Calgary Flames Jiri Hudler, centre, waits for the shot in front of Vancouver Canucks net during game action at the Saddledome in Calgary, on February 14, 2015.

Crystal Schick / Calgary Herald
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Sure, love was in the air.

From the Valentine’s Day player-themed cards (conveniently available to download on flames.nhl.com) and a real-time surprise marriage proposal on the Flames Energy Board, there was evidence that Saturday was no ordinary night out at the Scotiabank Saddledome.

But on the ice? Between the Calgary Flames and the Vancouver Canucks?

Not exactly date night.

At 1:41 into the third period, Lance Bouma tucked in his 10th of the season, a great offering from David Jones, to put the Flames up 3-2 — and the score stuck until the final buzzer.

The victory improved Calgary to 31-22-3 while the Canucks stayed stuck at 65 points and a 31-21-3 record.

While the Flames had enjoyed a day off Friday on the heels of a 5-3 loss to the Los Angeles Kings, the visitors had been playing the second half of a back-to-back, coming off Friday’s 5-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks. But netminder Ryan Miller showed zero signs of fatigue and faced 34 Flames attempts, many of which should have been goals.

Unable to generate any offence when it mattered, the Canucks were thwarted by a steady Karri Ramo who hadn’t started a game since Jan. 7 against the Detroit Red Wings (which he left early after being kneed in the noggin by teammate Raphael Diaz) and turned aside 28 of 30 Vancouver shots.

Down 1-0 heading into the second period, Sean Monahan tied it up with 6:48 elapsed, scoring his first goal of the evening — and first after going through a mini four-game scoreless slump.

The marker needed review, though, after Chris Tanev had tried to tie up Johnny Gaudreau on a breakaway and drove into the net. Monahan had potted Gaudreau’s rebound on Miller and the NHL ruled that “the puck crossed the Vancouver goal line before the flexible peg became completely displaced from the hole in the ice.” (Their words, not ours).

Shortly after, Monahan gave the Flames a brief one-goal lead when he deposited a perfectly placed backhand pass from Jiri Hudler.

But Vancouver’s Chris Higgins and Linden Vey capitalized on a two-on-one during a four-on-four situation. Mark Giordano managed to tie up Higgins, leaving Ramo to save the first shot. Unfortunately, the Flames netminder couldn’t get the second shot in time and Vey knotted the score. There had only been four seconds left of the four-on-four action.

The game started with jump and, rather uncharacteristically, Joe Colborne dropped the gloves with Luca Sbisa behind Miller’s net 1:32 into the first period while Bo Horvat was busy getting under the skin of Paul Byron in front.

That fired up both sides and shortly after, Josh Jooris was driving up the ice with Curtis Glencross and went wide on the rebound.

Following that, the Flames enjoyed two power-plays but because of Miller’s play, nothing came of it.

First, at 5:21, Derek Dorsett took an interference penalty for crashing into Ramo then, at the 11:11 mark, Linden Vey tripped up Kris Russell.

Miller was dominant on the second penalty kill, saving four shots from the Flames’ second power-play unit of Johnny Gaudreau, Monahan, and Jiri Hudler.

The momentum ended with Wideman’s tripping penalty which Calgary killed off. No surprise there, heading into the game they had gone seven straight games without allowing a power-play goal.

The Canucks hit the scoresheet first with 3:48 remaining in the opening frame when Ramo allowed a stick-side snipe from Latvian Ronalds Kenins who beat Wideman up the wing.

But in the end, it didn’t matter.

The Flames chalked up another Western Conference victory and threw some gasoline on the rivalry between the Vancouverites and Calgarians. Still no love there.

That being said, both clubs are in a similar post-season race and are scoreboard watching each night.

Heading into Saturday’s game, the Canucks sat seventh in the Conference and third in the Pacific Division.

Calgary sat eighth in the conference and fourth in the Pacific Division, beginning a four-game homestand and are now 24-10-1 against the Western Conference.

Saturday’s victory gave them a 5-2-0 record in their recently finished seven game “segment.”

They’ll continue action Monday against the Boston Bruins who have been sitting idle since Friday.

kodland@calgaryherald.com
Twitter/KristenOdlandCH

Source:: http://calgaryherald.com/sports/hockey/nhl/calgary-flames/no-love-between-flames-and-canucks