Ending a The Road Trip
Jarome Iginla seems to have gotten his season back on track.
Iginla will try to help the Calgary Flames end their five-game road trip with a winning record as they visit the surging Dallas Stars on Wednesday night.
Oddsmakers from Sportsbook.com have made Dallas -170 money line favorites (NHL Odds) for today’s game, the over/under has been set at 5 goals (Matchup). Current public betting information shows that 67% of bets for this game have been placed on Dallas -170 (View NHL Bet Percentages).
Iginla had two goals and an assist in Tuesday’s 4-1 win over Phoenix for his first three-point effort since Jan. 5. He now has 37 goals, two shy of his total from last season with 22 games remaining.
The Flames captain also has five goals and three assists in his last seven games after failing to score a goal in his previous 10. That drought marked the first time since December 1999 that he had gone 10 or more games without a goal.
Selected 11th overall by Dallas (37-21-5) in 1995, Iginla has just seven goals and 11 assists in 40 career games against the Stars, but has a goal and four assists in his last seven.
Dion Phaneuf added a pair of goals on Tuesday for the Flames (30-22-8), who improved to 2-2-0 on their current trip.
"From start to finish, this was a more consistent performance," Calgary coach Mike Keenan said. "In December and January, we were not consistent and we need to rekindle the consistency here in the final weeks of the season."
The Flames’ Miikka Kiprusoff stopped 24 shots after allowing 10 goals on 51 shots in losses to Los Angeles and Anaheim.
"Feels good to come up with a win," Kiprusoff said. "We played a smart game, and a very good road game. We lost two in a row and can’t lose three straight."
However, ending the road trip with win likely won’t be easy for Calgary, which has dropped four of five against Dallas.
The Stars, meanwhile, have won nine of their last 10, including a 2-1 win in Calgary on Feb. 2. Niklas Hagman scored the game-winning goal and Marty Turco made 31 saves, impressing Keenan.
"Certainly he was part of the difference for them," the coach said. "He was certainly part of their penalty killing and he had a big night for them."
The Flames won 3-2 in overtime on Oct. 12 in their last trip to Dallas, ending an eight-game winless stretch there (0-6-1 with one tie).
Hagman scored and Turco made 28 saves for his second shutout this season and 32nd of his career in Sunday’s 1-0 win over league-leading Detroit. Turco is 7-1-0 with a 1.74 goals-against average in his last 11 starts and is 12-5-1 with two ties and a 1.79 GAA in 21 career starts against Calgary.
"I’m running out of words to describe how Marty is playing," Hagman said. "At the start, middle and definitely the end they had good chances. I don’t know how he managed to get some of those saves."
Dallas is in second place in the Western Conference, but trails the Red Wings by 10 points.
"It would be tremendous to catch them," said Hagman, who scored his 21st goal, extending his career-high. "Anything is possible."
by: Staff Writers – Email Us
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