Calgary Flames edge past Edmonton Oilers 2-1
Flames goalie Miikka Kiprusoff turned aside 16 of 17 shots to help the Calgary Flames edge the Edmonton Oilers 2-1 at Rexall Place on Saturday night. Mark Giordano’s second-period goal proved to be the game-winner, while Tim Jackman also lit the lamp for
Calgary (18-18-3), who have stretched their winning streak to a season-high four games.
Flames Coach Brent Sutter said after the game, "We had a good, solid start to our game. When you get all the shots we did and hold your opponents to three, you're doing something right. We carried that on for the rest of the game and were able to grab the
two points."
Ryan Jones scored the lone goal for Edmonton (12-18-7), who have lost their sixth straight game and eighth from their last nine. Goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin surrendered two goals off 30 shots in the defeat.
Calgary captain Jarome Iginla believes his team has turned a corner. He said, "It feels like we have been playing a lot better hockey of late. We're not there yet, and there is a lot of work to do, but it feels good. Everybody is finding ways to contribute.
Different nights it is different guys, and that's what winning teams do."
At the 13 minute mark of the first period, Tim Jackman gave the flames a 1-0 lead. David Moss sent the puck from the left boards to the front, where Jackman went to the backhand for a shot between the pads of the Oilers netminder.
Ryan Jones tied the score 1-1 midway through the second period. Dustin Penner outmuscled Flames defenceman Jay Bouwmeester in the corner and dished the puck for Tom Gilbert, who sent a backhanded pass over to the right side where Jones snapped it past Kiprusoff
for his career-high ninth goal. Calgary regained their lead just four minutes later when Giordano's shot ripped off Oilers forward Dustin Penner and pinballed past Khabibulin. Flames had a 26-8 shots advantage through the first two periods.
Kiprusoff was terrific on a lot of screened shots. He maintained the lead in the third period by stopping nine shots. His best came eight minutes into the third period, as Ales Hemsky let fly with a shot that got past Kiprusoff, but the veteran goalie dived
back and swept it away with his glove. The Flames defeated the Oilers for the 10th time in the last eleven meetings. The Oilers won their last game three weeks ago, when they beat Columbus Blue Jackets 6-3 on 16 December.
Oilers coach Tom Renney said the team was missing too many players to put in consistent performances. He said, "Some of it (the work) was done by the people that need to. But others didn't make it to the rink. We need these people desperately if we are going
to have any kind of success. I'm hoping they understand who they are.”
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