Flames catch fire late in comeback win over Coyotes
CALGARY, Alberta -- The Calgary Flames produced a remarkable comeback victory Sunday night when Jarome Iginla and Curtis Glencross scored 23 seconds apart in the final two minutes of the third period to give the Flames a 5-4 win over the Phoenix Coyotes.
Iginla, who was in a scoring slump, tied the clash with 1:23 remaining when he bobbled his first close-in chance but got just enough of puck with a second swing.
Then, Glencross ripped a shot from the slot for the winner with 60 seconds left on the clock to the delight of the crowd of 19,289 at the Scotiabank Saddledome.
"I hope there weren't too many cardiacs in the building," Flames head coach Bob Hartley said. "Right now, it's easy to say, but on the bench we could feel the tying goal coming. After that, it was a new ball game.
"The guys were in it. They were sad to let go a one-goal lead, but they kept battling. The two goals, we really deserved it. It was a big win."
The Flames improved to .500 at 7-7-3 and put themselves just two points out of the Western Conference's top eight.
It was a see-saw game from the drop of the puck.
When Glencross scored, it was the third time the Flames took the lead. The Coyotes wrestled it back twice.
"It was one of those games that you don't see every day," said Iginla, the career 500-goal scorer who went into the game with just one tally this season and a nine-game drought. "Phoenix is a very tight team, and they don't give up a lot of chances. I think we got, what, five? Five to four was the end result?"
When that score was confirmed, Iginla replied: "You could have told me it was 4-3 or 5-4. It was a flurry. The most important thing is we were one up, right?"
The Flames, who also received goals from Tim Jackman -- his first goal since Dec. 29, 2011 -- and Michael Cammalleri, won on consecutive nights to improve to 7-7-3 and pull two points out of the Western Conference's top eight.
Raffi Torres scored twice for the Coyotes, while Michael Stone and Nick Johnson added singles.
To the Coyotes (8-7-3), it was a missed opportunity.
"We were really good early in the third. We got ourselves back in the game but a couple of key mistakes in the end cost us the game," said coach Dave Tippett.
"We've got to find a way to close these games out. That's not who we are as a team and we'll adjust tomorrow. Very uncharacteristic of us. That's disturbing that it's happening but we'll fix it."
The Coyotes were outplayed through the first two periods, but seemed in total control when they took the lead in the final frame. At one point, they had a 14-3 edge in shots to go with their 4-3 lead.
"We were playing in their zone, making the game seem easy," said Coyotes captain Shane Doan. "Unfortunately, we took our foot off the gas. They've got some guys that can score, and their scorers scored."
Flames goalie Joey MacDonald made 23 saves to record the win, while Coyotes netminder Mike Smith stopped 26 shots for the Coyotes, who fell to 8-7-3.
NOTES: Flames forward Steve Begin played his 500th career game. It's not a major milestone, but worth noting because it looked like his career was over two years ago. He missed last season due to hip surgery before coming to camp on a tryout basis and earning a contract. "I'm a big supporter of Steve Begin," coach Bob Hartley said. "There's not enough guys like him in this league. He's all about the team." ... According to a report in the Utica Observer-Dispatch, Calgary's top minor league affiliate will be moved from Abbotsford, British Columbia, after four disappointing seasons to the city in New York in time for next season. The Flames denied the report. ... The Coyotes went into the game with a 31-13-6 record against Canadian teams since the start of the 2009-10 season. ... Flames defenseman Jay Bouwmeester played the 734th game of his career, which ties him with Guy Charron (who played in the NHL from 1970-71 through 1980-81) for most games without skating in the playoffs.
