Red Wings Rally for Shootout Win over Flames

The Detroit Red Wings never led Friday night but rallied from two goals down to beat the Calgary Flames in a shootout, 5-4.

The Flames led 4-2 in the final minute of the second period but Patrick Eaves scored a power play goal from the left faceoff circle with 18 seconds remaining to make it 4-3.

Brian Rafalski’s second goal of the night tied the game. At 8:16 of the third period, Rafalski jumped up to hold in the puck at the right point and carried it into the Calgary zone, beating goalie Miikka Kiprusoff with a shot from the boards.

Todd Bertuzzi scored the only goal of the shootout to give the Wings the win.

The Flames had opened the game’s scoring at 8:43 of the first, when Curtis Glencross snuck a shot under Detroit netminder Jimmy Howard’s pad from right in front.

Darren Helm replied for the Red Wings, slipping a shot from an acute angle between Kiprusoff’s pads with 4:02 left in the period.

Jarome Iginla would restore the Calgary lead with only 10 seconds left in the first, beating Howard on a wraparound chance.

Rafalski’s first of the night came just 41 seconds into the second, when his shot on a rush deflected off a Calgary defenseman and past Kiprusoff.

Glencross outwaited Howard while cutting across the goal mouth to make it 3-2 28 seconds later. Anton Babchuk’s power play goal with 8:27 left in the second wrapped up the Calgary scoring.

Howard finished the night with 35 saves on 39 shots. Kiprusoff stopped 23 of 27 Detroit chances.

The Red Wings are back in action on Saturday night when they visit the Vancouver Canucks.

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At the midway point of the third period the Red Wings lost defenseman Brad Stuart to a broken jaw, suffered on a high hit from Calgary’s Tom Kostopoulos. The team says he is out indefinitely.