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Flames slip past Vancouver

Apr 6, 2012 - 4:34 AM Calgary, AB (Sports Network) - Mike Cammalleri scored twice in the third period to help lift the Calgary Flames over the Vancouver Canucks, 3-2, at Scotiabank Saddledome.

Curtis Glencross also netted a third-period goal for the Flames, who had dropped eight of nine games coming into the contest. Miikka Kiprusoff stopped 32 shots in the victory.

Alexandre Burrows and Jannik Hansen lit the lamp for Vancouver, which remained tied with the New York Rangers in the race for the Presidents' Trophy with 109 points apiece after both teams lost Thursday. New York would win the tie- breaker against the Canucks due to a greater number of non-shootout victories.

The Canucks also hold a two-point lead over idle St. Louis for the top spot in the Western Conference.

Cory Schneider made 25 saves as the Canucks had their season-high seven-game win streak snapped.

Vancouver struck first at the 4:36 mark of the opening frame while shorthanded after Burrows snuck behind the Calgary defense to grab Dan Hamhuis' clearing attempt for a breakaway, beating Kiprusoff with a backhander to the glove side.

Calgary then failed to take advantage of two power plays in the first period to keep it a 1-0 game entering the second period.

"In the first period, [Kiprusoff] made some big saves for us to keep us in it," Flames head coach Brent Sutter said. "Our emotion level wasn't where it needed to be."

Vancouver was awarded two power plays while the Flames had three chances at the man advantage in a scoreless second period before Calgary tied the game 1:27 into the third when Cammalleri cleaned up a rebound of a Jay Bouwmeester wrister from the right point.

Glencross gave the Flames a 2-1 lead at the 9:02 mark when he grabbed a turnover inside the Vancouver zone and finished with a hard wrister from the slot.

After Cammalleri put home another rebound attempt with 3:37 left in the game to give the Flames a two-goal lead, Hansen brought Vancouver back within a goal 26 seconds later by lifting a rebound over a prone Schneider to the right of the net.

Vancouver was later given a golden chance to send the game into overtime when Calgary's Blake Comeau was whistled for tripping with 1:36 remaining in the game, but the Canucks could not convert even as they pulled their goaltender for the majority of the power play for a 6-on-4 advantage.

"They really took it to us in the third and scored three goals," said Canucks head coach Alain Vigneault.

Game Notes

Flames forward Akim Aliu recorded the secondary assist on Cammalleri's goal for his first career point...Calgary improved to 22-12-6 at home this season and will host Anaheim on Saturday to close out their season...Vancouver played its final away game of the regular season, ending with a 24-12-5 mark on the road...The Canucks went 0-for-6 on the power play, while the Flames were 0- for-4 on the man advantage.