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Flames edge Avs to keep pace in logjammed Northwest

Thu 20th, March 2008

Calgary, AB (Sports Network) - Craig Conroy and Daymond Langkow each scored in the first period as the Calgary Flames held on to edge the Colorado Avalanche, 2-1, in a crucial Northwest Division contest.

Miikka Kiprusoff stopped 15-of-16 shots for the Flames, who won for just the second time in their last five games. The win improved Calgary to 86 points on the season, tied with Vancouver for the sixth spot in the Western Conference.

The Flames also moved within one point of idle Minnesota for the top spot in the Northwest Division.

"We just know how desperate it is right now," Conroy said. "We had an opportunity to move forward, and we took advantage of it tonight."

Ben Guite notched the only goal of the game for the Avs, who dropped their third straight decision. Jose Theodore made 26 saves, but allowed a pair of power-play goals and was saddled with the loss.

Colorado fell two points behind Calgary and Vancouver with the loss, but the Avs maintained their hold on the eighth and final playoff spot in the West.

Calgary took the early 1-0 lead when Langkow took a pass from Jarome Iginla and buried a wrister for a power-play tally with nearly 8 1/2 minutes gone.

Conroy increased the lead to 2-0 with just over five minutes left in the period, picking up a rebound and flipping a backhander past Theodore for the Flames' second man-advantage goal of the period.

The Avs mustered just three shots in the opening period, and Kiprusoff denied them all to keep Calgary's edge at 2-0 at the first intermission.

Neither team managed to score in the second period, as Kiprusoff stopped seven Colorado shots and Theodore made 11 saves of his own.

Colorado finally put the puck past Kiprusoff at the 5:52 mark of the third, when Guite picked up the rebound of Scott Hannan's shot in front of the net and lifted a backhander that eluded Kiprusoff to bring the Avs within 2-1.

But the Avalanche could get no closer, as Kiprusoff rejected 5-of-6 Colorado shots in the final period to help the Flames wrap up the victory.

"We went out in the third thinking we were going to come back," Guite said. "But, they shut us down pretty well after we got that first goal."

Game Notes

Calgary finished 2-for-4 on the power play, while Colorado was 0-for-4 with the man advantage...The Avs are 0-2-0 on their current three-game road trip, which ends Saturday in Edmonton...Calgary hosts the division-leading Wild on Saturday...Colorado leads the season series 4-3, and the teams meet for the final time Monday in Denver.

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