n emotional tribute by the Calgary Flames organization to honor the memory of former captain and assistant coach Brad McCrimmon began the evening in a memorable fashion. Unfortunately the Flames were unable to carry on the energy from the ceremony as they fell at the hands of the visiting Detroit Redwings by a 3-1 score on Tuesday night.

PHOTO CREDIT - CalgaryFlames.com

Calgary - February 1, 2012 - n emotional tribute by the Calgary Flames organization to honor the memory of former captain and assistant coach Brad McCrimmon began the evening in a memorable fashion. Unfortunately the Flames were unable to carry on the energy from the ceremony as they fell at the hands of the visiting Detroit Redwings by a 3-1 score on Tuesday night.

The Flames struggled in the early stages of the game as it was evident that they were trying to work out the rust that had accumulated over the four day break caused by the NHL All-Star game. Detroit however showed no such signs as Corey Emmerton opened the scoring at the 5:57 mark of the first period when he cashed in on a rebound for his 5th goal of the season. The visitors continued to press throughout the remainder of the first but were unable to add an insurance marker as they outshot Calgary 11-7. Feeling that his team needed a lift, enforcer Tim Jackman sought out a fight with former Flames defensemen Mike Commodore in the final moments of the period. Both players would exchange a few heavy shots before being split apart by the linesmen.

Clearly unhappy with their performance in the opening frame, Calgary was able to control the possession and pace of the game for the majority of the second period. This determination would pay off in the early moments of the frame as Mike Cammalleri went on to score his 11th goal of the season and second since being acquired from the Montreal Canadiens. Calgary continued to establish their fore check throughout the remainder of the period but much like the Redwings in the first period they were unable to pull ahead.

The tight checking game play continued well into the third and final frame, but in a reoccurring fashion one defensive zone lapse by the Calgary Flames would cost them on this night. Detroit forward Jiri Hudler would score the go ahead goal with 8:30 minutes to play when he somehow found space between four Flames players in front of Miikka Kiprusoff before sliding in the game winning goal. A few minutes later Drew Miller would put the game to bed as a promising fifty minutes of hockey for the home team seemingly went to waste.

As the season progresses it is becoming more and more apparent that Brent Sutter is not the coach that will lead this group of players to the playoffs. Although some may be quick to defend the guy, he is now on pace to miss the playoffs for the third straight year as the head coach of the Calgary Flames. It painfully obvious that the system he has in place is completely stifling the offensive production of the entire roster. I personally have to question anybody who will play Chris Butler on his top defensive pairing for the majority of the season when it clearly is not working. If the goal of this organization is to truly push for a playoff spot this season then they would have been best served to fire this guy thirty games ago. Enough is enough Brent; you have worn out your welcome here in Calgary, Move on!

- Forward Lee Stempniak was forced to leave the game in the second period with an apparent lower body injury.

- During the All-Star break Jay Feaster traded veteran center Brendan Morrison to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for 25 year old defensemen Brian Connelly.

- Calgary has now been unable to score more than one goal in eight of their last eleven games; you simply won’t win many games scoring at that clip.

- Matt Stajan returned to the lineup after missing a game with an undisclosed injury.

- Youngster Roman Horak was assigned to Abbotsford of the American Hockey League.

1. Jiri Hudler (Game winning goal)
2. Jimmy Howard (28 Saves, 0.966 SV%)
3. Mike Cammalleri (1 Goal, 4 Shots)