Blue Jackets 4 - 3 Flames
Final - 2OT
  for this game

Nash lifts Blue Jackets over Flames in SO

Dec 2, 2011 - 5:41 AM Calgary, AB (Sports Network) - Rick Nash scored the tying goal late in regulation, then netted the lone tally in the shootout as the Columbus Blue Jackets rallied to beat the Calgary Flames, 4-3, on Thursday night.

Down 3-1 in the third period, the Blue Jackets scored twice in the last 4:05.

Off a faceoff win by Derek MacKenzie, Nikita Nikitin fired a point shot past Calgary goalie Miikka Kiprusoff to tie the game. Nash then tipped Nikitin's point shot with 57.2 seconds remaining to send it to overtime.

Following the extra session, Nash beat Kiprusoff between the pads with a wrister. Curtis Sanford turned away Calgary's trio of Alex Tanguay, Lee Stempniak and Rene Bourque to secure the extra point for Columbus.

"I like the fact we didn't stop playing," said Columbus head coach Scott Arniel.

Sanford finished with 32 saves for the Blue Jackets, who won for the first time in 11 games this season when trailing after two periods (1-9-1).

Kiprusoff stopped 30 shots for Calgary, which was looking to extend its winning streak to three games. The Flames had won each of their previous nine games when holding a lead after 40 minutes.

"The last 4 1/2 minutes we made too many mistakes and we didn't play a smart game up two goals," said Flames coach Brent Sutter. "You can't have a lull when you're up two goals or at any time in your own building."

The teams were even after the first period behind goals from Antoine Vermette and Stempniak.

Calgary grabbed the lead when Bourque flew down the left wing and fired a slap shot from atop the faceoff circle over Sanford's glove with 19 seconds left in the middle stanza.

Blake Comeau increased the Flames' advantage to two at the 5:48 mark of the third period, ripping a shot that deflected in off a Columbus player.

Game Notes

Comeau also picked up an assist on Stempniak's goal, his first point of the season. Calgary plucked Comeau off waivers last Friday after the 25-year-old failed to register a point in 16 games with the New York Islanders. He was coming off career-highs, with 24 goals and 22 assists in 2010-11.






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