DETROIT — Christopher Higgins can pinpoint why Jarome Iginla went 19 regular season games against the Detroit Red Wings without scoring a goal.
“Slacker — the guy needs to pick it up a bit,” Higgins said of the Calgary Flames captain, with his tongue firmly placed in cheek.
Iginla picked it up just at the right time, which is a big reason why the Flames beat the host Red Wings 4-2 Tuesday night.
The Flames trailed the defending Western Conference champions 2-1 going into the third period, but Iginla scored his first regular-season marker against the Red Wings since before the lockout wiped out the 2004-05 season.
On his next shift, he set up Rene Bourque’s game-winning goal — which Iginla shot and banked off Bourque’s shin — to stun the announced crowd of 20,066 at the Joe Louis Arena.
“It starts getting in your head, then it’s nice to end it,” said Iginla, whose last regular-season goal against the Wings was March 3, 2004.
“Every chance you get, you’re thinking about it, so it’s nice when it went in.
“Then, you don’t think about it anymore.”
The Flames needed a determined Iginla on this two-game road swing, and he delivered. He scored four times and added two helpers in two wins — including one Sunday over the Minnesota Wild — to vault the Flames (33-24-9) over the Red Wings and into eighth place in the Western Conference standings.
Rene Bourque also had a six-point trip, including goals in consecutive games to hit 20 on the season.
The Flames may have a legitimate No. 1 line with Iginla, Bourque and Matt Stajan. At least, they’re starting to deliver like one.
“It’s huge,” Higgins said. “You’re not going to win unless you’re first line’s clicking. They have to play well and have to produce. They’ve done it the last two games, and, in huge efforts.”
Added Stajan: “The main thing for our line is to keep making plays. We have to create and were able to do that in the third period, especially. We were able to bear down and found a way. That’s what we have to do.”
This win, however, does go beyond that trio’s play.
Daymond Langkow opened the scoring — a lead which disappeared because of goals by the most dangerous Wings on the night, Pavel Datsyuk and Tomas Holmstrom.
And Higgins netted his first for the Flames with a shorthanded empty netter. It ended his drought at 15 games.
Higgins has been a hard-luck story since coming to Calgary, and you could understand him worrying his stick would break again when he had the golden chance.
“Or the puck to hop up at the last second. Or hit a piece of snow at the last second,” Higgins said with a laugh.
“I was more happy about winning more than anything. The way we won the game, coming back in the third period, was a great way to respond.”
It’s no small task to beat the Red Wings at any time, but when trailing after two periods, it becomes exceedingly difficult.
It’s just the second time the Wings (31-23-12) have lost in regulation when leading after 40 minutes.
“In Toronto, we had a tough time coming back in games.
I don’t know if we came back in the third period in any games all year,” Stajan said.
“This is nice.”
Almost lost in the affair was the play of goalie Miikka Kiprusoff when it mattered most. He made a clutch stop on Holmstrom less than 10 seconds into the third period to keep the Flames within striking distance.
The Flames return home to face the Ottawa Senators Thursday night.
