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 "Let's just keep it between us," he said.
More games like Tuesday night, though, and that might not be
possible.
T.J. Brodie and Mark Giordano each had a goal and an assist,
enabling the Flames to get into a shootout, where goaltender Karri
Ramo took over to preserve a 3-2 win over the Nashville Predators at
Bridgestone Arena.
Center Joe Colborne scored on Calgary's first shot in the shootout
and Ramo (2-0-0) made it hold up, denying center Derek Roy, left
wing James Neal and center Olli Jokinen. The Flames (2-2-0) improved
to 2-1-0 on a six-game road trip.
"It's early in the season, but that was by far our best effort of
the year," Hartley said. "We always had answers when they tried to
counter-attack."
Brodie and Giordano supplied a lot of answers on their own. Brodie's
second goal in four games, a backhander from a bad angle that
deflected off a Nashville defender and past goalie Pekka Rinne
(2-0-1), tied the score 1-1 at 10:01 of the first period.
Giordano, who some are talking about as a dark-horse candidate for
the Norris Trophy, gave Calgary a 2-1 lead at 5:19 of the second
period with a power-play marker off a wrist shot. It came 17 seconds
after Predators center Colin Wilson took an offensive-zone minor,
interfering with Giordano.
Brodie has a simple theory for the early success of him and
Giordano.
"We've gotten a couple of bounces so far," Brodie said. "And just
shooting pucks at the net helps. It's all about picking good times
to jump up in the play and be that fourth attacker."
While Brodie and Giordano put pucks in the net, Ramo did a great job
keeping the puck out of his net, particularly midway through the
third period. Nashville center Craig Smith, who drew assists on the
team's goals, got a point-blank chance from in front of the net.
Somehow, Ramo gloved the shot, frustrating Smith and a crowd of
15,654 expecting more third-period fireworks. The Predators (2-0-1)
scored three goals in the third period of both their wins against
Ottawa and Dallas.
"He's playing at such a high level," Colborne said of Ramo. "We owe
a lot of things to him."
Nashville, which outshot the Senators and Stars by a combined 70-38,
couldn't get to the net as often because the Flames clogged the
neutral zone. The Predators were outshot 28-21 in a game that saw
pucks continually bouncing off an ice surface that affected both
teams' approach.
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Coach Peter Laviolette wasn't happy with the process by which his
team ate their first loss.
"They worked really hard to forecheck and compete and create
turnovers," Laviolette said. "But that shouldn't stop us from
playing our game. There is really no excuse for that."
Center Filip Forsberg gave Nashville a 1-0 lead at 8:46 of the first
period with a one-timer off the forehand side. Center Mike Ribeiro's
equalizer at 15:10 of the second, his first goal with the Predators,
forged a 2-2 tie.
That's where matters stayed until the shootout, thanks to Calgary's
defense and Ramo's clutch saves.
"I didn't see many pucks today," Ramo said. "But I had to make a
couple of key saves."
NOTES: C Sam Bennett, Calgary's first-round selection in June's
draft, will miss 4-6 months after undergoing shoulder surgery Monday
in Cleveland. Bennett could return to the rink this season, whether
it's with the Flames or in the junior ranks. ... Nashville LW Viktor
Stalberg (lower-body injury) and C Matt Cullen (upper-body injury)
skated in practice Tuesday and could be back in action soon. Both
were placed on injured reserve last week. ... Flames G Jonas Hiller,
who is expected to start most of the games this year, will return to
the lineup Wednesday night in Chicago. ... Saturday night's 4-1 win
over Dallas was the 391st career win for Predators coach Peter
Laviolette, allowing him to pass Hall of Famer Fred Shero on the
NHL's all-time wins list.
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