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Amonte's two goals lift Flames over Stars

Nov 8, 2006 - 5:49 AM CALGARY, Alberta (Ticker) -- Tony Amonte was due for a big game.

Amonte broke out of a season-long slump with two goals to lift the Calgary Flames to a 3-1 victory over the Dallas Stars.

The Flames won their second straight after a four-game losing streak.

"I think everybody was looking at this like a playoff game for us; you need the points bad," Amonte said. "We hadn't strung together two wins all season. We were facing Dallas, one of the better teams in the league; it's a great measuring stick.

The Flames took a 1-0 lead at 6:10 of the first period when Amonte, who had only one goal in 13 games this season, streaked down the left side and beat Stars goaltender Marty Turco from 30 feet out.

Dallas tied the game, 1-1, at 4:56 of the second period on the power play, when Antti Miettinen's snap shot from the left faceoff circle sailed over Calgary netminder Miikka Kiprusoff's glove to the short side. But Amonte answered in quick fashion.

Amonte, who had a career-low 14 goals in 80 games last season, scored his second just 33 seconds later when he deflected defenseman Dion Phaneuf's shot past Turco for a 2-1 lead.

He now has 409 for his career, and it was his first two-goal game since October 10, 2005. The Flames are 14-2-0 when Amonte scores.

"When it happens, it happens," said Amonte. "It just clicks. I can't say I felt good this morning. I was worried going home from the pre-game skate so I was really worried coming into tonight's game. You just never know what's going to happen.

"It was just fun to go out there and score. That's what the game is all about. It's the most fun you're going to have is scoring and winning."

Kristian Huselius iced the victory with an empty-net goal at 19:43 of the third period for the Flames, who got 25 saves from Kiprusoff. Turco finished with 15 stops.

"Look at their shots on net, they didn't have many," said Turco, who entered with a goals-against average of 1.99 - second best in the league. "We played well on the penalty kill but they got two, and that's all they needed tonight."

Despite Miettinen's goal, the Stars again struggled with the extra skater in going 1-for-7. In its last five games, Dallas is 2-for-30 on the power play (6.7 percent.)

"You're going to have ups and downs in the season," Dallas' Mike Modano said of the power play, which entered ranked 22nd in the NHL. "There are situations where you don't get quite the finish, that's been the case the last couple of games. The opportunities were there, we felt we outchanced both teams but finish is something you have to focus on."

Calgary won for only the second time in its last nine games against Dallas.