|
 Flames
Love L.A.
Rick
Charlton
November8th, 2001
Wherever
the Flames are
going, Jarome Iginla
is the guy who's
taking them there in
a big hurry.
While
it was Roman Turek
who may have started
this oh so wonderful
season with his
brilliant play
early, it's been all
Iginla lately.
Dragging
his teammates by the
hair behind him, and
anchored by late
game heroics from
Turek, it was Iginla
yet again powering
the Flames with two
goals in a 3-2
Calgary victory last
night in front in
14,459 disappointed
Kings fans at the
Staples Center in
LA.
The
two goals, his 12th
and 13th of the
season, allowed Iginla to extend his
point streak to 10
games and lengthened
his league leading
point total to 27,
well ahead of the 21
put up by second
place Jeff O'Neill
of Carolina.
The
win, giving the
Flames three of four
points on their
short California
road trip, pushed
Calgary to a
dizzying 11-2-1-2 on
the season, good for
25 points.
Calgary
is now 4-2-1 on the
road to go with a
glittering 7-0-0-2
mark at home. The
win launched the
Flames over the New
York Islanders,
losers to the
Rangers last night,
into second place in
the NHL's overall
standings. Calgary
is second in the
west behind idle
Detroit and three
points ahead of
Edmonton in the
Northwest Division.
In
a strange
statistical quirk,
the Kings have lost
nine games this
year, all by one
goal and all by a
score of 3-2.
LA
opened the scoring
at 15:17 of the
first when Greg
Johnson drilled a
one-timer off a
Lubomir Visnovsky
pass straight thru a
startled Turek.
Iginla
tied the game when a
clearing attempt by
the Kings took a
crazy hop into the
slot and the Flames
star wheeled and
fired a slapper of
the far iron behind
LA starter Felix
Potvin at 18:30.
Calgary
went ahead at 9:34
of the second when
Iginla bulled his
way around an
over-matched Jere
Karalahti, driving
to the net and
wristing a shot past
Potvin.
Only
23 seconds later
Denis Gauthier found
himself with room to
walk in from the
blue line in the
slot and wristed a
bullet past a
screened Potvin.
With
Toni Lydman in the
penalty box, LA
brought themselves
back to within one
with a power play
goal by Randy
Robitaille at 19:12.
LA
outshot Calgary
28-21. The Flames
were 0-6 on the
power play while the
Kings were 1-5.
The
win looked to be a
costly one for the
Flames when Derek
Morris twisted left
when he should have
gone right and ended
up wrenching his
lower back. The
extent of the injury
was unknown.
|
|
Box Score
OUR
THREE STARS
1.
JAROME IGINLA -
He's the NHL's
leading scorer
by a long shot
and provided the
Flames with
energy all
night.
2.
ROMAN TUREK -
Interchangeable
with Iginla this
season - Iginla
gave the Flames
the lead and
Turek held
it.
3)
DENIS GAUTHIER -
his usual
vicious self and
pops the water
bottle just
under the bar
from 30 feet for
the winning
goal. Don't
forget the five
blocked shots.
SAVE
OF THE GAME
Pick
one of three.
With the game
tied 1-1 in the
second, Adam
Deadmarsh raced
in alone on
Turek but the
Calgary
netminder
managed to hold
the fort with a
pad save. In the
third, with the
score 3-2
Calgary,
Deadmarsh was
once again
denied by Turek,
this time on a
goal mouth
scramble with
the Flames
goaltender
slapped his
paddle down to
take away a sure
goal. On a late
game LA
powerplay, Turek
stoned Deadmarsh
again on a
close-in shot.
HIT
OF THE GAME
Ronald
Petrovicky
usually occupies
this spot but
was on the
receiving end of
a thundering hit
from Kings
Phillipe Boucher
beside the LA
net in the first
period.
NOTES
& STATS
Dallas
Eakins drew into the
game with the wrist
injury to Robyn
Regehr. The latter
was cut on the wrist
blocking a shot the
night before in
Anaheim. Regehr
actually wears the
largest gloves in
the hockey world and
believes he would
have had a broken
wrist if he had gone
with the shorter
version favoured by
many NHL'ers. . . .
. Coach Greg Gilbert
elected to shake up
his lineup a bit,
substituting Jukka
Hentunen in for the
first time in four
games and Jeff Cowan
in for only the
second game in the
last eight . . . . .
Yet there was
Hentunen in the
final minute of the
game, digging the
puck from the front
of the Flames net
and clearing the
zone, going from the
doghouse to the
penthouse in the
eyes of coach
Gilbert . . . . . .
With Morris down and
out, Toni Lydman
stepped up with
27:13 in ice time
followed by Bob
Boughner at 26:24 to
lead the Flames.
Phillipe Boucher led
the Kings at 25:58 .
. . . Craig Conroy,
who had an assist in
the game,
slaughtered the
Kings in the faceoff
circle with a 65%
winning percentage
which was a good
thing as his backup
Rob Niedermayer was
only 25%. Clark Wilm
was 55% successful.
On the Kings side,
Bryan Smolinski led
the Kings at 52%. .
. . . .Jaroslav
Modry had four
blocked shots for
the Kings . . . .
|
Calgary
Flames 3 Los Angeles Kings 2 
