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Flames look to end slide in Columbus

2006-11-03T14:02:00.000-08:00

The Calgary Flames try to end a three-game losing skid tonight when they visit the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena.

Calgary has lost six of its last seven games overall, including Wednesday's 3-2 setback in Detroit to begin a three-game road trip.Brett Lebda's third- period goal proved to be the game-winner for the Red Wings.

Defensemen Dion Phaneuf and Andrew Ference provided the goals for the slumping Flames, while netminder Miikka Kiprusoff allowed three scores on 34 shots.

Jarome Iginla did not reach the scoresheet and had a four-game point streak come to an end. Iginla had posted four goals and two assists during the tear.

The Flames have not lost four consecutive games since January 9-14, 2003.

Calgary will visit St. Louis on Saturday.

Columbus, meanwhile, has lost two straight and six of its last seven. On Wednesday the Jackets dropped a 5-3 tilt to visiting Colorado, asJose Theodore stopped 41 shots, including 19 in the third period, to anchor the Avalanche.

David Vyborny and Fredrik Modin posted a goal and an assist apiece, and Sergei Fedorov also tallied. Goaltender Pascal Leclaire was touched for five goals on 22 shots in defeat.

Columbus' Rick Nash continued his scoring slump, as he didn't post a goal for the seventh consecutive contest.

The Blue Jackets will visit Detroit on Saturday.

Calgary and Columbus split four meetings last season.

Petr Sykora scores twice as Edmonton Oilers defeat Calgary Flames 3-1

2006-10-06T09:50:00.000-07:00

Petr Sykora scored his first two goals as an Edmonton Oiler and goaltender Dwayne Roloson turned aside 31 shots to lead the NHL's Western Conference champions to a 3-1 win over the Calgary Flames in their home opener Thursday.

Defenceman Daniel Tjarnqvist also scored for Edmonton and Jarome Iginla replied for Calgary in a penalty-filled affair before 16,839 fans at Rexall Place. The team play again Saturday night in Calgary.

It was the 29th time the 29-year-old Sykora had scored twice in a game in his 10-season career. He has yet to score a hat trick.

Miikka Kiprusoff made 19 saves for Calgary in a game that featured numerous end-to-end rushes and forced both goalies to make spectacular saves on two-on-ones and against one-timers from close in.

Sykora opened the scoring with about five minutes to go in the opening frame after winger Ales Hemsky drove hard to the net, then tried and failed to beat Kiprusoff on the backhand. The puck rebounded straight out and Sykora swooped in to bang it home.

He scored the eventual game-winner three minutes later with the Oilers on a two-man advantage, taking a Jarret Stoll pass in the high slot and one-timing a low slapshot past Kiprusoff.

The Flames wasted a golden opportunity in the first period when Iginla was taken down on a breakaway by defenceman Marc-Andre Bergeron and awarded a penalty shot.

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On the shot, Calgary's captain tried a backhand deke but Roloson stayed with him laterally across the crease for the pad save.

Tjarnqvist sealed the Oiler win midway through the third period, again on a play initiated by Hemsky.

The Czech winger used his speed and shifty moves to penetrate the Flames' defence, then turned and dished the puck to Tjarnqvist, who wristed a shot from the left faceoff circle over Kiprusoff's shoulder and into the top far corner of the net.

Iginla broke Roloson's shutout with just over five minutes left in the game with a snap shot from close in after taking cross-ice pass from Daymond Langkow.

Sykora, normally a right winger, has been shifted to second line centre between Hemksy and Raffi Torres given the depth the Oilers have up front.

The six-foot 190 pound Czech signed in the off-season with the Oilers as an unrestricted free agent after splitting last season with the New York Rangers and Anaheim Ducks.

Notes: Prior to the game, the Oilers raised their 2005-06 conference championship banner amid crowd cheers and a light show. The Oilers themselves, however, stayed in their dressing room a The Oilers are 14-9-4 on opening night while Calgary is 11-13-10 ... Oiler forward Ryan Smyth didn't practise Wednesday due to a strained neck but took a regular shift in Thursday's game ... The Oilers have said they're using the Flames as a measuring stick this season. They were 3-5 against the Northwest Division champs last year and a woeful 1-4-1 the season before that.

