CALGARY – Mike Richards scored twice and Ray Emery made 18 saves for his third shutout of the season Monday as the Philadelphia Flyers defeated the new-look Calgary Flames 3-0.
Richards broke a scoreless tie at 10:15 of the second off a series of lucky bounces. Simon Gagne knocked the puck out of the air and off Flames defenceman Jay Bouwmeester. It bounced right to Richards, who ripped a high shot past Miikka Kiprusoff.
The Flyers extended the lead to 2-0 at 1:49 of the third after Jarome Iginla turned the puck over in the Flyers’ end. Aaron Asham fed Claude Giroux, who sped in alone on Kiprusoff and neatly put a backhand over the Flames goaltender.
Richards added his 22nd of the season on a power play at 17:44.
All four players acquired by the Flames in Sunday’s blockbuster trade with Toronto that sent defenceman Dion Phaneuf, winger Fredrik Sjostrom and minor-league defenceman Keith Aulie packing were in the Calgary lineup.
Matt Stajan moved right onto the top line centring, Iginla and Dustin Boyd. Finnish left-winger Niklas Hagman joined fellow countrymen Olli Jokinen on a line with Jamie Lundmark.
Meanwhile, Jamal Mayers skated on the fourth line and defenceman Ian White not only assumed Phaneuf’s old jersey No. 3 but also paired up with his former defence partner, Robyn Regehr.
With so much upheaval and just the morning’s game-day practice to get used to their new teammates, the Flames were sloppy and disorganized.
Their 18 shots was the second-lowest output of the season.
The execution from the new players was also off at times, with Hagman fanning on a shot from the top of the faceoff circle in the first and White missing the net badly on a dangerous opportunity in the second.
Calgary’s best scoring chance came while short-handed in the first and Emery didn’t even need to make a save. Defenceman Adam Pardy raced up the ice to join Curtis Glencross but his shot sailed wide.
Philadelphia (28-23-3) was playing the first of three straight road games against Northwest Division teams. The Flyers will look for their 10th win in 14 games when they play in Edmonton on Wednesday.
Philadelphia moves into sole possession of sixth spot in the Eastern Conference, seven points back of Ottawa and two points up on Florida and the New York Rangers.
Calgary (27-21-8) continues to struggle at the Pengrowth Saddledome where the Flames are 1-6-1 in their last eight. Over that span, they have amassed just 12 goals, six of them coming Saturday night versus the Oilers.
One of the reasons for bringing in Hagman (20 goals, 13 assists) and Stajan (16 goals, 25 assists) was to rejuvenate a slumbering Calgary offence.
There were no immediate returns with Calgary generating its lowest shot total since a 3-0 loss at Detroit on Nov. 27.
With the loss, Calgary tumbled out of a playoff spot and back into ninth spot in the Western Conference. Although even in points with Detroit. The Red Wings hold a game in hand.
Notes: The influx of new bodies relegated Flames rookie C Mikael Backlund to the press box. Recalled from Abbotsford (AHL) on Jan. 26, the Flames went 1-0-2 in Backlund’s first three games and the 20-year-old Swede had one goal, one assist, and was a plus two. … Calgary’s first power-play unit also had a new look with Iginla up front with Stajan and Hagman. … Philadelphia has won its last three visits to Calgary, not having lost at the Pengrowth Saddledome since a 3-1 loss on March 22, 2001… D Lukas Krajicek played in his first game after signing with the Flyers on Sunday.
