Stars Lose To Flames
DALLAS — The Calgary Flames proved their shootout win against the Stars on Dec. 1 at the Scotiabank Saddledome was no fluke, posting an impressive 3-1 victory against Dallas on Thursday at American Airlines Center.
Flames goaltender Karri Ramo was the star of the show in Calgary’s seventh consecutive win, stopping 35 of 36 shots.
“Especially in that third period, Karri came up with big saves,” Flames coach Bob Hartley said. “We were under siege, and he came up with some big clutch saves. We blocked lots of shots, too, but I thought that Karri was the difference in tonight’s game.”
Center Sean Monahan, defenseman Dougie Hamilton and left winger Mason Raymond scored goals for Calgary (15-14-2), who has won 11 consecutive December games dating back to December 2014.
Dallas (23-7-2) got its lone goal from defenseman Johnny Oduya, a short-handed tally in the first period.
“The first 15 minutes we played pretty well; two great kills and a big short-handed goal,” Stars coach Lindy Ruff said. “A missed assignment on the two-on-one hurt us (on Monahan’s goal). Then to get (the Hamilton goal) really late (in the second), that after playing 15 minutes of good hockey, really hurt us. That little bit of roller coaster ride we’re on, 15 minutes wasn’t
good enough.”
Ramo made several huge saves, most in the third period. His most impressive stop of the evening came 5:35 into the third when he denied a wrist shot by Stars defenseman Alex Goligoski from the slot. Ramo previously denied a shot from Stars left winger Jamie Benn, and Goligoski was looking to score off the ensuing rebound.
“We had some errors and we had some turnovers, but (Ramo) made some big saves, and that’s what we need,” Raymond said. “He’ll make the first one. We’ll clear it out from there, and that’s what we did.”
Ramo also denied Benn at close range on an attempted tap-in at 10:03 of the third with the Stars on the power play.
Dallas struck first when Oduya scored with 7:26 remaining in the first period. Oduya collected his fourth goal of the season by tapping in a rebound after a wrist shot by left winger Vernon Fiddler was turned away by Ramo.
It was Oduya’s second goal in as many games. Dallas had been short-handed for nine seconds after center Cody Eakin was whistled for tripping.
Calgary scored the next two to lead 2-1 at the first intermission.
Monahan beat Stars goaltender Kari Lehtonen top shelf to the short side with a wrist shot from the left circle. Left winger Johnny Gaudreau fed Monahan with a backhand pass near the Calgary blue line. Monahan rushed up the left side of the ice untouched before finishing for his 11th goal of the season.
The Flames took their first lead when Hamilton scored on a wrist shot from the right circle that deflected off the right post before beating Lehtonen to his short side with 28 seconds remaining in the first period.
With 2:30 remaining in the second, Calgary doubled its lead to 3-1 when Raymond beat Lehtonen high to the far post with a wrist shot from the high slot. Lehtonen was screened by both center Mikael Backlund, who set up the goal with a pass to Raymond just inside the Dallas blue line, and right winger David Jones, and did not see the puck until right before it went in.
“Yeah, it started in our D-zone,” Raymond said of his goal. “I’m not even sure who it was in the corner, but (Backlund) made a good play, too, to dump the puck and we had an odd-man rush, three-on-two. I was able to get to the middle, get a shot off, and I think the goalie was screened, so I was able to get a good look.”
Lehtonen stopped 24 of 27 shots.
