Calgary Rangers pulled off a 2:1 victory over Bakersfield Condors at home on Friday night in the American Hockey League. The result keeps the hosts unbeaten after two matches, while the visitors take another setback to their record. And here's the thing — you don't need a play-by-play to see this was a game decided by margins.
The Rangers have been competitive all season, sitting second in the table with two wins from two outings. Bakersfield meanwhile sit fifth, one victory and one defeat in their opening round. To be fair, the standings don't tell the whole story of how close these sides are.
Calgary came into this fixture having shown they can score — they rattled off 4:2 wins against Abbotsford Canucks earlier this month, and before that a 7:5 thriller with Colorado Eagles. But scoring goals is one thing, holding them out is another. By then the Condors had already proven they could handle pressure, beating Henderson Silver Knights 3:1 before dropping a 3:4 heartbreaker in the same stretch.
We had tipped the away side for this one, giving Bakersfield 50 per cent confidence. The prediction didn't come off, and that's worth noting without spinning it. Sometimes the old head settles them down, and sometimes the defence switches off at the back when it matters most.
The two-point swing this result creates matters more than the scoreline itself. Calgary close in on a cushion at the top, while Bakersfield will need to sharpen up if they want to climb out of fifth. The table goes out of the window in these games — but you still have to respect what sitting second after two matches means.
