If Darryl Sutter's comment earlier this week about Jesus Christ was valid, the Phoenix Coyotes delayed his second coming Tuesday night with a 4-3 win.
Earlier this week the Flames head coach remarked that Calgary has not beaten the Coyotes "since Christ was a child."
Forward Ramzi Abid ensured that streak would continue when he netted the game winner with 1:49 remaining in the third period, capping a come from behind win. The goal was Abid's second of the game and was scored on a 2-on-1 break.
"I saw the defenseman go at (Daniel Briere) and I had a feeling he was going to give it to me," Abid said. "Turek went down and right away I wanted to go up high against him and luckily it went in."
The Coyotes trailed 3-2 entering the period but tied the score just 2:19 into the period on a controversial play. Briere skated down the left wing and sent a backhand shot towards the net that was deflected by forward Mike Johnson and into the pads of Turek. The goalkeeper's body then slid all the way across the line but no goal indication was given from the official. After reviewing the play Johnson was awarded with his 14th goal of the season.
"Finally we got one," Coyotes head coach Ron Francis said about the call. "We've been on the other side of that far too many times."
In the first period, Phoenix built a 2-0 lead with goals from Abid and Daymond Langkow and it looked as if they would keep rolling against the Flames following a 7-1 shellacking on Thursday.
That would not be the case, however, as the Flames caught fire in the second period.
Coyotes goalie Zac Bierk did something he hasn't done all season: give up three goals in a game. Not only did it happen in one game, but the netminder who carried a goals-against average of 1.14 into the contest, allowed three scores in a span of 4:37.
"I think we just had a mental lapse," Bierk said. "We played so well against them last time that we just came out in the second period thinking it was going to be a little easier than it was."
Chris Drury, who scored the only goal against Bierk last week, got the first one for the Flames at the 10:20 mark of the second, stuffing home a rebound.
Just 14 seconds later forward Chris Clark stole an errant pass from Phoenix's Deron Quint and scored top shelf on a breakaway, evening the contest at two.
Bob Boughner then put the Flames ahead 3-2 with a slap shot from the right circle at 14:57. Blake Sloan set up the play with a beautiful cross-ice pass from the left wing.
They scored one goal and we seemed to crumble a little in the second, said Abid, who now has four goals in two games against the Flames this season. But we showed a lot of character and came back in the third. It was a big win for us.
The loss for Calgary dropped their record against the Coyotes to 1-16-4 in the last 21 contests between the two teams.
Phoenix has now won four-of-five heading into the All-Star break.
"We put ourselves into a position where we can put ourselves back into the [playoff] race," Francis said. "It's so tight; the cards have been reshuffled, and all we did was put ourselves back into the deck."
Reach the reporter at casey.pritchard@asu.edu.
