Jarome Iginla picked a good time to regain his scoring touch.
With the Calgary Flames pushing for a playoff spot in the Western Conference, Iginla is back to being the scoring leader the franchise has relied on for the last several years.
The Flames will need Iginla at his best as they look to finish off a five-game road trip with a winning record when they visit the red-hot Dallas Stars Wednesday night.
After enduring a 10-game goalless drought, Iginla has scored five goals and three assists in his last seven games. The Flames' captain now has 37 goals and is two shy of his total from last season.
Iginla led Calgary, which is 2-2-0 on its current road trip, to an important 4-1 win over the Phoenix Coyotes on Tuesday night.
The veteran forward scored two goals and added an assist, while goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff made 24 saves for the Flames (30-22-8).
"From start to finish, this was a more consistent performance," Calgary coach Mike Keenan said. "In December and January, we were not consistent, and we need to rekindle the consistency here in the final weeks of the season."
The win was especially sweet for Kiprusoff, who allowed 10 goals on 51 shots during recent losses to the Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks.
"Feels good to come up with a win," Kiprusoff said. "We played a smart game, and a very good road game. We lost two in a row and can't lose three straight."
Hagman hangs toughThe victory also allowed the Flames to keep pace with the Vancouver Canucks, who defeated the Minnesota Wild 3-2 in overtime on Tuesday night.
The Canucks and Flames are tied in the West standings with 68 points, and hold the seventh and eight playoff spots, respectively.
The Stars present a tough test for Calgary, which has dropped four of the last five games between the two teams.
The Stars (37-21-5) are the hottest team in the NHL, winning nine of their last 10 games, and are second in the West with 79 points.
Dallas also defeated the Flames 2-1 during the last encounter on Feb. 2. Niklas Hagman scored the game-winning goal and drew rave reviews from Keenan.
"Certainly he was part of the difference for them," the coach said. "He was certainly part of their penalty killing and he had a big night for them."
The Stars will take to the ice for the first time since beating the West-leading Detroit Red Wings 1-0 on Sunday.
Goaltender Marty Turco was the difference in the game, making 28 saves for his 32nd career shutout.
"I'm running out of words to describe how Marty is playing," Hagman said. "At the start, middle and definitely the end, they had good chances. I don't know how he managed to get some of those saves."
While Dallas trails the Wings by 10 points with 21 games remaining, Hagman doesn't think the deficit is insurmountable.
"It would be tremendous to catch them," said Hagman, who scored his 21st goal, extending his career high. "Anything is possible."
With files from the Associated PressKubina plays hero in Leafs' sweep of Flyers
Pavel Kubina notched his second game-winning goal in as many nights Wednesday to help the Toronto Maple Leafs beat Philadephia and keep their playoff hopes alive.
Hughes second after eventful week on speed skating circuit
Clara Hughes put on a strong performance Saturday at a World Cup event in Kolomna, Russia, to take second in the women's 5,000 metres behind winner Martina Sablikova of the Czech Republic.
Canadiens too powerful for Bruins
Patrice Brisebois had three points as the Montreal Canadiens beat the Boston Bruins 3-1 in pre-season play on Wednesday.
Contact Us About Us HomeMonday, December 1st, 2008