Flames Douse the Red Wings

Overtime was Martin Gelinas’ time yet again.

The forward scored 19:13 into the extra session Monday night, lifting Calgary to a 1-0 victory over the Detroit Red Wings and sending the sixth-seeded Flames into the Western Conference finals for the first time since 1989.

Gelinas eliminated Vancouver when he scored in overtime in Game 7 of the first round. His only other previous playoff goal in overtime won a series for Carolina over Toronto in 2002.

He is the first player in NHL history to end three playoff series with overtime goals.

This time, Gelinas got to a loose rebound in the crease and knocked a shot past sprawled Detroit goalie Curtis Joseph. The Flames piled off the bench and mobbed Gelinas in the corner as fans jumped in the aisles.

“They had more skill, but we worked extremely hard and it paid off,” Gelinas said. “Everybody’s been chipping in at different times and it’s been fun.”

The Presidents’ Trophy-winning Red Wings played without injured captain Steve Yzerman and veteran defenseman Chris Chelios. Yzerman was hit in the face by a puck during Calgary’s Game 5 win on Saturday. Chelios sat out his fourth game because of either an arm or shoulder injury.

Calgary beat the top-seeded Red Wings in Detroit, 1-0, on Saturday to take a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series. Another shutout by Miikka Kiprusoff, who made 38 saves, sent the Flames into the conference finals against San Jose or Colorado.

Kiprusoff, who has three shutouts in this year’s playoffs, hasn’t given up a goal in 149 minutes 11 seconds.

The Flames outshot Detroit, 13-4, in the third period, and only some fine stops by Joseph kept Calgary off the scoreboard. He finished with 43 saves.

One of his best came after Flame captain Jarome Iginla went end-to-end, almost lost the puck in the Detroit zone, but still got off a shot that Joseph stopped with his right leg.

Joseph also got a pad on Iginla’s backhander during a power play, stopped Jordan Leopold’s blast from the point, and denied Shean Donovan on a two-on-one breakaway in the game’s opening minute.

Early in the second period, Gelinas backhanded a shot off the post on a breakaway.

One of Kiprusoff’s best saves came in the second period when he blocked Kris Draper’s hard shot from just outside the crease.

In the third period, there was a gasp from the sellout crowd as Kiprusoff got a piece of another shot by Draper, then watched as the puck dribbled past the open corner of the net.

Calgary thought it scored midway through the first period. The puck went into the goal, but the net had been pushed off the moorings. The Flames argued that Detroit’s Kirk Maltby pushed the net off on purpose. The referee disagreed but gave Maltby a delay of game penalty.

The Red Wings, who have won three of the last seven Stanley Cup titles, were swept in the opening round last season by the Mighty Ducks.