Russian fans on penalty shot with game still on the line

By TODD SAELHOF 

Oleg Saprykin says he was perfect on the penalty shot with the WHL's Seattle Thunderbirds.

In last night's NHL debut of "the most exciting play in hockey," the Calgary Flames winger was seemingly perfect again -- that is, until he fanned and sailed it well wide of the net.

"I tried faking (goaltender Dan Cloutier) and roofing it upstairs but I just fanned on it at the last second," said Saprykin of a penalty shot for the Flames with 6:50 gone in the third period of last night's 2-0 home loss to the Vancouver Canucks.

"The shot was pretty open. I put my shoulder down and tried to roof it upstairs under the bar."

But it went for naught for the Russian winger.

Cloutier didn't even get a piece of the puck as it hit the boards harmlessly behind him.

And along with that 'thud' essentially went the chances of a two-goal comeback for the hosts.

"On your first penalty shot, you're always nervous," said the 22-year-old Saprykin. "So obviously I was nervous a little bit."

Mattias Ohlund was tagged on the play by officials for putting his hand on the puck while in his own crease.

The Canucks blueliner actually put his hand on the puck twice during a goal-mouth scramble that saw the Flames banging away at loose rubber.

"We just tried to pound that thing in front of the net and get a shot at it and get it in," said Saprykin, who was successful in scoring off a similar goal-mouth scrum in the Flames' 2-1 win over the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night.

On this night, Saprykin was selected by the Flames coaching staff from an otherwise cast of checkers on the ice at the time of the infraction.

NHL rules state a player on the ice when the infraction is called must be chosen to take the penalty shot.

The other Flames on the ice at the time of the Ohlund penalty were Chris Clark, who is mired in a 19-game goal-scoring drought, Stephane Yelle, a goal-getter only three times in 29 games this season, and defencemen Robyn Regehr and Rhett Warrener, a blueline pairing with just three goals in a combined 213 straight games.

Although he has just 22 goals in 143 NHL games, Saprykin was a junior sniper with 77 through 114 games with the Thunderbirds.

Yet he couldn't net his sixth of the season at a time when his team needed it most.

"He had him -- I watched it," said Flames GM/head coach Darryl Sutter. "He faked, had him and missed the net.

"Early in the period, your goal is to cut (the score) in half. And then, that (penalty shot) should tie it."

It was the second penalty shot for the Flames this season.

Unlike Saprykin, the Flames leading goal-scorer, Shean Donovan, was successful in a 3-1 win Dec. 2 over the visiting San Jose Sharks.