Ducks give more in 4-1 win over Flames

CALGARY, CANADA â€”  A cure for the inconsistency that has plagued the Ducks thus far arrived Thursday night in the form of another team with the same affliction.

Learning their lesson from a dismal outing in Vancouver two nights before, the Ducks took advantage of the weakened state of the Calgary Flames with a 4-1 victory in which the sellout crowd of 19,289 booed the home team as they left Pengrowth Saddledome.

Not that the Flames’ struggles mattered to the Ducks (12-10-4), who were content with a performance that put them two points behind Pacific Division-leading Dallas in the standings. It was all about atonement.

“We talked about our lack of ability to play 60 minutes the other night and it was important that we responded with a positive tonight,� Ducks Coach Randy Carlyle said. “Again, we still can improve in our game in areas.�

And improve they did.

The Ducks took their usual share of penalties -- six minors that gave the Flames power plays on each -- but they erased the last five after allowing an early goal to Alex Tanguay.

They got offense early and often with Todd Marchant and Chris Kunitz providing first-period goals. Ryan Getzlaf and Chris Pronger each had two assists and Todd Bertuzzi was a presence all night in his best game since coming to Anaheim.

Jean-Sebastien Giguere, who was mercifully relieved during the third period in Vancouver, was sharp all night in making a season-high 38 saves.

After Wednesday’s practice in which he let the players run their drills, Carlyle said he simply wanted more from his team.

Bertuzzi was paired with Marchant and Andy McDonald and the trio clicked less than two minutes after Tanguay’s score.

McDonald and Bertuzzi played give-and-go with the puck, with Bertuzzi getting it behind the net and threading a pass in front to Marchant, who quickly banged it past Calgary goalie Miikka Kiprusoff.

Carlyle said Bertuzzi asked to be put on the left side, and it paid immediate dividends.

“I seem to be able to see the whole ice a lot better and be able to make better plays,� Bertuzzi said. “I’m not going to lie to you, it was actually fun. We tend to stress on not putting the puck in the net and I think it builds up and builds up.

“I think it’s a matter of going out and having fun again and I think we had a little bit of that tonight.�

The Ducks made it 2-1 right before the intermission when Getzlaf set up Kunitz after the center turned Calgary defenseman Dion Phaneuf around with a highlight-reel move.

Bertuzzi then helped add to the lead in the second. The forward was stationed in front of Kiprusoff and Corey Perry tried to get him the puck from the right side. Bertuzzi appeared to deflect the puck toward the net and as it nearly cleared the goal line, Flames forward Matthew Lombardi batted it away.

After a long review, referee Dan O’Halloran signaled that the puck had cleared the line before Lombardi touched it.

“It’s either in or it’s not,� Carlyle said. “That’s the way the video review goes. It could have been 10 miles over the line. I don’t care.�

Now comes the question: Will they put forward the same effort tonight in Edmonton?

“We’ve got to be prepared to play the way we did tonight and even better,� Marchant said.

[email protected]