Through the muddle of unsettled division crowns and unexpected contenders, the defending Stanley Cup finalists Wednesday night reminded why possibility lurks for a rematch two months down the road.
Neither the reigning champion Calgary Flames nor Montreal Canadiens have wrapped up anything beyond a playoff berth. The Flames at least look a lock for home-ice advantage in the opening round of playoffs but almost nightly juggle the Smythe Division lead with the Edmonton Oilers. The Canadiens are three points out of second place (and first-round home ice) in the Adams Division.Yet, in separate non-division games, they displayed the balance of spread-out offense, defensive priority and goaltending depth that allowed them to reach the Cup final last spring.
Each played depleted opponents; nonetheless the end result was that with the playoffs on the horizon, the Flames and Canadiens trotted out their proven formulas to dismiss supposed up-and-coming offensive powerhouses.
At Calgary, the Flames routed the Pittsburgh Penguins 6-3 after leading 5-0 in the third period. The Canadiens, on the road, shut down the Los Angeles attack to win 5-2.
A sign of the Flames' stretch-run mindset was their annoyance with the inconsequential late goals they surrendered.
"I don't think a lot of guys are very happy giving up three goals in the last six minutes," said winning goaltender Rick Wamsley, who lost his bid for a second straight shutout. "It's something we have to be made aware of, that we have to work for 60 minutes."
Similarily, the Canadiens showed their level of standards with outrage at a rare three-game losing streak.
"We were 0-3 on the road and I wasn't going to accept any excuses whatsoever tonight," Montreal Coach Pat Burns said. "The boys had some rest here."
In other games, Winnipeg downed Quebec 6-3, and Minnesota edged Chicago 5-4.