2006-10-06T09:39:00.000-07:00

NHL: FLAMES: Miikka Kiprusoff: Hart and Vezina Finalist

2006-06-13T07:54:00.000-07:00

Calgary goalie Miikka Kiprusoff is a finalist for the Hart Trophy as the most valuable player and the Vezina Trophy, which is awarded to the top goalie in the National Hockey League.The awards to to be presented June 22 in Vancouver. (CBC 8 p.m.)Jaromir Jagr of the New York Rangers and Joe Thornton of the San Jose Sharks are also nominated for the Hart Trophy, which is presented to the player deemed most valuable to his team.Martin Brodeur of the New Jersey Devils and Henrik Lundqvist of the New York Rangers are also nominated for the Vezina Trophy.

Flames sign fourth-round pick Seitsonen

2006-06-05T10:27:00.000-07:00

The Calgary Flames signed forward Aki Seitsonen to an entry-level contract Thursday.
The six-foot-three, 206-pounder recorded 20 goals and 15 assists for the Prince Albert Raiders of the Western Hockey League this season.
Seitsonen, 20, also played seven games with the AHL's Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights this season, but did not record a point.
He has twice represented his native Finland at the world junior hockey championship, winning a bronze medal at the 2006 event in Vancouver.
The Flames drafted Seitsonen in the fourth round, 118th overall, of the 2004 NHL entry draft.

Flames playoff prospect report

2006-05-30T10:39:00.000-07:00

Two Calgary Flames' junior prospects were competing in the final few games for the MasterCard Memorial Cup over the weekend, including Daniel Ryder and J.D. Watt.The two prospects faced-off last Thursday, which sent the winner onto the semi-final round of the Memorial Cup.

Daniel Ryder
Back-to-back losses to the Vancouver Giants sent Daniel Ryder and the Peterborough Petes out of the running for the coveted cup. It was a disappointing 6-0 loss that sent the team packing Thursday (May 25) in the tie-breaking game. Ryder, a native of Bonavista, Nfld., has been on fire as of recently posting 15 goals and 16 assists (31 points) in just 19 games during the Petes playoff run. During the round robin portion of the Memorial Cup, Ryder had one goal and six penalty minutes in four games, but looked to get back in the groove of things in terms of scoring. Two of those penalty minutes came during Thursday's loss. During the regular season, Ryder tallied 38 goals and 44 assists (82 points) in 65 games. In 2004-05, this high scoring forward posted 29 goals, 53 assists for 82 points and 55 penalty minutes in 68 games.Ryder is competing in his second playoff run with the Petes. In Peterborough's (May 11) 4-3 win over the London Knights, Ryder put the Petes on the board with his 15th goal of the post-season. In Game 3 of the series against the Knights, Ryder scored back-to-back goals 1:03 apart during the first period.Ryder, who led the Petes in playoff scoring, won the Wayne Gretzky 99 Award as the most valuable player of the 2006 OHL playoffs.Ryder was also recently recognized in three categories in the 2005-06 Eastern Conference Coaches Poll, including first for best penalty killer and third for smartest player and best on the face-off.

J.D. Watt
Alberta born right winger J.D. Watt and the Vancouver Giants shutout the Peterborough Petes 6-0 in Thursday's intense tie-breaker. But it was a 3-1 loss Friday to the Moncton Wildcats that kept the Giants one victory from the Memorial Cup Championship. A game that would have ended the team's season off just right. The Giants also suffered a 3-2 loss to the Moncton Wildcats in their opening game of the tournament Saturday (May 20) and a 6-3 loss to the Quebec Remparts Sunday (May 21).In five games, Watt had one assist and 19 penalty minutes. Prior to Memorial Cup action, Watt was on a roll, scoring in Vancouver's (May 9) 4-0 series sweep over the Moose Jaw Warriors, making it his fourth goal of the playoffs. In the Giants 2-1 win over the Warriors, Watt scored a pair of goals, including the game winner, which was his first game-winner of the post season.The Giants were on a 12-game winning streak going into the Memorial Cup, with eight wins on the road.Watt, a Flames' fourth round draft pick in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft, posted six goals a seven assists (13 points) in 67 games during the 2005-06 regular season. He also led his team in penalty minutes with 213.

