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Sometimes hockey just isn't fair. Sometimes you play well enough to win, and you still lose. Sometimes you play a terrible game and are lucky enough to escape with a win.
That's pretty much the best way to describe Saturday's Blackhawks-Flames game, which Chicago won 3-2 in a shootout.
Neither team really deserved the result it received.
With the Blackhawks nursing a 1-0 lead late in the third period -- and getting badly outplayed by the Flames -- Calgary scored a pair of goals in the final six minutes including what looked to be a potential game-winning tally from Jay Bouwmeester with less than 40 seconds to play.
But Marian Hossa had other ideas, tying the game with 2.1 seconds to play to cap off an insane final minute of regulation.
The Flames got a power play in the overtime period but failed to score after Jarome Iginla hit the post, and a couple of other quality chances were either stopped by Ray Emery (who played out of his mind in net for the Blackhawks) or fired wide of the net.
After the game P.J. Stock pointed out on the Hockey Night In Canada broadcast that the Flames didn't do enough to wear down the Blackhawks physically because they only finished with seven hits. This, of course, just highlights the flaw with real-time stats like "hits." The reason the Flames weren't racking up a lot of them wasn't because they weren't being physical or doing enough to wear Chicago down, it was because they had the puck all night long.
The Flames finished the game outshooting Chicago 47-19, including 38-19 advantage at even-strength. Over 70 percent of the shot attempts in this game were taken by Calgary. According to Flames blogger Kent Wilson the Flames outchanced Chicago 35-15 for the game.
Basically, Calgary played like a team that had played just two games over the past week against a team that was on the second night of a back-to-back and had played three games in four nights.
Losing a game like that has to be a swift kick in the groin for Calgary.
It wasn't because of a lack of physical play or a lack of effort, it was because Emery simply outplayed Miikka Kiprusoff.
With a little bad luck thrown on top.
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