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Flames-Red Wings Preview

Mar 8, 2010 - 8:57 PM By SANTOSH VENKATARAMAN STATS Senior Writer

Calgary (32-24-9) at Detroit (31-22-12), 7:00 p.m. EDT

Jarome Iginla has not scored a goal in his last 19 games against the Detroit Red Wings. Ending that streak might help the Calgary Flames pass Detroit in the playoff race.

Iginla and the Flames will try to move ahead of the Red Wings in a critical Western Conference matchup at Joe Louis Arena on Tuesday night.

Detroit (21-22-12) holds the eighth and final playoff spot in the West, with Calgary (32-24-9) one point behind. The teams split their first two meetings, and have not faced each other since November.

Iginla has scored at least 30 goals in nine straight seasons, but does not have any in a regular-season game against the Red Wings since March 3, 2004. He has 10 assists in the last 19 meetings.

The Flames captain broke a less lengthy goal drought against another opponent Sunday, recording a hat trick that featured two power-play goals on slap shots in a 5-2 win at Minnesota. Iginla had not scored in his previous nine games versus the Wild.

"I'd be lying if I said I was aiming those," said Iginla of his power-play goals. "I was really just trying to hit them hard, and fortunately, they came off the right way."

The pressure was on Calgary to win after Detroit beat Chicago 5-4 earlier Sunday. The visiting Red Wings scored five times in the second period as Brian Rafalski, Valtteri Filppula and Niklas Lidstrom each had a goal and an assist.

"They seemed to take it off the pedal a little there in the second and we took advantage of it," Rafalski said. "We got on a little bit of a roll there and just kept coming."

Detroit has won four of five and Calgary three of four. Both teams totaled 10 goals in consecutive victories and had eight players score.

"The last couple games, we've been moving the puck a lot better and creating more but still working hard," Iginla said. "It feels good."

Iginla recorded six goals and four assists in his last six games, and six points in his last two on the road.

"He's got that grit and intangibles of a great hockey leader, and he has an incredibly high offensive skill level," said defenseman Steve Staios, traded to the Flames from Edmonton last week. "It's nice being on this side of it, that's for sure."

Vesa Toskala made his Flames debut a successful one with 27 saves Sunday. He was traded to Anaheim for J.S. Giguere on Jan. 31, then to Calgary for Curtis McElhinney on March 3.

Miikka Kiprusoff, 4-2-0 with a 2.31 goals-against average in his last six starts against Detroit, is expected to be back in net Tuesday.

Pavel Datsyuk has three goals and five assists during a five-game point streak for the Red Wings. Datsyuk scored with three seconds left in the second period to cap Sunday's outburst.

Former Calgary winger Todd Bertuzzi had two assists before suffering a lower-body injury in the second period against the Blackhawks. His status is uncertain for Tuesday.