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CALGARY, Alberta (Ticker) -- The Calgary Flames managed to behave themselves and shut out the NHL's best offensive team in the process. Mike Vernon made 28 saves to snap a 13-decision winless streak and Jarome Iginla scored his league-leading 24th goal to lead the Flames to a 2-0 triumph over the Detroit Red Wings. "I think we frustrated them enough and wore them out in the third period," said Vernon, who was 0-13-2 since January 9. "I think our conditioning took over from there." Vernon, who won a Stanley Cup with the Red Wings in 1997, made eight saves in the first period, 13 in the second and seven in the third for his first shutout of the season and 27th of his career. "Vernie played wonderful tonight, and we just couldn't get anything by him," Detroit winger Brett Hull said. "He's a veteran goalie. He knows the angles, he knows the situations and he stands in there, and he came up big tonight with some big saves." Steve Yzerman nearly broke Vernon's shutout bid midway through the third period when he skated in on a breakaway. Yzerman tried to get a wrist shot off from the right side of the net, but Vernon stacked his pads to deny the Red Wings' captain. Vernon also turned away one of Hull's four third-period shots with less than five minutes to play. Brendan Shanahan fed a puck to Hull, who was breaking toward the net uncovered, but Vernon threw his body across the crease to block the shot. "I thought Mike Vernon ws unbelievable in the net," Iginla said. "We gave up a few more scoring chances than we wanted to, but whenever we did, he was right there standing on his head. Stopping Yzerman on a breakaway, Hull on a breakaway, those are very impressive guys to stop, and he did it at very key times." "I don't even look who's shooting half the time," Vernon said. "I was just fortunate enough to make the stops. They are both awesome players." Detroit, which leads the NHL with 99 goals, extended its losing streak to a season-high four games and has tallied just three times in its last four. The Red Wings had not been shut out this season. "We tied Phoenix and almost had 50 shots," Hull said. "Tonight, we had some great chances and again with the guys we have, and the chances we get, we have to bury one or two." Iginla scored the only goal Vernon needed four minutes into the third period. Dean McAmmond picked up a rebound at the left side of the crease and blindly centered the puck. With Dominik Hasek caught out of postition, Iginla fought his way past defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom and into the crease for the tap-in. "I thought the difference was (Craig) Conroy and Iginla," Detroit coach Scotty Bowman said. "They outplayed (Sergei) Fedorov and Shanahan and finally scored a goal and won the game." The Red Wings were unable to take advantage of a 6-on-4 advantage over the final 77 seconds to tie the game. Rob Niedermayer sealed the win with a shorthanded, empty-net goal with 15 seconds to play. With Flames coach Greg Gilbert suspended for his actions during Sunday's loss, special assistant to the general manager Al MacNeil and assistant coach Brad McCrimmon split duties behind the bench. The Flames played without the services of Craig Berube and Scott Nichol, both of whom were suspended by the NHL on Monday. Berube, the instigator of a fight with Anaheim's Jeff Friesen, will miss two games. Nichol, who received a gross misconduct for a fight, will sit out one more. After recording an NHL-record 190 penalty minutes in the third period of Sunday's 4-0 loss to the Mighty Ducks, the Flames appeared in the penalty box just three times. |
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