Smith, Flames shut out Ducks, end losing streak in Anaheim

ANAHEIM -- Mike Smith had 43 saves, and the Calgary Flames ended a 29-game losing streak in Anaheim with a 2-0 victory against the Ducks at Honda Center on Monday.
Forwards Sean Monahan and Mikael Backlund scored for Calgary. Smith, acquired in a trade with the Arizona Coyotes June 17, recorded his 34th career NHL shutout.

"I wanted to help this team get over that hump," Smith said.
WATCH: [All Flames vs. Ducks highlights]
The Ducks had won 22 consecutive regular-season games and seven straight Stanley Cup Playoff games against the Flames at home since a 5-2 loss in Game 3 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals on April 25, 2006.
The Ducks swept the Flames in the Western Conference First Round in April.
"We probably could have done this in the spring in Game 2 (of the First Round, a 3-2 loss)," Backlund said. "I thought we were the way better team then, but they got the lucky bounce. We were like 'Oh, it's the curse,' but now it's nice to finally break it."
Monahan scored a power-play goal at 16:27 of the second period to give Calgary a 1-0 lead.
Kris Versteeg, TJ Brodie and Johnny Gaudreau strung together passes in the Anaheim zone before Brodie spotted Monahan in the slot, and he scored his first goal of the season. It was the third power-play goal allowed in three games by the Ducks, who are 0-for-11 with the man-advantage this season.
"Our penalty kill was tremendous tonight," Smith said.

Calgary (2-1-0) made it 2-0 at 6:19 of the third period when Backlund beat goalie John Gibson, who had 27 saves.
"I thought it was a great hockey game," Calgary coach Glen Gulutzan said. "The specialty teams obviously got us, and you can't win without specialty teams in this league."
Ducks center Ryan Getzlaf made his season debut after missing the first two games with a lower-body injury. He had two shots on goal and three missed shots in 22:14.
"He's going to play himself back into game shape in a hurry if we play him 22 minutes a night," Ducks coach Randy Carlyle said. "I saw some rust in his game, specifically early, but he got a lot better as the game went on. I expect him to continue to improve."
Anaheim (1-1-1) had five shots on goal in the first 3:25, and Chris Wagner drew a holding penalty behind the Calgary net at 3:45. The Ducks then had a 5-on-3 power play after Sam Bennett was called for slashing Francois Beauchemin, but that only lasted 1:04 before Ducks forward Corey Perry was called for cross checking Mark Giordano.
Anaheim then went nearly 14 minutes without a shot on goal.

Goal of the game

Versteeg passed to Brodie just inside the blue line and he slid the puck to Gaudreau above the left circle. Gaudreau made a cross-ice pass back to Brodie at the bottom of the right circle and he spotted Monahan in the slot with Ducks defenseman Josh Manson below him and Wagner above. Brodie got the pass through Anaheim defenseman Cam Fowler and onto the stick of Monahan, who flicked the puck into the open side of the net.

Save of the game

The Ducks went on their fifth power play with 3:31 left in the third period and pulled Gibson about 10 seconds later for a two-man advantage. Forward Rickard Rakell took a shot from the left circle and Smith made the glove save at 18:09 with Wagner and Perry in position for a rebound.

Highlight of the game

Calgary was leading 1-0 when Michael Frolik skated into the offensive zone along the left wall. He spotted Backlund ahead of him and passed the puck under the stick of Anaheim defenseman Brandon Montour. Backlund settled the puck and shot it into the top right corner.

They said it

"I'm just trying to be solid back there for this group. I've learned a lot over my career. One [thing] is just to look after what I can control." -- Calgary goalie Mike Smith
"We weren't crisp. Our game is moving the puck, skating, getting in on the forecheck and banging bodies. We haven't really consistently done that yet. It's a work in progress." -- Ducks forward Corey Perry

Need to know

The Flames' last regular-season win in Anaheim was Jan. 19, 2004. ... The 43 saves by Smith tied for fifth-most in his 12-year NHL career and were his most in a shutout. Smith is 3-8-2 in his NHL career when making at least 42 saves. … Gaudreau has 14 points (four goals, 10 assists) in 15 career NHL games against the Ducks. … The Ducks have led for 3:30 of the 180:44 played this season. ... Ducks forward Antoine Vermette was 14-3 on face-offs. ... Ducks forward Ondrej Kase left in the first period with an upper-body injury and did not return. He will be re-evaluated on Tuesday.

What's next

Flames: At the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday (10:30 p.m. ET; FS-W, SNW, NHL.TV)
Ducks: Host the New York Islanders on Wednesday (10 p.m. ET; PRIME, MSG+, NHL.TV)