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Flames send Blackhawks to fourth straight defeat

Dec 10, 2007 - 3:51 AM By Rory Spears PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

CHICAGO (Ticker) -- The Calgary Flames used three different goal scorers to send the Chicago Blackhawks to their fourth straight defeat with a 3-2 victory at the United Center on Sunday.

Owen Nolan scored in the second period and Cory Sarich and Daymond Langkow added third-period goals for the Flames, who won for just the second time in seven games.

Calgary goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff made 35 saves - including 18 in the third period - to help preserve the victory.

"When teams are down they always come at you in the end," Kiprusoff said. "They were really pushing it but it's great to get the win. It's awesome to start our road trip like this."

With the game tied at 1-1 midway through the third period, Sarich fired a wrist shot from the right point that found its way past Chicago goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin to give Calgary a 2-1 lead with 8:41 to play.

"I think my shot hit somebody wearing black pants, but both teams were wearing black pants," Sarich said. "My teammates will have fun with the goal since I don't score much, at least it went in."

Langkow doubled the lead on the power play more than two minutes later when he deflected a shot from the point by defenseman Dion Phaneuf to give the Flames a two-goal advantage with 6:08 left in the game.

Dustin Byfuglien cut the Chicago deficit 3-2 with 5:21 remaining, scoring off a scramble in front. However, Kiprusoff made the slim lead stand up, smothering a loose puck while laying flat on his back off another scramble as the final horn went off.

"They had a couple of good chances at the end," Kiprusoff said. "On the final save the puck hit me, but it was a relief to feel it under my back. I knew I had it then."

Robert Lang had a goal and an assist to extend his point streak to four games, and his tally gave Chicago a 1-0 lead midway through the first period.

"Robert is a good player who always has his head up and is looking for plays," Byfuglien said. "He is somebody the rest of us can feed off of, and he has played really good lately."

Calgary tied the game at 1-1 with 12:03 left in the second period when the right wing Nolan scored his fifth goal of the season, after taking a pass at the Chicago blueline from Alex Tanguay.

Nolan skated to the top of the left faceoff circle where he blasted a slapshot just under the crossbar and over the glove of Khabibulin.

Khabibulin finished with 26 saves for the Blackhawks, who have lost three straight games to begin their four-game homestand.

"We have been trying to do too much because of our losing streak," Chicago defenseman James Wisnewski said. "The guys don't like this because we have played better than the results we are getting."