Thank you hockey gods

Today I give thanks for allowing the Flames to WIN A SHOOT OUT for the first time this season. Coming into this season, Miikka Kiprusoff was 1-11 in the SO, stopping only 2 of 9 shooters this season, 13 of 32 last season. Pairing those atrocious stats with the Flames' inability to score during the SO makes for a higher than average stress level during overtime as I pray and hope and yell and go bananas hoping for anyone to score to save me the agony of watching the shoot out. The Flames are ranked 28th in the league with 2 OT/SO wins and 9 losses, the wins at home and 8 of those losses on the road. Have I mentioned the Flames road record also sucks? While being 27-6-1 at home is awesome (and league leading), being 7-15-8 on the road - meh, not so awesome.

Due to the wonderful schedule of the NHL, filling up empty spaces with more divisional play, the Flames have met the Wild five times so far with a 3-0-0-2 record so you can imagine the fear that struck my heart when Calgary tied the game late in the third making it 1-1 and failing to get the GWG during regulation. The overtime period draaaaaaaaaaagged on until the clock hit 00:0 and I hid behind a pillow, anticipating what was coming. Oh. my. goodness.

• CGY - Tanguay stopped. (No surprise.)
  
• MIN - Demitra stopped. (Okay, what? Kipper makes a pad save?)
• CGY - Amonte stopped. (Not really sure why he was out there...)
• MIN - Koivu stopped. (Double what? The league's leader in SO goals? Stopped?)
• CGY - Iginla scores. (HOLY shit DINAH! Slow as molasses down the ice but it worked)
• MIN - Bouchard stopped. (Kipper kicks out a leg to keep out PMB's spin-o-rama move)

Sweet cheese on a cracker, the Flames win the shoot out. Now, I don't know if you know, but I was taking a bit of a break from ye olde blog for a couple of days and was going to return today anyways with my renewed vigor but this makes it oh so much more sweeter. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you....