CALGARY, Alberta (AP) -Jarome Iginla scored the go-ahead goal at 9:21 of the third period, leading the Calgary Flames to a 3-2 victory over the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday night.
Matthew Lombardi and defenseman Mark Giordano scored power-play goals for the Flames, who avoided falling behind 3-0 in the Western Conference quarterfinal series. Game 4 will be Thursday night at Calgary, with Detroit leading 2-1.
Kris Draper scored twice for Detroit, and Daniel Cleary assisted on both goals.
After getting badly outplayed in the opening two games of the series in Detroit, the Flames regained some confidence with the victory and maintained their reputation of being tough to beat in their own arena.
The fire alarm at the Saddledome went off five minutes into the third period, but no one in the sold-out building was about to leave – not with the score tied at 2.
Iginla was highly criticized for taking only two shots in the first two games of the series. He hit the post during a power play with about six minutes left in the first period, but redeemed himself with the winner in the third. The Flames’ captain streaked down the wing, got a step on Detroit captain Niklas Lidstrom and fired a shot over Dominik Hasek’s shoulder.
Miikka Kiprusoff got far better support from his defense than he did in the first two games at the Joe Louis Arena, where he faced 97 shots. He stopped 28 shots for the win, while Hasek made 25 saves.
Wings forward Todd Bertuzzi appeared in first playoff game since May 8, 2003, with the Vancouver Canucks. He was suspended before the 2004 postseason because of his vicious hit on Colorado’s Steve Moore.
The big forward, who sat out the three previous games with a concussion, had regular work on Detroit’s power play and Detroit’s fourth line. He was booed whenever he touched the puck.
Giordano scored in his NHL playoff debut, connecting during a power play at 4:43 of the second period to tie it at 2. His shot from above the faceoff circle beat a screened Hasek stickside.
Draper’s second of the game 39 seconds into the period was due to some hard work by Cleary.
Cleary sent Dion Phaneuf flying into the corner and lost his helmet in the process, but recovered the puck behind the goal line and sent it out to Draper in front of the net to give the Red Wings a 2-1 lead.
Calgary led for the first time in the series on Lombardi’s power-play goal at 9:20 of the second period, but Draper evened it up just over two minutes later.
Notes: Flames defenseman Robyn Regehr (knee) was a scratch. Coach Jim Playfair hopes to have him in the lineup Thursday. Giordano took Regehr’s place in the lineup. … Flames defenseman Rhett Warrener was cut in the mouth when he was struck in the face by the puck on Henrik Zetterberg’s shot in the first period. Warrener returned to the ice midway through the second period. … A pane of glass behind Kiprusoff was dislodged with 10 seconds left in the second period, so the time was added to the third period.
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