Flames Game Night

Oh, my - what to expect... will the Flames head to Game 5 with a chance to eliminate the Ducks on home ice, or will it be stomach-churning 2004 territory (when all of their series were tied 2-2 thru four)?

Two themes are common in today's radio chatter. The first I agree with: that it'll be a Kipper night. If the Flames win, I expect that he'll be the 1st star. They could have won Game 3 with Boucher (or hell, Conkannen) in net; the Ducks will no doubt be better tonight, which means that Kipper will have to stop some good scoring chances.

The second I disagree with: that Giguere returning to the net is good for the Flames. No, he's not a Top 5 NHL goalie anymore, but it's not like he was bad (a la Theodore) this season, and he's a frickin' Conn Smythe winner. He can win a game. He'll no doubt be better tonight too; McCarty can probably toss any thoughts of scoring another goal like Game 3.

My mindset going into this game is "Boy, it would be awfully nice to win this one, and it would sure make things a lot easier, but at least we're not screwed if we lose". I sincerely hope that the players are not equally philosophical about things.

3-2 Final, and I think Jarome gets the winner. Go Flames.