Flames' Iginla needs help from scorers
Last Updated: Wednesday, November 25, 2009 | 2:06 PM MT
The Canadian Press
Calgary's Jarome Iginla has scored five of the Flames' last 10 goals. (Larry MacDougal/Canadian Press) The Calgary Flames didn't need any help from Jarome Iginla in their last meeting with the Phoenix Coyotes. Now the star forward is their only consistent contributor on offence.
The Flames host Phoenix on Wednesday night looking to give Iginla some assistance and take advantage of their only home game in a two-week span.
One of Calgary's highest-scoring games last season came in its most recent matchup with the Coyotes, winning 7-5 in Phoenix on Feb. 14. Iginla was held off the scoresheet in that victory, but the Flames earned a four-game split of the season series.
Iginla, though, has scored five of the Flames' last 10 goals. Calgary has been limited to 25 goals in 10 games this month and Iginla has 12 of them, including the tying goal with 18 seconds left in regulation of a 3-2 shootout loss to Anaheim on Monday night.
Iginla is tied for third in the league with 16 goals. Rene Bourque and Daymond Langkow, tied for second on the Flames (13-6-3) with seven goals, have each found the back of the net once in the last five games.
Calgary needs somebody to step up and take some of the scoring burden off Iginla as it returns home following two straight road games.
After this contest, the Flames will begin a six-game road trip, their longest of the season, and not return to the Pengrowth Saddledome until facing Atlanta on Dec. 9.
Lost two straight
Calgary has lost two straight and four of five at home, scoring two goals or fewer in each defeat. The Flames lost both home games against the Coyotes (13-10-1) last season but have gone 10-3-1 in the last 14 meetings overall.
Phoenix has dropped four of five on the road, including a 4-0 loss to Edmonton on Monday night.
The Coyotes are 4-6-1 overall following a strong start and have not won consecutive games all month.
"If you're not [angry] about losing, then you're probably not on the right team," coach Dave Tippett told the Coyotes' website. "That's as far as I can take that."
Even Phoenix's usually strong penalty-killing unit suffered a letdown versus Edmonton. The Coyotes had killed 18 consecutive power plays before the Oilers' fourth goal.
Phoenix's opponents have been limited to goals on 17.8 per cent of their chances with the man advantage. The Coyotes remain tough when short-handed despite missing three defensemen.
Phoenix has been without Ed Jovanovski (lower-body injury), Zbynek Michalek (lower-body injury) and Kurt Sauer (upper-body injury).
Jovanovski, who has missed eight straight games, is with the team for its two-game trip to Alberta and could be close to returning.
Michalek has sat out nine in a row and Kurt Sauer (upper-body injury) has missed the last 23.
Ilya Bryzgalov has mostly thrived despite those injuries, but he struggled against Edmonton and will be trying to bounce back from a terrible outing versus Calgary.
He surrendered all seven goals in the last meeting after posting a 2.76 goals-against average in his previous nine games against the Flames.
