Phoenix Coyotes snuff the Calgary Flames out in 3-1 victory
The Calgary Flames may be known for their offensive firepower, but there are often times when their fire is snuffed out by an opposing team. The Phoenix Coyotes did just that then when
they visited the Flames on Wednesday 17 November, handing them a 3-1 loss.
How it happened
After a scoreless first period, the visitors were the first to strike at 7:13 of the second period. Wojtek Wolski beat Miikka Kiprusoff with a wrist shot for his second goal of the season.
Martin Hanzal followed that up with a power play goal at 12:33.
Coming into the third period, Calgary was down by a score of 2-0. Rene Bourque changed that at 16:08, scoring his ninth goal of the season on a wrist shot that got past Ilya Bryzgalov.
Phoneix put the game out of reach for the home team when Lauri Korpikoski scored into an empty net with only eight seconds left in the game. The three goals were all the Desert Dogs needed
to dispatch the Flames with a 3-1 win.
What they’re saying
No Coyotes player was happier to get the win than Bryzgalov, who stood tall in the Phoenix net with 39 saves. The goaltender said that team has been playing better overall, and that has
allowed them to win games.
“We’ve started feeling better not because we’ve won four games in a row, but because we’re playing better hockey and that's most important,” Bryzgalov told reporters after the game. “Sometimes
you can win four games in a row, but (you’re) unsatisfied with the type of hockey you’re playing. But when you play good hockey overall, you'll be fine.”
Hanzal, who scored a power play goal for the Coyotes in the second period, praised Bryzgalov for his solid play in net.
“Bryzy was outstanding in the first period,” Hanzal said. “He’s our best player, so if he plays well, we have a better chance of winning, it’s pretty simple.”
The highlight of the game was Wolski’s goal, which was scored from what hockey experts called an “impossible” angle. The puck sailed over Kiprusoff’s shoulder and into the net.
“He (Wolski) came in one-on-one and tried to shoot a few times and I tried to follow him,” Kiprusoff said. “But yeah, I was late there, I was moving sideways and wasn’t quick enough to
close the post. As a goalie, you have to stop those.”
Flames captain admitted that the one of the main areas that his team has struggled with this season is their lack of resiliency.
“Unfortunately, (when) you look back on this year, we haven’t been as resilient as we should be,” Iginla said. “You take a game like tonight, we were really going good early and you’re
not always going to get that first goal. We didn’t get it tonight, and we sagged a bit.”
Both teams will return to action on Friday 19 November. The Flames will host the Chicago Blackhawks, while the Coyotes will visit the Edmonton Oilers.
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