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Pahlsson nets winner as Ducks douse Flames

Dec 19, 2006 - 7:19 AM ANAHEIM, California (Ticker) -- Samuel Pahlsson did his part to ensure the Anaheim Ducks' return home was a good one.

Pahlsson snapped a tie in the third period and the Ducks tacked on two more tallies en route to a 4-1 victory over the Calgary Flames in their first home game after a five-game road trip.

The goal was Pahlsson's first since November 26, a span of 10 games.

"I think that we found a way tonight to gain some energy and get our game going," Anaheim coach Randy Carlyle said. "We were very good early, we did a lot of things well. Our penalty-killers and our goaltender came up large in those situations, and then it gave us an opportunity to get our game going."

Pahlsson netted the decisive tally at 3:24 of the third period, when he took a pass in the slot from Rob Niedermayer and blasted a shot over Calgary goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff's shoulder to give the Ducks a 2-1 lead. Corey Perry iced the win with an empty-net goal.

"We had a lot of shots and a lot of scoring chances, but it's always dangerous when it's a tie game," Pahlsson said. "They have a lot of players who can score."

"It was a workmanlike type of goal," Carlyle said. "Those guys (Pahlsson, Rob Niedermayer, Travis Moen) don't get a lot of credit. When the glory comes, the stats don't truly indicate what they do."

Jean-Sebastien Giguere recorded 27 saves for the Ducks, who went 4-1-0 on their recent trip and improved to 14-2-4 at home. Andy McDonald and Dustin Penner also scored for the Ducks, whose 58 points are tops in the NHL.

"It definitely wasn't an easy game," Giguere said. "Tonight, mentally was a challenge for all of us. When you're on a road trip, you just keep going, it's just go, go go. You come back and you kind of have a little letdown. (Sunday) was a day off and I'm sure, for most of the guys, hockey was the last thing they thought about. They spent time with their families and things like that.

"To come back today and be focused, that's tough. I thought we showed a lot of leadership and a lot of mental strength."

McDonald extended his point streak to seven games, notching two goals and seven assists.

Daymond Langkow scored the only goal for Calgary, which fell to 6-2-1 in its last nine games.

Langkow, who had a goal and three assists in a 6-3 victory over the Phoenix Coyotes, has five points in his last two games. Calgary's Jarome Iginla assisted on Langkow's tally and has nine goals and 19 points in his last 10 games.

"We had our chances in the second (period), we were drawing power plays and we didn't get a goal," Iginla said. "For the most part, the third period was the difference. It was 1-1 going into the third, and they won the third period."

The Flames are 12-3-0 at home but fell to 4-9-3 on the road.

"I can't put my finger on it," Iginla said. "We're trying, it's something we talk about. Special teams is a big part of it. At home, our power play is a lot better than it is on the road. If we get a power-play goal tonight, it helps us out a lot. In the second period, as far as momentum and all that, we had all those chances. It's just not good enough on the road."

The Ducks, after hosting the Dallas Stars on Wednesday, embark on another five-game road trip.