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About Mike Cook

Mike Cook spends much of his time writing about politicians and pucks. In addition to his full-time job covering the Minnesota House of Representatives, he does freelance sports writing – including pro and college hockey – for the Associated Press and other entities.

A lifelong resident of the State of Hockey, he grew up a fan of the Minnesota North Stars and still misses Met Center. He looks forward to when his three young children are on skates at 6 a.m. practices.

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Flames barely hanging on in West Print
Northwest
Written by Mike Cook   
Tuesday, March 30, 2010 15:25

Northwest Division notebook:

Will the Calgary Flames be hitting pucks or golf balls in a couple weeks?

Last weekend was a perfect example of the Jekyll-and-Hyde approach this team has had all season. The Flames were lethargic in a 5-0 loss in Boston Saturday, but came back Sunday with four goals in the first period (including a gem by Rene Bourque, below) en route to a 5-2 win over Washington, the league's best team.



The Flames trail eighth-place Colorado by four points in the Western Conference; however, the Avalanche has a game in hand.

"We had to throw it on the line," defenseman Robyn Regehr said Sunday. "I don't think guys have been doing that the last few games and (head coach Brent Sutter) just came in here and said that, 'We have to throw it on the line.' And guys responded. We knew if we'd played the way we had the last couple of games, with the way those guys fly around, it could've been even more embarrassing than Boston … 8-0 or 10-0."

It only took 76 games for the Flames to realize that desperation.

The possibility still exists that the Avalanche could continue limping to the finish line or the Kings, Red Wings or Predators could bottom out, but if none of those happens, the Flames will be out of the final 16 for the first time since 2003. It would also be the only the second time (2001-02) that neither Alberta team would make the playoffs.

Not much was expected from Edmonton this season, but Calgary would unquestionably have to be the league's biggest bust.

"Mathematically, we’re still alive. Everybody else is writing us off. I understand that. And I can understand why. They can believe that if they want to. Just as long as we don’t start believing it in here," said Craig Conroy.

Many preseason prognosticators looked at a Flames roster that included a top goaltender (Miikka Kiprusoff), a proven top scorer (Jarome Iginla) another top forward (Olli Jokinen) and three of the league's better defensemen (Regehr, Dion Phaneuf and Jay Bouwmeester) and had high expectations.

Kiprusoff has been his usual stellar self. He ranks third in the league with 67 games played, sixth with a 2.65 GAA, seventh with a .921 save pct. and ninth with 33 victories.

Iginla and Regehr are having customary seasons, even though Iginla is pointless in five of his past 10 games. Regehr continues to be a force in his own end, but lacking inside the other blue line. The big, fast and strong Bouwmeester – he of the six-year, $33 million contract signed last summer after back-to-back 15-goal seasons in Florida – appears to be playing without a lot of passion. He scored just his third goal of the season Sunday.

At least he is still a Flame, unlike Jokinen and Phaneuf.

In hopes of adding a spark, general manager Darryl Sutter made a pair of big trades before the Olympics. Phaneuf was shipped to Toronto for four players (Matt Stajan, Niklas Hagman, Jamal Mayers and Ian White) who have been decent, but not what you would expect when giving up an all-star. Stajan, who didn’t click alongside Iginla and Bourque, has since been signed to a four-year, $14 million deal.

Jokinen went to the Big Apple for Christopher Higgins and Ales Kotalik, he of the $3 million per-year contract for the next two seasons. Kotalik scored his second goal as a Flame Sunday – on a deflection off the goaltender. He also has one assist in 20 Calgary games.

"I lost my season months ago in New York, personally, and now it is about what you can do to help the team win the hockey game," Kotalik said. Higgins has two goals and one assist in 12 games with Calgary after six goals in 55 games with the Rangers. Higgins averaged 21 goals each of the past four years in Montreal.

"The biggest thing, there still has to be a belief. And there is in that room. We still feel we can get it done, but we need some personal performances to be better. You’ve gotta still feel good about yourself as individuals, and about your team. If it’s any other way, you have no chance," Sutter said Sunday.

If the Flames miss the playoffs, major ramifications could result. Will Darryl Sutter remove himself as general manager, his brother as coach, or both? Will the 32-year-old Iginla be moved to a team with a better chance to win a Stanley Cup, a lá Ray Bourque? Assuming the salary cap stays at $56.8 million, the Flames will have $3.8 million in cap space to fill six roster spots.

COLORADO
The Avalanche has lost five of six, including Sunday's 4-3 defeat in San Jose. Colorado held a 45-32 shot advantage and Peter Mueller had two goals. “We’ve got to stay positive. If we play with the same effort like we had tonight, we’re not going to see three or four goals go in off our guys like tonight,” said D Adam Foote. … Following Monday's action, Colorado is in eighth place in the Western Conference, two points behind Detroit, one behind Los Angeles and four points up on Calgary. The Flames visit Denver Friday. … Of Colorado's final seven games, four are against playoff teams (home games with San Jose, Chicago and Los Angeles and a road game in Vancouver). …  Bad weekend for C Paul Stastny. He had no points and was a minus-5 in losses to Phoenix and San Jose. …  RW Brandon Yip, out since March 1 with a shoulder injury, took part in a full-contact practice Tuesday. … Out since Nov. 28 because of a torn ACL, RW/LW David Jones might to return to practice next week, although he is not expected to play again this season. ... C Stephane Yelle skated with the team Tuesday wearing an orange non-contact jersey. He has missed the last seven contests with a leg injury. … LW Cody McLeod broke a 13-game pointless streak Sunday with a second-period assist. … D Marek Svatos has no points in his last 12 games, and only one point in his last 27. His last goal was Nov. 25 against Nashville. … D Kyle Quincey sat down with Avalanche TV for an exclusive interview. … C/LW Ryan Stoa was recalled from AHL Lake Erie. He has one assist in nine games with the Avs this season. … Mark Olver signed an entry-level contract Tuesday. The forward, Colorado's fifth-round pick in 2008, completed his junior season at Northern Michigan University Friday. One of 10 finalists for the Hobey Baker Award as college hockey’s player of the year, Olver had 19 goals and 30 assists in 40 games this season. 

