|
 In this case, that turned out to be a good thing.
The struggling Ducks were due for a fortunate bounce and they got
exactly that on Getzlaf's go-ahead goal en route to a 6-3 win Friday
over the Calgary Flames at the Scotiabank Saddledome.
The score was tied 2-2 in the third period when Getzlaf's blast
bounced off boards, hit the back of Flames goalie Jonas Hiller and
dribbled across the line. Although it didn't stand up as the
game-winner, it was an important tally for the Ducks, who had lost
four of the past five games but may have snapped out of their funk
with a five-goal outburst during the final frame in Calgary.
"It's nice to have one bounce that way right now," Getzlaf said. "I
felt like I've been shooting the puck a little bit more lately and
haven't been able to hit the net a whole lot. It was nice to miss
the net on that one."
Getzlaf, left winger Andrew Cogliano and defenseman Hampus Lindholm
each had a goal and an assist Friday for the Ducks (36-16-7), while
defenseman Francois Beauchemin scored the tying tally about six
minutes into the third and right wingers Jakob Silfverberg and Kyle
Palmieri also lit the lamp.
 Centers Matt Stajan and left winger Lance Bouma staked the Flames
(32-23-4) to a two-goal lead before the Ducks scored five unanswered
goals, including four in a span of 8:32 in the third period. Center
Sean Monahan also added a late power-play goal for Calgary.
"That's by far the worst third period that we've played all year,"
said Flames head coach Bob Hartley.
The Flames have been the NHL's best third-period team, with a
league-leading 10 comeback victories and a previously perfect 14-0
mark when leading after 40 minutes, but the final stanza Friday was
ugly for the home team.
Cogliano finally got the ball rolling for Anaheim with an ugly goal
at the 15:08 mark of the second period, trimming Calgary's lead to
2-1 at the second intermission. Flames goalie Jonas Hiller stopped
right-winger Corey Perry's initial shot, but the rebound bounced off
Cogliano and into the goal as he looked for a rebound.
Cogliano also played a key role on the tying tally about six minutes
into the third, carrying the puck into Calgary's zone and passing to
Beauchemin for a one-timer.
"I thought that we needed this win. Bottom line," Cogliano said. "I
don't think we've been playing the game we've been wanting to as of
late, and I guess there's no better team than to beat in that
situation as the Flames since they've been so strong.
"At the end of the day, it came down to us. We weren't talking about
what they were going to do. We needed to win. Simple as that. It was
a must-win in the third period for us, and I thought we did that."
Getzlaf agreed that it was an important victory for the Ducks, who
sit atop the NHL's Pacific Division standings, and he praised
Cogliano for sparking the comeback.
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"They're a good team. They're going to get opportunities to score
and we had a couple breakdowns early, but other than that, I thought
we played pretty well," Getzlaf said. "We just haven't been finding
a way to get goals. (Cogliano) made some big plays out there for us
tonight. He skated. He went to the net hard and got rewarded for
it."
Getzlaf's lucky goal came just 2:40 after Beauchemin scored the
equalizer and seemed to send the Ducks off to the races, with
Palmieri poking a loose puck past Hiller as he tried to smother a
rebound and then Silfverberg scoring from the slot to put it out of
reach.
After Monahan's power-play goal, Lindholm would add an empty-netter.
Hiller stopped 32 of 37 shots fired his way, while John Gibson made
25 saves for the Ducks.
Getzlaf's third-period goal was an obvious turning point but Stajan,
who ended a 16-game scoring drought when he knocked in a rebound in
the first, wasn't going to allow his squad to use unlucky breaks an
excuse.
"That's where we have to respond. Bad bounces are going to happen,"
Stajan said. "We've been fortunate with some good bounces throughout
the year and sometimes you get bad bounces, and you can't just roll
over when that happens. You've got to come back at them. We didn't
tonight, and that's two points that we gave away with the 2-0 lead."
The Ducks will complete their two-game trip to Alberta with
Saturday's meeting with the Edmonton Oilers. The Flames now depart
on their longest journey of the season, a seven-game haul that
starts Tuesday against the New York Rangers in the Big Apple.
NOTES: There has been widespread speculation that Flames LW Curtis
Glencross could be moved before the NHL's trade deadline. The Flames
will be on the road for the next seven games as the Scotiabank
Saddledome hosts the Tim Hortons Brier national men's curling
championship, so it's possible Friday was his final home game in
Calgary. The 32-year-old Glencross has spent the past seven seasons
with the Flames and is an alternate captain. ... Lindholm was a
game-time decision in Calgary due to a lower-body issue, but he was
in the lineup against the Flames. G Frederik Andersen (upper body),
LW Matt Beleskey (shoulder) and D Sami Vatanen (leg) remain out for
the Ducks. ... The Flames are without C Paul Byron (lower body) and
D Ladislav Smid (upper body). ... Before Thursday's flight to
Calgary, the Ducks signed RW Tim Jackman to a one-year contract
extension, reportedly worth $700,000.
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