And a Child Shall Lead Them

2006-05-17T12:51:00.000-07:00

By Mike Brody
WagerWeb.com Contributing Writer

Rookie goaltenders have had success in the Stanley Cup Playoffs before – most notably with Ken Dryden in 1971 and Patrick Roy in 1986, both leading the Montreal Canadiens to the Cup – but never before has a crop of rookie goalies dominated the playoffs like they have this season.

Of the five remaining teams in this year’s playoffs, three are led by rookie goalies and another by a first-year starter. Carolina’s Cam Ward, Buffalo’s Ryan Miller, Anaheim’s Ilya Bryzgalov, and San Jose’s Vesa Toskala have all enjoyed incredible playoff success thus far.

Seven-year veteran Dwayne Roloson of the Edmonton Oilers, who was acquired in a mid-season trade with the Minnesota Wild, is the only experienced goaltender left. I don’t think anyone would have predicted that, especially with the presence of such big-name goalies as Martin Brodeur and Miikka Kiprusoff, and other veteran backstops or NHL powerhouses like Detroit’s Manny Legace, Dallas’s Marty Turco, and Colorado’s Jose Theodore, among the contenders.

The New Favorite

Thanks to a surprisingly easy 4 games to 1 victory over the New Jersey Devils, and a dominating performance winning four straight games over Montreal after losing the first two in Round 1, the Carolina Hurricanes have emerged as the new favorite to win Lord Stanley’s Cup. Despite finishing the regular season with 112 points, just 1 behind Eastern Conference leader Ottawa, the Hurricanes’ odds of winning the Cup entering the playoffs were posted at 10-1. That was before the oddsmakers had seen Ward turn away almost every shot he’s faced.

In 10 playoff games, the 22-year-old rookie has allowed just 17 goals while posting a 1.77 goals against average (GAA). Ward let in just five goals in Carolina’s four victories over New Jersey as he outplayed his boyhood idol Brodeur. With his stellar play, and the Hurricanes’ opportunistic offense, led by 100-point scorer Eric Staal, Carolina will be tough to beat.

The Upstart Challenger

The Sabres’ Miller is the only U.S.-born goalie among the Fab Four. He hopes to duplicate the feat of another rookie American goalie, Ron Hextall, who led the Philadelphia Flyers to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1987. After a shaky start in Game 1 against Ottawa, Buffalo’s defense and Miller shut down the Senators the rest of the way, allowing two or fewer goals in each of the last four games. The Michigan native has a 2.25 GAA and a .921 save percentage in the first two rounds of the playoffs.

Buffalo’s defense has been stellar in front of Miller. Defensemen Toni Lydman and Henrik Tallinder lead all playoff performers in plus/minus at plus-13. The Sabres’ offense has been scoring in bunches. Buffalo has a team-leading 43 goals scored in 11 games and is riding high after winger Jason Pominville’s shorthanded, overtime goal clinched the series against Ottawa.

Mr. Perfect – Almost

Anaheim’s Bryzgalov has been the most surprising and impressive of all the rookies. Bryzgalov didn’t even enter the playoffs as the Ducks’ No. 1 goalie. That honor went to Jean-Sebastian Giguere, who led Anaheim to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2003, his second year in the league, and was named the Conn Smythe winner as the MVP of the playoffs that season.

After splitting their first four games against Calgary in Round 1, the Ducks made the switch to Bryzgalov and they haven’t regretted it. The 24-year-old Russian has practically stood on his head as he is sporting a ridiculous 0.87 GAA and .967 save percentage. He recorded three straight shutouts, including Game 7 at Calgary to clinch that series. In doing so, Bryzgalov set a rookie playoff record, holding opponents scoreless for 249 minutes, 15 seconds. Only Montreal’s George Hainsworth, 270:08 in 1930, has had a longer playoff scoreless streak.

