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Aucoin's OT goal lifts Flames past Wild

Feb 20, 2009 - 8:27 AM ST. PAUL, Minnesota (Ticker) -- Defenseman Adrian Aucoin scored the game-winning goal with 70 seconds left in overtime as the Calgary Flames skated to a 3-2 victory over the Minnesota Wild on Thursday.

Rene Bourque and Dustin Boyd also scored for the Flames, who won for the third time in three tries against the Wild this season. The Northwest Division rivals still have three meetings left this season.

Miikka Kiprusoff improved to 34-15-5 by making 25 saves as Calgary captured a point for the sixth straight game (4-0-2).

"He's (Kiprusoff) gotten us points in the last bunch of games that we probably didn't deserve," Aucoin said.

On the game-winning goal, Aucoin fired a shot from the right point that appeared to be headed wide of the net. But the puck deflected off the leg of Minnesota defenseman Brent Burns and past Wild goaltender Niklas Backstrom for the clinching goal.

"We were engaged in a battle, me and the defenseman (Brent Burns)," said Mike Cammalleri, who was stationed to the side of the net with Burns. "It bounced off him and into the net. I was trying to create action in front of the net, trying to get a screen or a tip when the shot is coming through."

Dan Fritsche and Colton Gillies had the goals for Minnesota, which has dropped three straight games for the first time in 2009.

The game-winner came 80 seconds after Aucoin blasted a shot off the right post while all alone against Backstrom.

"We've been saying on this team about guys getting justice aroung here," Aucoin said. "That's pretty much what it was. I don't get too many breakaways. I beat (Backstrom) but obviously not the post."

Bourque's 21st goal of the season just 3:17 into the game staked the Flames to an early 1-0 lead, an advantage they would take into the first intermission.

Minnesota stormed in front thanks to a shorthanded goal by Fritsche at 3:02 of the second period and a tally by Gillies nearly four minutes later.

"The first five minutes were tough because we didn't play for four days, but then we started to play our game," said rookie Peter Olvecky, who recorded his first career point with an assist on Gillies' goal. "In the second period, if we got a couple more goals, it was over."

However, Boyd knotted the score at 2-2 at the 16:10 mark of the middle session with a wrist shot with traffic in front of Backstrom, who stopped 19 shots for the Wild.

After holding a 24-15 edge in shots on goal over the first two periods, Minnesota managed just a single shot on Kiprusoff as neither team managed to break the 2-2 deadlock.

"We gave them enough in the second period to have to make up for it in the third," Aucoin said.