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Backlund lifts Calgary over Minnesota in OT

Feb 2, 2014 - 7:57 AM Calgary, AB (SportsNetwork.com) - Mikael Backlund scored a pair of goals, including the game-winner in overtime, as the Calgary Flames completed a perfect five-game homestand with a 4-3 victory over the Minnesota Wild on Saturday.

TJ Galiardi added a goal and an assist for the Flames. Dennis Wideman also lit the lamp.

Calgary goaltender Karri Ramo left the game late in the first period with a lower-body injury. Reto Berra stopped 14-of-17 shots in relief.

"[Ramo] came at a TV timeout and he told me, 'Bob, I can't keep going'," Flames coach Bob Hartley said. "Right away, we went to Reto. I went to see [Ramo] after the first period and he was sore. I don't think that it's major but, obviously, you never know. I'm not a doctor."

Calgary swept a five-game homestand for the first time since Feb. 7-15, 1997. The hot stretch at home comes just two weeks after the Flames set a franchise record by losing seven straight in their own building.

Dany Heatley had a goal and an assist for the Wild, who went 1-1-2 on a four- game road trip. Matt Cooke and Keith Ballard also lit the lamp.

Darcy Kuemper turned aside 28-of-32 shots in defeat.

"It's a big point, no question, but starts have cost us the last two games," Heatley said. "We've got to take the points right now, but the start of this trip was a tough trip, a lot of travel, some good teams. We'll take four but we would've liked six, I think."

Backlund's second goal of the game came 2:25 into overtime when he batted Sean Monahan's rebound out of midair and past Kuemper.

Heatley got Minnesota within 3-2 at 10:31 of the third period when he jammed home his own rebound.

Ballard put home a rebound of his own at 15:55 to force overtime.

Galiardi scored on a backhander to give the Flames a 1-0 lead at 12:36 of the first period.

Cooke's short-handed goal tied things up at 14:03 of the middle stanza. His one-timer from the top of the left circle got past Berra.

Wideman gave Calgary the lead back with 1:36 remaining in the second by deflecting Chris Butler's point shot past Kuemper.

Backlund's short-handed goal a minute into the third period gave the Flames a 3-1 margin.

Game Notes

Flames forward Mike Cammalleri returned after missing nine games with a concussion ... Calgary defenseman Mark Giordano had two assists to extend his career-high point streak to nine games ... The Wild went 1-for-4 on the power play, while the Flames went 0-for-4.