(Sports Network) - Putting together some winning streaks will be vital if the Phoenix Coyotes hope to make a return trip to the playoffs. They try to win back-to-back games for the first time this season tonight in a home matchup with the Calgary Flames at Jobing.com Arena.
The Coyotes set club marks with 50 wins and 107 points a season ago to qualify for the postseason for the first time since 2002. Their encore performance hasn't gone so well this year as the club is just 5-5-5 and had lost three straight (0-1-2) before Wednesday's road win in Chicago.
Eric Belanger and Kyle Turris scored 35 seconds apart in the second period, while Wojtek Wolski andScottie Upshall both added an assist. Backup goaltender Jason LaBarbera made 35 saves to improve to 1-3-0 on the season.
"I haven't had a whole lot of luck this year so it was good to get in there and play well and give the guys a chance to win," said LaBarbera. "I don't get a lot of chances to play so when you do you have to go in there and play as well as you can."
Ilya Bryzgalov should get the call in net tonight. He lost six of his first seven career starts versus the Flames, but is 4-2-0 with a 2.81 goals-against average in his last six against them.
Calgary also seeks consecutive wins after snapping a season-worst four-game slide on Tuesday with a 4-2 victory at Colorado. The Flames have now split the first two contests of a four-game swing and are 3-3-0 as the visiting club this year.
David Moss' first goal of the season was the game-winner with 4:15 left to play, while Curtis Glencross' second goal of the contest came earlier in the third period. Moss also had an assist and Mikael Backlund had an empty-net tally.
"It's great to have four lines to roll together," Moss said. "That really wears them down."
Miikka Kiprusoff made 29 saves and is 3-1-1 with a 2.17 GAA in his last five starts versus Phoenix.
The Flames went 2-1-1 versus the Coyotes last year, but lost both games in Phoenix. Calgary has still won seven of the last 11 meetings overall and six of the last nine played in the desert.
Flames forward Jarome Iginla has just two goals in 14 games this year and has gone without a goal in each of his last six games. He has lit the lamp 30 times in 51 career games versus the Coyotes, but hasn't scored a goal in his last seven games in this series.