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Lombardi, Flames too strong for Canadiens

Feb 10, 2009 - 6:15 AM CALGARY, Alberta (Ticker) -- Matthew Lombardi and Dustin Boyd netted a shorthanded goal apiece in the second period as the Calgary Flames snapped a four-game losing streak with a 6-2 triumph over the Montreal Canadiens on Monday.

Mike Cammalleri and Rene Bourque each recorded a goal and an assist and defenseman Dion Phaneuf and David Moss also tallied for Calgary, which scored three times in the second period and enjoyed a 20-4 edge in shots during the session.

The Flames recorded a pair of shorthanded tallies for the first time in a contest since March 10, 2008. Calgary posted a 7-3 victory over the St. Louis Blues in that one.

"They've been huge for us all year and sometimes they don't get all the credit," Phaneuf said of the team's penalty killing unit. "The PK has been huge for us all year and it's good to see them get rewarded offensively for their hard defensive work."

"Those (shorthanded goals) hurt, and when you get a couple in a row, that really changed the momentum for us," defenseman Cory Sarich said. "You saw us take over after that."

Lombardi added two assists and Miikka Kiprusoff finished with 22 saves for the Flames.

"We're two teams that have been struggling lately," Kiprusoff said. "Overall we controlled the game and we outshot them. We were going what we were supposed to do; shooting pucks at the net and getting rebounds. Usually when you do that, you get the results too."

With the win, Calgary coach Mike Keenan tied Pat Quinn for fourth all-time in NHL coaching victories with 657.

Rookie Matt D'Agostini and Tomas Plekanec scored and defenseman Roman Hamrlik notched two assists for Montreal, which opened its season-high six-game road trip in brutal fashion.

Jaroslav Halak turned aside 35 shots for the Canadiens, who fell to 2-8-0 in their last 10 games - scoring two or fewer goals seven times during that stretch.

"If we get to the 82nd game and we aren't in the playoffs, that's when it'll be rock bottom," Montreal coach Guy Carbonneau said. "Right now we still have games, we still have time to come back and turn this thing around. I think tonight was a good time to do that between the players, to air out whatever concerns they have and try to pull back together."

With the Canadiens nursing a 2-1 advantage midway through the second period, Lombardi leveled the contest his team's first shorthanded goal of the session.

The Montreal native took advantage of a turnover at neutral ice, skated in on a 2-on-1 and backhanded the puck past Halak for his sixth goal of the season.

Thirty-two seconds later, Phaneuf gave the Flames a lead they would not relinquish after his wrist shot beat a thoroughly screened Halak.

With 77 seconds remaining in the session and his team once again shorthanded, Boyd gave Calgary a 4-2 lead after accepting a lead pass from Eric Nystrom and tucking the puck past Halak for his ninth goal of the season.

"I think once we get going, so many guys can score - and it showed tonight that anyone can score at any time," Boyd said.

Bourque and Moss scored nearly five minutes apart in the third to seal the win.

"Our offense came out tonight, created by getting pucks deep and getting a lot of shots to the net," Bourque said. "(Also) a couple of rebound goals and two huge goals on the penalty kill, which pretty much won us the game."