The Final Four

San Jose’s Toskala is hoping to join his fellow first-year netminders in the conference finals. After an excellent series against Nashville in Round 1, including a shutout in Game 2, and two 2-1 victories to open the Edmonton series, Toskala and the Sharks find themselves on the ropes as the Oilers have stormed back to take a 3-2 series lead. Edmonton will try to close it out at home on Wednesday night.

San Jose’s offense is led by Patrick Marleau, who leads all playoff goal scorers with nine. The Sharks will need to get an early lead and help Toskala protect it to force a Game 7 at home on Friday.

The Finals

The matchup between Ward and Miller should be as entertaining as it gets. Both are capable of stealing a game or two for their respective teams. Carolina is the favorite, but Buffalo has a lot of momentum and Miller has shown he can win the close games with four one-goal victories against Ottawa. Look for the Sabres to get to the Finals.

The Ducks have had a long time off after unexpectedly sweeping the Avalanche. Anaheim may be a little rusty to start the conference finals, but the Ducks have good veteran leadership in Scott Niedermayer and Teemu Selanne and will ride the stellar play of Bryzgalov past either the Oilers or the Sharks to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Flames ink Yelle

2006-05-17T11:07:00.000-07:00

The Calgary Flames announced on Thursday that they have signed forward Stephane Yelle. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Yelle recently completed his third season in a Calgary sweater, totaling four goals and 14 assists for the Flames. He also logged 48 penalty minutes.
The Ottawa native has recorded 23 goals and 131 assists, good for 203 points, in 714 games in his 10-year career with Colorado and Calgary.
Yelle is a two-time Stanley Cup champion, having won the cup with the Avalanche in 1996 and 2001. He was acquired by the Flames on October 1, 2002 along with Chris Drury, in a trade that sent Dean McAmmond, Derek Morris and Jeff Shantz to Colorado.

Flames bucks stop here

2006-05-08T09:27:00.000-07:00

The vanquished Calgary Flames are nursing their bruised pride while licking financial wounds inflicted by an early playoff exit, club president Ken King said yesterday.
"It's hard to describe -- expectations were very high," said King, adding he sympathized with both players and fans.
While he wouldn't say how much revenue the first-round defeat would cost the club, the Flames reaped about $1 million from each home playoff game during the 2004 run to the Stanley Cup finals.
The money came from everything from tickets to food and beverage sales and the purchase of other merchandise.
"It's pretty obvious it'll have a deleterious effect," said King.
"Each game and each series is a very important increment."
It's difficult to detach hockey's psychological rollercoaster from its fiscal side, he added.
"The more emotional equity there is, the better the likelihood you'll build financial equity," he said.
Despite Wednesday night's disappointment of the Flames 3-0 Game 7 loss at home to the Anaheim Mighty Ducks, the balance sheet on both of those factors remains positive for the Flames, who enjoyed a season of healthy revenues and moral support gleaned from constant Saddledome sellouts, said King.
"In my e-mails today, I received support and encouragement 20-to-one over the negative," he said.
Operators of bars on the Red Mile said life will go on, even though they'll be forgoing significant receipts in the absence of a Flames' playoff presence.
Brigitte Balchewich, manager of Watchman's Pub, 1109 17 Ave. S.W., said hockey fever accounted for up to 40% of the bar's playoff-season business.
"It's the best business during the season, but what are you going to do?" said Balchewich. "It's pretty sombre here today."
Said Mike Hope, general manager of the Rose & Crown Pub, 1503 4 St. S.W.: "We can definitely expect a dip on hockey evenings -- it was probably a 40-percent increase with the Flames."
But down the street, Jeanne Doctor of Bob the Fish Tavern, 501 17 Ave. S.W., said they're counting on local Edmonton Oilers fans to pick up the slack.
"There are so many Edmonton fans here, but obviously, it won't be the Red Mile," she said.
"We were hoping for a longer Flames run."