EDMONTON

The Oilers go for a four-game season sweep of Detroit Tuesday. "They have a lot of skilled players out there, and if you limit their time and space out there, they're not going to be able to create as many opportunities that they're used to," said Fernando Pisani. "I think we did a really good job of keeping a close gap and not giving them too much room." … With 27 goals, Dustin Penner could become just the third Oiler in the last 10 years to hit the 30-goal mark (Mike Comrie in 2001-02 and Ryan Smyth three times). … Comrie has been moved up to Edmonton's top line with Penner and Andrew Cogliano, while Gilbert Brule was bumped down to the team's fourth line combination. … D Ryan Whitney is looking forward to right foot surgery when the season ends. … Penner, Cogliano and D Tom Gilbert are the only Oilers to have played in all games this year. … Sam Gagner might not play again this season because of a hip injury. … The Oilers host Minnesota Sunday. Edmonton is 5-1-1 against the Wild in the last seven games at Rexall Place. … Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal looks at the Oilers' goaltending situation for next year. … Patrick O'Sullivan talks to the Edmonton Sun about his awful season. … Jordan Eberle made his AHL season debut with Springfield in fine fashion with three goals and six points over a three-game weekend in mid-March. … Edmonton signed Jeff Petry to a two-year, entry-level deal. The team's second-round pick in the 2006 NHL entry draft, Petry scored four goals and 29 points in 38 NCAA games with Michigan State this season. 

MINNESOTA 

C Mikko Koivu missed his first games of the season Thursday and Friday with an upper-body injury. He had two assists Monday, giving him 48 assists and 68 points – both new career highs. He totaled 67 points (20-47-67) in 2008-09. … D Greg Zanon had six blocks in Monday's 3-2 win over Los Angeles. During a 2-minute long 5-on-3 shift for the Kings early in the third period, Zanon blocked three slap shots from Jarret Stoll – one with his back as he laid out on the ice – before hobbling off the ice grimacing in pain. "It's just kind of instinct, just try to help the team win," said Zanon, who is playing with a cracked bone in his ankle. A first-period block hit him in a bad spot. "I took that in the parts. Good thing I have kids already. That one hurt a little bit." … As a team, Minnesota blocked 24 shots Monday. … Minnesota has power play goals in a season-high five straight games. … D Brent Burns broke a 28-game streak with a goal Monday. … Check out this fluky goal by Owen Nolan against Detroit. … Minnesota is 5-0 in OT this season. It has never gone without an OT loss during a season, coming closest with a 7-1 OT record in 2006-07. … Minnesota is 31-7-3 when it scores three or more goals this season and 6-26-3 when it scores less than three goals. The Wild is 26-4-2 when allowing two goals or less, and 11-29-4 when yielding three or more – topping its win total from the 2008-09 season when allowing three goals or more (7-25-5). … C Kyle Brodziak is 9-22-31 to tie a career high for points, previously reached in 2007-08 with Edmonton (14-17-31). … D Cam Barker has missed two straight games with an ankle injury. … D Shane Hnidy has missed 11 straight with a leg injury. … G Josh Harding aggravated a hip injury Friday. He likely needs surgery and will be done for the season. … C Andrew Ebbett broke a finger while blocking a shot Monday and will need surgery. He's also done for the year. … When Nate Prosser makes his NHL debut on the Wild blue line, he'll the first Minnesota native to skate with the team since Mark Parrish during the 2007-08 season. … Minnesota is 16-3-5 in regular season home games in March and April the last two-plus seasons. … Grand Rapids, Hibbing, International Falls and Roseau are the four finalists in the Capital of the State of Hockey contest. Vote here. The winner will be announced at the team's April 10 finale. … Derek Boogaard's streak of games without a goal now stands at 216. He almost scored on a rebound Monday. 

VANCOUVER

Henrik Sedin had two assists Saturday, making him fourth Canuck to surpass 100 points in a season. He has 28 goals and 73 assists to easily top his previous career high of 82 points, set last season. … Mikael Samuelsson skated in his first team practice Monday, but there is no firm date for his return. … Since replacing Samuelsson, Michael Grabner is 0-1-1 in five games after his recall from AHL Manitoba. He hit the post twice Saturday. … Roberto Luongo has just one win in his last five games, while allowing 16 goals over that span. He was sporting a new practice mask Monday. … LW/RW Pavol Demitra has missed three straight games due to a medical problem to a family member. … D Shane O'Brien showed up 5 minutes before practice Monday, was sent home by coach Alain Vigneault and won’t play Tuesday against Phoenix. … D Willie Mitchell, out since Jan. 18 with a concussion, is feeling better but remains unlikely to play this season. "He's definitely making progress," general manager Mike Gillis told the Vancouver Sun. "You can reach a point during these things when you become very despondent and worry about a lot of different things. He seems to be coming out of that stage now to one where he's more active. The signs are there that he's recovering, but he's not at the point yet where he can have high-level, sustained activity." ... The Canucks signed forward Stefan Schneider Monday. … The Official Canucks App on iTunes established a No. 1 ranking on iTunes’ Canadian App Store in the free sports category.

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Last Updated on Wednesday, March 31, 2010 13:23