• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Kiprusoff, Nolan help Flames top Oilers

Nov 18, 2007 - 6:38 AM EDMONTON, Alberta (Ticker) -- Miikka Kiprusoff is helping the Calgary Flames get back on track.

Kiprusoff made 15 saves and Owen Nolan scored the game-winning goal and added an assist as the Flames defeated the Edmonton Oilers, 3-1, on Saturday night in this season's third installment of the "Battle of Alberta."

The Flames lead the season series, 2-1.

Matthew Lombardi and Craig Conroy also tallied for Calgary, which has won back-to-back games for the first time in nearly a month. The last time the Flames accomplished the feat was with victories on October 18 and 20.

"We've been outplaying teams but losing to goaltending," Flames coach Mike Keenan said. "We outplayed Vancouver and we outplayed Edmonton at home, but sometimes you run into a hot goalie. For the most part, we're playing better and we've gotten some results lately."

Kiprusoff, who has started all 19 games for the Flames this season, is starting to look more like the goalie who has contended for the Vezina Trophy each of the past three seasons.

The 2006 Vezina winner looked as good in this contest as he has all season, despite facing a small amount of shots. Kiprusoff needed to make just three saves in the first period, five in the second and seven in the third.

His best save of the night came in the third period with the Flames clinging to a 2-0 lead. Oilers center Robert Nilsson appeared to have an open net at which to shoot, but his slap shot was turned aside as Kiprusoff made a diving stop with his stick.

"I think it was a lucky save," the Finnish netminder admitted. "No matter how you do it though, you have to try and stop them all."

Calgary provided all the offense Kiprusoff needed in the second period.

After a scoreless opening session, Lombardi gave the Flames a 1-0 edge with 7:09 remaining. On a 2-on-1 rush, Lombardi executed a perfect give-and-go with Nolan and slid the puck underneath the stick of diving goaltender Mathieu Garon.

"It wasn't a great pass," Lombardi said, recalling how Nolan had to first accept the puck with his skate before firing it back to him. "He made it look good."

The tally ended Garon's shutout streak at just under 107 minutes. The last goal he allowed prior to Lombardi's also was scored by Calgary in last Saturday's 4-2 win.

"I'm feeling good, but obviously a win tonight would feel better," Garon said. "I like the way I'm playing, but it's hard to be satisfied when you don't get the win."

The Flames wasted little time doubling the lead as Nolan tallied less than three minutes later. Nolan took a feed from Lombardi and beat Garon with a backhander for a 2-0 advantage with 4:20 left in the middle session.

"The three of us seemed to play well tonight," Nolan said of the line of himself, Lombardi and Eric Nystrom. "We were seeing where each other were going and seemed to be in the right place at the right time. I think it's a good combination."

Just 75 seconds after Conroy added an insurance goal for the Flames midway through the third, Andrew Cogliano ended Kiprusoff's shutout bid. The 2005 first-round pick collected a rebound and fired a bad-angle shot that sneaked past Kiprusoff to cut the deficit to 3-1 with 7:27 remaining in the contest.

"We had a couple of good chances, guys were hitting posts, but it was a little too late, I think," Cogliano said.