Flames are betting on their experience

2006-05-01T11:41:00.000-07:00

Darren McCarty is banking on experience to carry the Calgary Flames through their tight first-round series against the Mighty Ducks.
"I'm a firm believer that the way you learn how to win is to go through difficult losing and finding out how to get over that," McCarty said Sunday before the Flames' flight to California for Game 6 of its Western Conference matchup.

The Flames lead the best-of-7 series, 3-2, and can eliminate the Mighty Ducks with a win tonight.
Many of the key pieces in the Flames' trek to the 2004 Stanley Cup Finals remain in place, players who know what it's like to endure a heartbreaking defeat. Calgary's seven-game loss to Tampa Bay in the 2004 Stanley Cup Finals is still fresh in the players' minds.
McCarty joined the Flames in the offseason after winning three Stanley Cup titles with the Detroit Red Wings -- but those championships didn't come without some growing pains.
"I don't think I really understood what it was about," McCarty said of his first playoff experience in 1994, when the Red Wings were upset in the first round by the San Jose Sharks.
McCarty learned a lot more after Detroit's loss in the Stanley Cup Finals the next year, followed by a loss to Colorado in the 1996 Western Conference championship.
"Those three years (were) a learning experience about the difference between regular season and playoffs and what it takes to get over that hump," McCarty said.
Difficult losing, at least at the NHL level, is not something many Ducks players can draw upon. The Ducks dressed six rookies in Saturday's 3-2 loss, and 10 players are seeing their first playoff action.
But Mighty Ducks forward Todd Marchant said he doesn't believe teams need to lose to learn how to win.
"Whether you played junior, college, in Europe, guys have been in these situations before," Marchant said Saturday. "Just because it wasn't at the NHL level doesn't mean you can't draw on your experiences of the past.
"Yes, it is at a higher level, but the situations are the same."

Next week on TV (5-1/5-7)

2006-04-27T13:58:00.000-07:00

By Daniel Kline
WagerWeb.com Contributing Writer

Both the NBA and the NHL close out the first round of their playoffs. In baseball, you’ve got the Orioles and the Blue Jays, matching up in what has to be one of the biggest questions of the baseball season. One of these teams might hang on to challenge the Yankees and Red Sox, but probably not both, making this early season tilt a little more interesting.

*All times Eastern.

Monday, May 1
NFL Europe, Berlin at Rhein (3 p.m., NFL Network)
Stop arguing about who your team drafted and check in on the sport’s minor league with this mid-afternoon match-up. Though NFL Europe might not get the attention of its big brother, the league offers a good chance to figure out which back-up players might break through come the fall.

Tuesday, May 2
Yankees at Red Sox (7:05 p.m., DirecTV, regional)
Every Yankees versus Red Sox match-up gets covered like a playoff game in Boston and New York, so expect tempers to flare in this tilt. The Sox have had the early season advantage, but that’s nothing new, as the Sox always have a division lead in the Summer – the question is whether they can hold it in the Fall.

Wednesday, May 3
Boxing (9 p.m. ESPN2)
Sharmba Mitchell takes on Jose Luis Cruz in a 10-round welterweight tilt. Cruz plays the role of the fighter on the way up, taking on former two-time champion Mitchell, who wants one more shot at the gold. Mitchell was knocked out in the sixth round in his last fight, but that was against Floyd Mayweather – one of the best in the division – so he’s aiming to prove that was a fluke and knock Cruz off the ladder of contention.

Thursday, May 4
Wachovia Open (4 p.m., USA)
A Tiger-less field should leave this one pretty wide open. Vijay Singh attempts to repeat as champion, a title he took last year in a three-way playoff with Sergio Garcia and Jim Furyk.

Friday, May 5
College Volleyball (Midnight, ESPN2)
Catch the men’s semifinal of the NCAA men’s volleyball tournament. This might be your last chance to see some of your favorite players before they turn pro and head out on the lucrative men’s volleyball tour.

