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 Postma, who is from nearby Red Deer and starred for the Calgary
Hitmen in the Western Hockey League, made it a memorable night in
the same rink he skated in during his junior days by scoring his
first NHL goal of the season to break the deadlock in a 5-3 victory
over the Calgary Flames, a battle of two non-playoff teams, on
Friday night.
Nearing the midpoint of the third period, Postma unloaded a
seeing-eye point shot past screened Flames goalie Karri Ramo.
"I waited long enough but there's no better place to get it," said
Postma, who went nearly a full calendar year without scoring in the
NHL ranks. "It's basically my hometown. It's nice to get that win
and getting the game winner is pretty special.
"There was a lot of traffic in front of the net and I just wanted to
get it through. I took a shot, kept it low and it found a way into
the back of the net."
Thanks to a brilliant third period by Jets goalie Michael
Hutchinson, it stood up as the winner and the Jets finished their
season on a winning note with a 37-35-10 record
"That's when hockey gets fun is in the third period when the other
team's pressing and you have the lead," Hutchinson said. "It's just
one of those things I just enjoyed that third period, and it was fun
watching how hard our guys are battling. We were tired. We had a
tough game (Thursday) night and a really tough practice the day
before so guys really battled trying to clear pucks, blocked shots
as best they could.
"When guys are sacrificing themselves like that in front, it makes
you want to bear down and make those saves for them."
Playing their final home game of the season, the Flames wanted to
provide more than just a whack of prizes during fan appreciation
night, but it did not start well before the announced Scotiabank
Saddledome sellout crowd of 19,289.
After Winnipeg right winger Michael Frolik opened the scoring, left
winger Evander Kane gave the Jets a 2-0 lead before the first
intermission. It was Kane's 200th NHL point.
Flames winger Jiri Hudler put the hosts on the board early in the
second period, but left winger Carl Klingberg netted his first NHL
goal to again put the Jets ahead by two.
To their credit, the Flames refused to fade away. Two power-play
goals scored 24 seconds apart erased the deficit.
Rookie center Sean Monahan scored his 22nd goal of the season, a
pretty play set up by Hudler, and before the goal could be
announced, defenseman Kris Russell ripped a top-corner shot past
Hutchinson.
Even after Postma's goal, the Flames completely dominated the game.
They outshot the Jets by a 14-1 count in their efforts to net the
equalizer, but Hutchinson stopped all 18 shots fired his way in the
final frame as part of a 35-save outing.
[to top of second column] |
Jets right winger Blake Wheeler rounded out the scoring with an
empty-netter.
Ramo stopped 22 shots for the Flames (35-38-7), who received a
standing ovation from the crowd at the conclusion, an honor to their
efforts in year one of a rebuilding season. "It was awesome," said defenseman and Flames captain Mark
Giordano of the sendoff. "That's not the first time we've been
cheered off the ice after a loss, but definitely being the last one,
it was special. I think they like the hard work part of our team and
they like that we never quit."
"We really tried to establish a work ethic and playing as a team,
having an identity of being one of the hardest working teams in the
league," added center Matt Stajan. "Who knows what's going to happen
in the off-season, but anybody that comes into this room, we're
gonna mold them right into the way we play and we keep building.
"It's exciting for everybody and I'm glad the fans see that. No
one's satisfied in here. We've got to find a way to get 15 more
points, at least, next year, and find a way to get into the playoff
picture."
The Flames finish the season on Sunday against the Vancouver
Canucks.
NOTES: Shortly after winning the Hobey Baker Award as the top player
in the NCAA ranks, LW Johnny Gaudreau of Boston College signed a
three-year contract with the Flames. Fellow Boston College product C
Bill Arnold signed a two-year contract. Gaudreau, a fourth-round
draft choice in 2011, and Arnold, a fourth-round pick in 2010, will
join the team and play Sunday in the season finale in Vancouver. ...
Jets D Jacob Trouba left the game in the first period after being
hit in the face by a puck and did not return. C Jim Slater left for
good in the second period due to a broken finger. ... The Jets
finished with a 18-12-5 record since Paul Maurice was hired as coach
on Jan. 12. ... Flames LW Michael Cammalleri, who was hit in the
face by a stick Wednesday, did not play. ... The goal by Flames C
Sean Monahan is just the team's second 5-on-3 power-play goal of the
season.
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