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Ow. Thanks for that game Coyotes. I know that these things are only a game, but that performance actually made me feel physically unwell during the 2nd Period. I mean, you put up 5 goals. You won the crowd some chalupas. Yay. But you coughed up 7 goals! They were pretty horrible goals too. A 2-0 shorthander because we couldn't even get it out of our defensive zone? Literally passing it to the other team. Not just having them intercept it, but actually being surprised that the puck ended up on their stick. I really don't know what to do with you guys right now. I know this is just a game, and I should be used to this by now, but you were in 5th a scant 3 weeks ago. Now we're looking like a team that should be in the AHL at times. The frustrating part is knowing that you can perform better and then just falling to pieces after being so close. If we were going to be crappy it sometimes seems like it would be better to just be that way all year. Instead you got my hopes and dreams of playoff glory up and then smashed them like so many Gallagher watermelons.
To the action I suppose... The first period was pretty quality on the part of both teams. Kiprusoff and Bryzgalov played well. Todd Bertuzzi took two early penalties, one of which netted a goal by Daniel WInnik, his first of the year. Adrian Aucoin tied it up with a nice slapshot. Both teams were launching shots all period though. Phoenix with 20 and Calgary with 15. The wheels really came off in the second. Everyone forgot where they were supposed to be on the ice, how to pass, how to defend, it was pretty much an absolute breakdown. Langkow, Sarich, Lombardi and finally Glencross and an absolutely horrible 2 on 0 shorthanded goal. How does that happen? By everyone leaving the Dman with the puck out to dry when he gets double teamed by the Flames. No one was communicating and that led to on big load being left on the ice. The only good thing out of the period was Winnik getting his second goal of the night. At this point a whole hell of a lot of people were ready to bail on the game. The boos rained down and rightfully so. They played pathetic hockey that period. In the final frame, we were able to save some face at least. Though Lombardi scored again and Eric Nystrom got goals, we were able to collect 3 to at least make it look as though it had been a close game. Shane Doan got one and Viktor Tikhonov got 2 more.
One of the other things that really made this a crappy game night was the fan atmosphere at the arena. Late in the game following a scuffle between Daniel Carcillo and Dion Phaneuff fights broke out in the lower bowl between more than a few fans. Sitting upstairs I have no idea what happened to spark the melee, but it was out of control. People really started leaving once that started. The fighting on the ice is one thing, but in the stands is stupid and really does make the reputation of hockey suffer. It boils down to the fact that this is really just a game. Fans on both sides need to be at least somewhat gracious and not start verbally attacking each other and being jerks in general. Hockey has enough issues without everyone pileing on each other after or at the end of a tough game. Security should have been all over it, but it took quite sometime to break it up. Get a clue fans, sticking up for your team in a civilized way is great. Have a conversation, heck, call security if someone won't leave you alone, but it should NEVER come down to fighting yourselves. That's just stupid and while some people think you have to do such things to be a tough guy, it really just shows you're a moron with no regard for other people. /end rant