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CALGARY, Alberta (Ticker) -- Curtis Joseph joined a not-so-exclusive group - goaltenders who have shut out the Calgary Flames in November. Joseph stopped 29 shots for his second shutout of the season and Kirk Maltby had a goal and an assist as the Detroit Red Wings rolled to a 5-0 blanking of the Flames, who have scored just two goals during a six-game losing streak. Three nights after he did not play in his much-anticipated return to Toronto, Joseph helped extend Calgary's latest scoring drought to 160 minutes, 39 seconds. Joseph came up with his biggest stop with just over 14 minutes to play, preserving his 38th career shutout with an acrobatic save on Jarome Iginla. "The guys played real well in front of me. They let me see the puck and cleared the rebounds," said Joseph, who also blanked the Flames on October 21. "That happens sometimes. There's the reverse that happens sometimes, too. Sometimes you play a team and they seem to beat you all the time. That's just how it goes." Earlier this month, the Flames were blanked for a stretch of nearly 193 minutes. They have been shut out four times during the losing streak and have not scored more than a goal in a game since a 3-2 triumph at New Jersey on November 5. "It's the first time in my career I've had this type of, I mean, no goals," Calgary captain Craig Conroy said. "Usually, there's something. There's a break, you get one here or there. "It just seems everything we do is wrong, and that's the hardest part about it. We can't make excuses for ourselves. Everyone deserves better - the fans, the organization." While Calgary is floundering, Detroit is playing its best hockey of the season. The Red Wings have allowed just four goals during a five-game winning streak that has moved them within two points of Dallas for the top spot in the NHL. "We had some breakdowns and when we did, Cujo was there for us," added Detroit center Kris Draper, who had a goal and an assist. "He was huge. Our goaltending is playing unbelievably for us." Igor Larionov, who turns 42 on December 3, ended a 16-game drought and gave Joseph all the support he needed with 2:24 to go in the first period. A pass from Brett Hull helped Larionov split two defenders and break in alone on Jamie McLennan, who could not get his glove on a backhander. Darren McCarty and Sergei Fedorov scored 41 seconds apart early in the second period as Detroit pulled away. McCarty beat a screened McLennan with a wrist shot from the edge of the right faceoff circle and McLennan's vision was obscured again when Fedorov surprised him with a quick wrister from a similar spot. Kirk Maltby made it 4-0 at 5:46 of the third period with his fifth goal of the season and first that was not shorthanded. McCarty made a crisp cross-ice pass to set up a one-time slapper from the top of the left circle. Draper capped the scoring with 3:54 remaining off a nifty behind-the-back pass from Maltby. "Tonight was a pretty solid game for us," said Draper, who ended a 15-game drought. "(Coach Dave Lewis) has confidence in our line. Sometimes we get rewarded and sometimes we don't. Tonight was one of those nights where we got some goals. The hard work paid off for us." Nothing is paying off for the Flames, who are mired in their longest losing streak since a six-game slide from March 7-18, 2000. "We were playing like we were sorry for ourselves," Calgary coach Greg Gilbert said. "In the National Hockey League, that can't happen because whenever people get you down, they're going to keep you down and they're going to kick your teeth through the back of your head and they're not going to let you back up." |
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