NHL Update: Calgary Flames defeat Ottawa Senators, 5-2
Anton Babchuk scored a goal and assisted twice to carry Calgary Flames to a 5-2 win against Ottawa Senators on Wednesday night.
Olli Jokinen and Curtis Glencross both netted a goal and picked up an assist for Calgary, which has won two consecutive games and eight of nine overall. Tim Jackman also tallied two goals,
while Miikka Kiprusoff made 24 saves for the victors.
"We're a confident group and even when we were down the one goal, 2-1, you could just see it on the bench that we were fine," said Flames Coach Brent Sutter. "We settled down and we really
got into our game in the second period and we stayed with it for the rest of the game."
Chris Campoli and Chris Kelly both found the net for Senators, whose losing streak extended to 11 contests. Robin Lehner turned away 30 shots in the losing effort.
Flames got on the board first for 1-0 lead when Niklas Hagman ripped a shot from the slot that went off of Jackman and into the net.
Senators, though, posted two goals 1:04 apart later in the opening period to notch a 2-1 lead.
Senators tied the game at 1-1 just before the midway point. The goal was set up by Jarkko Ruutu, who sent a hard pass from the right point to the slot where Kelly banged a quick shot into
the left corner.
Just over a minute later, Campoli put Senators ahead by a 2-1 lead, as he hammered a slap shot that flew over Kiprusoff’s shoulder and went home.
Trailing by a goal, Flames knotted the game at 2-2 with nearly 6 ½ minutes left in the middle period. During a power play, Glencross controlled the puck at the right circle and waited for
the netminder to get out of position and then sent it to the slot where Jokinen jammed it into the open net for his 10th goal of the season.
Glencross staked Flames to a 3-2 edge with his 15th goal of the season with nearly two minutes remaining in the second session.
“That was the turning point,” Senators coach Cory Clouston said of Glencross’ goal. “We played a good game up to that point, for the most part. When that one went in it just really took the
wind out of our sails and gave them the momentum going into the third.
Calgary made it a 4-2 game on a power-play just 8 ½ minutes into the final stanza, as Babchuk’s shot from the top of the right circle went past Lehner.
Jackman wrapped up the victory with 4:22 left in the game with another power-play goal to account for the final score 5-2.
Tags: