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Iginla helps Flames complete record road trip

Dec 19, 2007 - 4:19 AM By Dave Holstein PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

COLUMBUS, Ohio (Ticker) - Red-hot Jarome Iginla and Kristian Huselius helped the Calgary Flames complete a club-record road trek.

Iginla scored his eighth goal of the trip and Huselius added two assists as the Flames completed a perfect six-game road trip with a 3-1 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday.

"We started playing well a couple of games before the trip, but we didn't win," Huselius said. "But now we got that first win in Chicago and we talked about keeping it going and here we are six games later with six wins."

Defenseman Adrian Aucoin and Alex Tanguay also scored for Calgary, which became the fourth team in league history to go 6-0 on a road trip, and it's the first six-game road winning streak for Calgary since the 2003-04 season. The club record for road wins is seven set in 1988.

"Well, we are back in the playoff (chase) first and foremost," Calgary coach Mike Keenan said. "We have dug ourselves out of a hole and that's what this road trip did for us."

Huselius assisted on the first-period goal by Aucoin and Iginla's 24th goal of the season in the second session provided a 3-1 edge. Huselius has five goals and eight assists on the road trip. Iginla finished the trip with 12 points.

"It's going pretty good for me personally but the team is winning and that is what is most important and hopefully we can turn it around," Huselius said.

"He's hot, he is really in a groove right now," Iginla said of Huselius. "He is right up at the top in regards to his skills and a guy like him is feeling it confidence-wise. It is great playing with him and great things are happening and he has been a huge part of our success on this road trip. It's been fun playing with him that's for sure."

Goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff, who started and won all six games on the trip, made 36 saves.

"We played a hard road game tonight," Keenan said. "And Kiprusoff was good when we needed him. They pressed us hard and special teams had a significant different tonight, a power play goal and some good penalty killing."

"We have been playing much better lately," Kiprusoff said. "It was a good game and a good trip. It has a lot to do with confidence. When you start winning and know you can come back, confidence has a lot to do with that."

Curtis Glencross scored his sixth goal of the season in the second period and Pascal Leclaire had 20 saves for the Blue Jackets, who are 0-8-1 when trailing after the first period.

Columbus, which entered the game converting just 3-of-25 power-play attempts over the previous six games, was 0-for-6 against the Flames.

"Our power play has been really in-and-out all year," Columbus coach Ken Hitchcock said. We haven't really needed it except to score big goals in the last two games and we didn't get it done."

"We have to change the momentum," Columbus captain Adam Foote said. "We were flying so high at the beginning of the year. Whatever it is, we just have to get back to that and just go out and play hard."

Calgary opened the scoring with a two-man advantage at 3:37 of the first period. Aucoin scored on a one-timer from the top of the right faceoff circle that beat Leclaire between the pads. Aucoin has two goals and four assists in his last four games.

Calgary extended the lead at 3:49 of the second period when Tanguay skated from the neutral zone into the right faceoff circle and beat Leclaire with a slap shot just inside the right post.

Columbus halved the deficit at 6:39 of the second when Glencross accepted a pass from defenseman Kris Russell, kicking the puck to gain control. Glencross skated in and put Kiprusoff down with a fake forehand, and he went around and put the puck in an open net with a backhand from the top of the crease.

Calgary regained a two-goal advantage two minutes later when Iginla scored from the right of the net after a shot from Huselius came right to him.

"It feels awesome, its one of the most enjoyable little stretches I have been on since being here," Iginla said. "We have had some good streaks in some tough buildings playing some teams that are right beside us in the playoffs that we are trying to catch and move up on.

"Its just been a great vibe going that we have, we have been in some different games and we are finding way to win them."