Flames Get Back in Series with 3-2 Win over Red Wings

The Calgary Flames rode their power play to a 3-2 win over the Detroit Red Wings Tuesday night, preventing Detroit from taking a commanding lead in their Western Conference Quarterfinal series that is now set at 2-1 in favor of the Red Wings.

The Flames had six attempts with the extra attacker and scored on two of them, including their first two goals.

For the first time in the series, Calgary opened the scoring. At 9:20 of the second period, Alex Tanguay sent a pass from the bottom of the left circle to Matthew Lombardi crashing the net for a deflection past goaltender Dominik Hasek just before knocking the net off it’s moorings. It was the first of the Flames’ power play goals.

The Red Wings responded 2:10 later. Dan Cleary threw the puck on net from the bottom of the right circle and it bounced back out to the top of the crease, where Kris Draper was waiting to whack in the rebound, under a sprawling Miikka Kiprusoff.

Draper would tally another goal just 39 seconds into the third period to give the Red Wings a lead. Dan Cleary rocked Calgary defenseman Dion Phaneuf with a hit in the left corner. Cleary recovered to pick up the puck and throw it at the net and Draper put the rebound in.

The hit left Phaneuf woozy but he returned to the game.

Mark Giordano wristed a shot from the top of the right circle past Hasek on a Flames’ power play at 4:43 of the period to tie things back up.

Calgary captain Jarome Iginla, who had been held to only two shots in the two games in Detroit, put the Flames back in front. A pass from Wayne Primeau bounced over the stick of defender Nicklas Lidstrom and got to Iginla, who blasted a shot from the top of the right circle past Hasek at 9:21.

With Hasek on the bench for the extra attacker in the final minute, the Red Wings were unable to even things up.

Hasek finished the night with 25 saves on 28 shots. Kiprusoff stopped 28 of the 30 shots he faced.

Detroit did not score on any of their four power play chances.

The Calgary win means that the series will return to Detroit for a game five on Saturday afternoon. Game four will be in Calgary on Thursday night.

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Todd Bertuzzi returned to the Detroit lineup after missing the first two games. Jiri Hudler was left out of the lineup to make room for Bertuzzi.