goal that saw Chicago’s Andrew Ladd accidentally-on-purpose interfere with Mikka Kiprusoff. Havlat’s performance landed him the first star of the night. When these two teams meet again on Saturday, Calgary will no doubt up their already high level of play to return the favor to the Blackhawks, aiming to tie the series at one a piece.