Saturday, May 6
Kentucky Derby (6 p.m., NBC)
Horse racing only matters three times a year to the average fan, but the Kentucky captures the best of the sport. Because it’s the first Triple Crown race, every Derby winner stands the chance of being the first horse to bring home racing’s most elusive prize since Affirmed in 1978.

Sunday, May 7
Premier League Soccer (5 p.m., FOXESP)
Two of the big powers in the Premiership face off as Newcastle battles Chelsea in an attempt to cut into Chelsea’s overall lead in the standings. Chelsea did just fall in the FA Cup semifinal, but their big lead in the regular season standings makes clinching the title almost inevitable.

Daniel Kline’s book “50 Things Every Guy Should Know How To Do” is available in bookstores nationwide. He can be reached at dan@notastep.com.

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Flames aim to up intensity in Game 3 against Ducks

2006-04-25T12:40:00.000-07:00

Darryl Sutter never expected the Calgary Flames to sweep the Anaheim Mighty Ducks in four straight games.
After splitting the first two games of the Western Conference quarter-final series with the Ducks in Calgary, the Flames now have a battle on their hands heading to Anaheim for the next two contests tonight and Thursday.
"The teams, they’re so even — there’s not much difference," said the Flames coach and GM. "There’s always a certain contingent that wants to indict and criticize the team, but you better give the other team some credit too."
Sutter noted that come playoff time, every team needs its top players to step to the forefront.
"It’s about warriors," Sutter said. "There’s guys that we’re counting on and that they’re counting on to be really good in the trenches."
So far in the first two games, the Ducks have won the majority of the battles for loose pucks.
"Their players have been better than some of our players in the tough areas of the ice, bottom line," Sutter said. "We have a handful of guys that can do a lot better job of getting there."
Calgary captain Jarome Iginla agreed that the Ducks have outbattled the Flames so far, but he vowed that’s going to change.
"Nobody’s relaxing or lethargic," Iginla said. "I think we’re going to come out very strong. We know that we’ve been outworked more than we’ve outworked them in the first two games and we want that to change."
Forward Shean Donovan said there’s no need to panic after the Flames lost the second game of the series 4-3 on Sunday night.
"It’s a race to the end," he said. "We knew it was going to be a hard-fought series. I think we’ve got to key on ourselves and kind of worry about ourselves here and get back to basics. The guys are excited and we’re going to be ready (Tuesday)."
Hard work should determine which team advances through to the second round, Donovan added.
"You’ve just got to do anything you can," he said. "It’s two evenly matched teams. It’s going to be who wants it the most."
Chuck Kobasew, who had a chance to tie Sunday’s game in the dying seconds only to be foiled by Ducks netminder Jean-Sebastian Giguere, said he’s going to try harder to get more scoring chances earlier in upcoming games.
"It’s all about finding the openings and getting those opportunities," said Kobasew, who’s now gone 28 playoff games without scoring a goal. "Individually I have to get better and we all know we have to get better as a team."
Kobasew also commended the Ducks for their effort in the first two games and added that the Flames need to raise their level of play.
"We knew they’re a hard-working team, they’re a fast-skating team," he said. "Now, it’s just a matter of we’ve got to elevate our intensity."

Calgary Flames vs. Anaheim Mighty Ducks

2006-04-24T11:43:00.000-07:00

Calgary Flames

The Flames are really motivated for the playoffs. They are the sportbooks No. 3 seed in the East and have all the right to be in the playoffs because they’ve been consistent all year with a great defense and a magnificent goalie that can keep them out of trouble in the playoffs.

The biggest strength of this team is the full contact game they’ve been practicing all season and has worked for them. Both teams are really fast on the ice but the Flames will try to slow down the game and impose the strength on the ice and take advantage of that.
But they must be very careful in not getting many penalties because the Ducks will take advantage of all the power plays they can get a hold of. The Flames can get hurt for all the penalties that can easily cost them the ticket for the next round.

"From our point of view, we're going to try to be as physical as we can within the rules. I don't think that's a secret. That's where we have success. As far as if it's going to be the most physical (series) of all time, I don't know. It should be a really good series."-- Calgary's Jarome Iginla.

