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The skate outdoors: Flames win Heritage

Feb 21, 2011 - 7:23 AM Calgary, AB (Sports Network) - Rene Bourque scored twice, Miikka Kiprusoff was red-hot in freezing temperatures, and the Calgary Flames rolled to a 4-0 win over Montreal in the Heritage Classic on Sunday.

Playing outdoors at McMahon Stadium, where the temperature was around 16 degrees Fahrenheit at game time, Kiprusoff made 39 saves for his fourth shutout of the season.

Anton Babchuk and Alex Tanguay also scored for the Flames, who have won three straight and earned at least a point in six of their last seven games. Tanguay added an assist and Brendan Morrison had two helpers in the victory.

Carey Price took the loss for Montreal, giving up all four goals on 37 shots, and the Canadiens lost for the sixth time in seven games.

More than 41,000 fans showed up for the NHL's first regular-season outdoor game in Canada since the Edmonton Oilers hosted the Canadiens in the first Heritage Classic on November 22, 2003.

Montreal won that game, 4-3, in the league's first regular-season game ever played outdoors.

It was, of course, the inspiration for the Winter Classic -- the outdoor game that the NHL has staged every New Year's Day since 2008, but has never even featured a Canadian team.

McMahon Stadium, which houses the CFL's Calgary Stampeders and was also the city's Olympic Stadium in 1988, didn't provide as unique a setting as Wrigley Field, Fenway Park and Heinz Field have for the Winter Classic.

But it was still outdoor hockey.

"It was just fun to be a part of this ... especially when you're looking out and seeing 40,000 people," said Bourque, whose team scored three of their four goals on special teams.

Montreal defensemen P.K. Subban and Hal Gill were both whistled for tripping penalties within 33 seconds of each other in the opening period, leading to Calgary's first goal.

The Flames cashed in with just seconds remaining in the two-man advantage when Tanguay slid a pass from the left circle down to the goal mouth, where it was redirected by Bourque at the 8:09 mark.

"It's always important (to score) on a 5-on-3. You get momentum off it if you can get a goal. If you don't, it gives the other team momentum," said Tanguay. "So we really wanted to bear down."

Calgary made it 2-0 with another special teams goal in the second period -- this one shorthanded.

Getting good pressure in the Montreal zone despite Jay Bouwmeester's interference penalty, Curtis Glencross fought off a check in the right corner and centered a pass into the left side of the slot for Babchuk for a one-timer at 12:44.

The Flames quickly made it 3-0 on Bourque's second goal of the game, just 2:02 after Babchuk's tally. Bourque skated alone down the left side and pulled Price out of the Montreal net with a deke to his backhand, cutting across in front and slipping the puck into the goal.

"For some reason, the puck just kept coming to me on the left side," said Bourque, who had 11 shots in the game.

Tanguay stuffed home a power play goal midway through the third period to finish the scoring. He was set up at the goal mouth by a pass that Jarome Iginla flipped over the legs of Gill, who had slid to block a potential shot.

"The difference in the game was special teams, obviously," said Montreal head coach Jacques Martin. "The shorthanded goal was probably the turning point because I thought we had good momentum and after that it kind of turned around."

Kiprusoff had eight saves in the first period, 21 in the second and added 10 stops in the third to finish off his 38th career shutout and first since November 29.

Dressing for the weather, he wore extra clothing under his uniform to stay warm.

"The first period was really cold. We had to stand outside (because) there was some problem with the ice," said Kiprusoff. "The second and third (periods) I felt good."

Game Notes

A hot-water sprayer was used to resurface the ice instead of a Zamboni because of fears the ice would break...Montreal was 0-for-1 on the power play, while Calgary went 2-for-4...Gill returned from injured reserve after sitting out four games with an upper-body injury...Canadiens forward Mike Cammalleri was also activated from injured reserve and logged nearly 13 minutes of ice time. He had been sidelined since the middle of January with a separated left shoulder.