Whitewash in White – Flames blank Predators

“Our puck management was very good. We were able to capitalize in the third period and get three goals. I would say it was a very good effort on everyone’s part.” – coach Brent Sutter

The Calgary Flames and Miikka Kiprusoff continued their domination of the opposition away from the not-so-friendly confines of the Saddledome on Monday, shutting down and shutting out the Nashville Predators by a cozy 5-0 count. Wearing their familiar road whites, the club recorded their second whitewashing with Miikka the Magician in goal in the last three games.

With the victory, Calgary has registered at least one point in ten consecutive road games, equaling the club mark for efficiency away from the Saddledome. The win increased Calgary’s road record to a more-than-just-impressive 10-1-3 and momentarily vaulted the club ahead of the Chicago Blackhawks and into top spot in the Northwest Division.

Playing will deliberate diligence, effective energy, patience and poise, the Flames were in control of the game from the opening faceoff, neatly compacting all of coach Sutter’s philosophies into one 60-minute exhibition of excellence. Calgary pressured the puck all evening long, forcing the Predator defense into costly turnovers, closing off the passing lanes, winning every battle in the corners, clearing the crease and slamming shut the slot.

The penalty-killing unit, already rated #1 on the road entering the contest, killed all three infractions whistled by referees Tim Peel and Justin St-Pierre. The powerplay contingent, rated as the 17th best unit on the road, converted one of their two opportunities while 12 of the 18 skaters were on the ice for at least one of the five goals the Flames poured behind Nashville starter Pekke Rinne.

Miikka Kiprusoff recorded his second consecutive shutout and third of the campaign and for once, he had a fairly easy night between the Calgary pipes. The Flames defense kept the Nashville forwards to the outside all evening, never allowed a single odd-man rush and blocked shots with exceptional efficiency.

In fact it was a blocked shot that led to the opening goal of the game. David Moss, revitalized since the start of this cross-country cruise, knocked down a Dan Hamhuis shot at the Flames blueline, raced after the bouncing puck and after corralling the dribbling disc, neatly slipped it between Penne’s pad for a lead the club would never relinquish. Nigel Dawes continued his hot streak, connecting for his fourth goal in the last four games to give the Flames a 2-0 advantage after 40 minutes of action.

In the final frame, Curtis Glencross notched a goal – a short-handed all-points bulletin drifter from 110 feet that found the empty cage – and added a pair of helpers for the first three-point evening of his career. Jarome Iginla completed his notable November with a last-second marker to give him 13 goals for the month. The captain also chipped in an assist – a nifty cross-crease feed that Dawes deposited into the Predator cage less than five minutes into the middle stanza.

Perhaps no one has had a better road trip than coach Brent Sutter, who has been pulling the reins with an almost magical touch. Instead of punishing Jamie Lundmark for a defensive gaff earlier in the week, the bench boss vaulted the veteran to the top unit against Detroit and Lundmark responded by scoring the winning goal only 23 ticks into the contest.

On Saturday, Sutter gave Curtis McElhinney his third start of the season and the seldom-seen netminder turned in a brilliant performance in Calgary’s 4-3 extra-session win. Sutter also recognized that Dustin Boyd was flying on Saturday and installed him on the top line for some extra playing minutes. Boyd responded by scoring the goal that ignited the Flames comeback, a remarkable rebound that was competed when Lundmark calmly sank the shootout clincher.

The Flames will attempt to keep their prevailing peregrination perfect when they visit the desert dogs of Phoenix on Thursday night.

Flame Flicks:

Calgary scored first for the 21st time in 26 games, by far the best mark in the league. The club is an impressive 15-3-3 when they light the lamp before their opposition.

Brian McGrattan replaced Brandon Prust in the lineup and immediately went toe-to-toe with Nashville’s Wade Belak in a closely-contested tilt that biased rinkside regulators awarded to Big Mac.

Miikka Kiprusoff’s shutout streak stands at 135:23. The team record for consecutive scoreless minutes by a goaltender is held by Fred Brathwaite, who blanked the opposition for 160 straight minutes in 2001.

Staffan Kronwell was recalled from Abbotsford on Monday to replace rearguard Cory Sarich, who has been sidelined since November 25 with the ever-popular “undisclosed” injury. Kronwell registered one assist in seven games with the Heat.