Injured Coyotes Tie Flames

By CBSNews.com staff CBSNews.com staff

February 3, 1999 / 1:43 AM EST / CBS Sportsline

Three games in four days didn't faze the Calgary Flames, who seem to have found their goaltender in Fred Brathwaite and scorers to back up Theo Fleury.

Phoenix goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin shut out Fleury on Tuesday night, but Jarome Iginla brought the Flames from behind for the second time with a goal that handcuffed Khabibulin and saved a 2-2 tie with the Coyotes on Tuesday night.

"We won the third period, which is pretty big in another team's barn," Iginla said.

Related Links

Game summary

More NHL features:

Enforce-O-Meter rankings

Next Generation

Exclusive audio

Khabibulin had 34 saves, but he couldn't find the puck after dropping to all fours to stop a slanting shot that Iginla flicked his way from just outside the crease 1:18 into the third period.

"It was completely slow motion," Iginla said. "I shot it and got knocked on my butt, and I was watching from behind the net. It was a good thing the referee had a good view, because he probably would have blown the whistle. It was rolling right on the line, and it just fell over by half a centimeter."

The goal was Iginla's 20th - second only to Fleury, who had nine points in his three previous games.

Andrei Nazarov had the other goal for the Flames, who escaped a last-place tie with idle Vancouver in the Northwest Division by picking up a point on the road.

But the Coyotes extended their unbeaten streak against the Flames to five games (3-0-2) and held them scoreless in five power plays, extending Calgary's streak to 25 advantages in which it has failed to score.

It wasn't a satisfying point to Phoenix coach Jim Schoenfeld, though.

"I think w hit a wall," he said. "The first game back after a long road trip is always a tough one."

Phoenix's Keith Tkachuk scored his 20th goal on a power-play early in the game and had an assist for five points in his last two games, and Travis Hansen scored a goal for the Coyotes.

Nazarov tied it at 1 in the first period, and Iginla tied it again at 1:18 of the third, negating Hansen's first goal in a six-game NHL career 10:19 into the first period.

Hansen, recalled from Springfield of the AHL on Thursday, poked a rebound of a shot by Tkachuk past Fred Brathwaite from the edge of the slot 10:19 into the first period.

"It was great to get the first one out of the way," Hansen said. "When you're playing with Tkachuk, all you have to do is go to the net. He's going to make plays."

The Flames outshot the Coyotes 13-5 in the second period, but Khabibulin was solid, sprawling full-length to smother a shot by Ed Ward during a spell when Calgary took 11 consecutive shots before the Coyotes managed one at the other end.

The Coyotes haven't lost when leading after two periods (17-0-7), but they couldn't stave off the young, aggressive Flames, who outshot them 16-9 in the third as well. Brathwaite, their starter the last 10 games, made 16 of his 26 saves and never allowed a goal after the first period.

"We really played well tonight," said Brathwaite, who is 3-3-4 with consecutive ties against the best of the Pacific Division. "I mean, especially playing back-to-back nights. It was a hard night in Dallas last night, and tonight we worked hard and squeaked out one point against a great team."

Coach Brian Sutter said he could see the team jelling.

"You know, the Phoenix Coyotes don't do anything complicated; the Dallas Stars don't do anything complicated. Everybody talks about what they've got, so let's take pride in what we've got," Sutter said.