Anaheim Mighty Ducks

On the other side, the Ducks had a great season, breaking most of the franchise records set in the year they went to the final for the Stanley Cup. So this post season could be very productive for them if they manage to take advantage of the speed and force of Flames to send players to the penalty box often to take advantage in power plays.

The Ducks need at all cost to maintain this series games with low scores if they want to really pass to the next round. Because once the Flames take the lead it will be very hard to outplay them since they have a wonderful goalie and the contact game could be hard to beat.

In the end it could all come to a goalies match, whichever goalie has the best performance in the series could balance the games towards one side or another. That’s due to the fact that both teams are very comparatively balanced, Calgary on one hand has a great defense and on the other Anaheim has a wonderful offense so it could be a really close series.

"We've been playing well the last three or four months and we deserve to be in the playoffs. We deserve to have fun when we're there. We're gonna be a tough team to beat. But saying that, every other one of the 15 teams are gonna be tough to beat. We've just got to go in there and have fun." -- Anaheim goalie J.S. Giguere

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Canucks-Flames

2006-04-17T10:23:00.000-07:00

Crippled by an injury-riddled defense and a jet-lagged offense, the Vancouver Canucks showed their resiliency.
Markus Naslund and Anson Carter scored second-period goals nine seconds apart to lead the Canucks to a 2-1 win over Calgary line on Tuesday night, moving Vancouver into a tie with the Flames atop the Northwest Division.
Calgary led 1-0 and seemed to be controlling the play when the complexion of the contest quickly changed.
At 18:20, Steve McCarthy's pass to Brendan Morrison at the Flames blue-line caught Calgary on a line change. Morrison then chipped the puck to Naslund, who broke in alone and fired a high shot past Miikka Kiprusoff.
``Auld (Vancouver goalie Alex Auld) was yelling at me to throw the puck up and I just turned my head before I got it and passed it up to Mo,'' said McCarthy. ``I've certainly been on the other end when you're tired and you're trying to get off the ice.
``It was a great play by Alex to communicate.''
Just nine seconds later, Bryan Allen and Olympic goal medalist Daniel Sedin combined to spring Anton Carter for his 22nd of the season. Carter beat Kiprusoff with a shot from the top of the faceoff circle.
That's all the offense Vancouver needed as Auld stopped 30 shots to improve to 26-16-3.
``We weren't initially supposed to be up but after Naslund scored, our line usually does a pretty good job of applying pressure on our shifts and I think (coach Marc) Crawford wanted to maintain that pressure,'' said Carter.
Vancouver (34-21-5) has won three straight versus its division rival after losing the first four meetings of the season.
Robyn Regehr scored the lone goal for Calgary (33-18-7).
``I don't know if we were waiting around for the usual suspects to try and get us going or what,'' Regehr said. ``But winning games for us is about being strong in our own zone, being physical, and having different guys step up and provide timely offence for us and that didn't happen tonight.''
Fresh from Sweden's gold medal victory over Finland on Sunday, the weary Sedin twins flew 12 hours to get from Stockholm to Calgary, arriving less than four hours before the opening faceoff.
Daniel Sedin said they kept their shifts short.
``We had to, we were dying out there,'' he said. ``I got tired more quickly than usual but it was a great win and it feels great to be back.''
Auld was busiest in the second stopping all 14 shots he faced as Vancouver took the lead despite being outshot 14-7.
``One of those games where we had a chance to go up two goals but just didn't do it,'' said Calgary forward Darren McCarty. ``We had shots and chances but our urgency in front of the net just wasn't good enough.''
Vancouver's defense was missing four regulars with Sami Salo (shoulder) and Mattias Ohlund (ribs) joining Ed Jovanovski (groin) and Nolan Baumgartner (ankle) on the sidelines.
Among those playing defense were Tomas Mojzis and Sven Butenschon, who both were recalled from Manitoba of the AHL on Monday.
``You go down the list and everyone stepped up and played beyond what they've been used to in terms of minutes and different situations,'' said Auld. ``McCarthy was exceptional, Allen was great playing more of a defensive role, everyone played so well.''

