Plagued at the Pond - Flames spirited effort falls short

"Aside from the goals that they got (early), I think that we played a really good game. We had a great third period, a lot of quality scoring chances. I really thought we were going to get the win in the third." - Jarome Iginla

The Calgary Flames earned an “A” for effort on Monday evening but only one point in the standings as the Anaheim Ducks continued their home ice dominance over the Stampede City crew with a 3-2 shootout victory.

The Ducks, mired in last place in the Western Conference before gaining the two-point decision, have won 10 straight games over the Flames in the decidedly friendly confines of the Honda Center. Duck goaltender J-S Giguere stopped 41 shots to earn the victory, the first time he has placed a positive check mark on the win/loss ledger since March of 2009.

Teemu Selanne, the third marksmen of the shootout session, registered the game-winning goal with a masterfully measured maneuver. The flashy Finn stormed toward the Flames net, slammed on the brakes and patiently waited for Calgary crease cop Miikka Kiprusoff to flinch. When he did, Selanne whipped a shot over the Kipper’s shoulder to snuff the Flames hopes of a four-point road swing.

Only a last-minute goal from super savior Jarome Iginla kept the verdict from falling in the Ducks favor during regulation time. With only 18 ticks remaining on the clock and Kiprusoff perched on the pine for an extra attacker, Iginla and Olli Jokinen parlayed a pretty give-and go into the tying tally. Jokinen surged over the Anaheim line, drawing a trio of defenders to him. Jokinen then slipped a clever cross-ice feed to the captain, who deftly deposited the gift behind a flustered Giguere.

Curtis Glencross opened the scoring for Calgary thirteen minutes into the opening stanza, breaking behind the Anaheim defense and snapping a wrist shot into the top shelf of the Ducks’ cage. It was the 17th time in 22 games that Calgary has dented the twine before their opposition – easily the best mark in the league.

Calgary’s advantage was short-lived, however. Only 67 seconds after Glencross lit the lamp for the first time in ten games, newly recalled forward Jamie Lundmark burped up the puck near the Kipper’s crease. Duck forward Corey Perry leaped on the loose puck and slipped the disc to Bobby Ryan, who slammed it home to tie the affair at 1-1.

Perry’s assist extended his points-scoring streak to a career-best 15 games, the longest current stretch of productivity in the league and only two games shy of the franchise record, set by Teemu Selanne in the 1998-99 season.

The swift retribution by the Ducks extended an alarming trend for the Flames. It was the 11th time this season that Calgary have allowed two-or-more goals in less than 125 seconds – a porous statistic that coach Sutter and his charges will have to rectify.

Despite that daunting dent in the defensive design, the Flames deserved a better fate and an extra point in the point’s column. Playing with vigor, vitality and perseverance, Calgary controlled the pace and flow of the contest, but were stymied on numerous occasions by the revitalized Giguere, who robbed Glencross, Jay Bouwmeester and Olli Jokinen on numerous occasions.

The two-game road trip and the positive results provided a much-needed boost of confidence for the Flames, who play with patience and purpose away from home but seem to attract controversy, conflict and calamity at the ‘dome.

The team has a home date with Phoenix on Wednesday before departing on a six-game, cross-country trek that carries the club from Detroit to San Jose.