Flames look to turn road trip record around

2006-04-17T10:22:00.000-07:00

It's been a roller coaster ride for the Flames this season; one second they're up, the next second they're down. The ride is all to familiar for the Flames, but the team looks to change that this time around.
Sitting once again atop the Northwest Division, the Flames may be facing one of their biggest challenges yet. One long and enduring road trip.
The Flames embark on a lengthy, but all important, seven game road trip beginning Thursday when they'll look to gain a possible 14 points, in what will be the team's longest road trip this season."It's tough to win on the road and this being our longest trip of the year, it's very imperative that we play over 500," commented forward Darren McCarty.But that's something the Flames have struggled to do.
With a 13-13-4 road record so far this season, including losses to Colorado, Chicago and an overtime loss to St. Louis during their last five-game road trip in late January, it's no wonder players like McCarty and defenceman Andrew Ference want to wipe the slate clean and start fresh."I think a big accomplishment for this team would be to improve our road record," said Ference."It's been the low point in the team's successes this year, so to pick that up would be a big accomplishment and a big goal for our club."McCarty agrees, especially since playoffs are just around the corner."Now we're in the heat of things, and we've got to win some road games," added McCarty."We have to go on the road and really find ways to win in tough buildings, and that's what this stretch run is all about, and it's sort of the playoff mentality."While some players look at it in the whole grand scheme of things, others believe you have to simply take it one game at a time, including speedy forward Shean Donovan. "It's all about battling. We just look at Edmonton and it's a big two points there against our divisional rival, so it's going to be an intense, hard battle," commented Donovan."I think it just starts there and you can't look to far ahead; the teams are battling, and it's so tight that you can only look at one game at a time."
Whatever the case, the Flames don't plan on leaving their perch atop the Northwest Division anytime soon. They're there to stay according to McCarty."We were able to get back into first and we don't plan on giving it up again."

Red Wings-Flames

2006-04-17T10:21:00.000-07:00

The Detroit Red Wings seek to match the NHL record for road victories when they take on the Calgary Flames in a matchup of division leaders.
Detroit improved to 27-6-3 on the road with a 3-2 spread victory Sunday at Minnesota. The Red Wings are one shy of the 28 road wins recorded by New Jersey in 1998-99.
Henrik Zetterberg scored his team-high 36th goal in the first period and the Red Wings added two power-play goals in the second to notch their eighth straight road win.
Coach Mike Babcock had a simple reason for his team's success on the road.
''We're not as cute on the road,'' he said. ''We keep the shifts really short and just roll everyone.''
Detroit's league-leading power play was effective on Sunday. Steve Yzerman assisted on power-play goals by Brendan Shanahan and Robert Lang for the Red Wings , who had scored on just one of their previous 17 chances entering Sunday's game.
''We've got a good power play and we want to have it good going into the playoffs,'' Babcock said. ''We don't want teams to (mess) around with us. We feel we can bury you on the power play if you try to (mess) around against us.''
The nhl Red Wings , who have clinched the Central division crown, lead the Stars by eight points for the best record in the Western Conference with eight games to play. Detroit meets Dallas for the final time in the regular season on April 17.
Calgary is shooting for a fourth straight victory after winning 4-1 at Edmonton on Saturday. Kristian Huselius scored and Miikka Kiprusoff made 25 saves for his 38th win.
''We were ready from the start,'' Huselius said. ''But it's going to be tough down the stretch.''
Calgary leads Colorado by four points in the Northwest Division standings and is beginning a three-game homestand. It plays five of its final eight games at home.
Kiprusoff has been in the net during Calgary's four-game home winning streak, compiling a 1.75 goals-against-average in that span. He needs one win to tie the Flames' single-season record set by Mike Vernon in 1987-88.
Leading scorer Jarome Iginla has a goal and six assists during a six-game points streak.
The Flames are one of just three teams to have more than one regulation victory this season over the Red Wings , along with Vancouver and Phoenix.