Oilers fall to Flames 5-2

Dustin Penner has a discussion with Rene Bourque at the faceoff circle (photo: Gerry Thomas/Flames)

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PRE-GAME

Preview Game Notes Head-to-Head Stats Comparison Game Program Video interviews Audio Interviews

PHOTOS

Click here for the photo gallery

VIDEO

Watch tonight's post-game video highlights. Oilers post-game comments from Khabibulin, Visnovsky, Gagner and Quinn. Flames post-game comments from Eric Nystrom, Nigel Dawes, Cory Sarich, and Rene Bourque. Flames post-game comments from head coach Brent Sutter.

AUDIO

Pat Quinn Sam Gagner Nikolai Khabibulin Lubomir Visnovsky

THREE STARS

Rene Bourque, CGY Nigel Dawes, CGY Ales Hemsky, EDM

UPDATE

The Oilers fall to third place in the Northwest Division, two points behind Calgary and five back of Colorado. They are now sixth in the Western Conference.

WHAT'S NEXT

Edmonton continues their weekend Canadian road trip with a date against the Vancouver Canucks tomorrow night. Game time is 8:00 p.m. and it can be seen on Rogers Sportsnet West.

by Marc Ciampa | edmontonoilers.com

On the strength of three second-period goals, the Calgary Flames defeated the Edmonton Oilers 5-2 at the Pengrowth Saddledome on Saturday night. Nigel Dawes scored twice for the Flames.

FIRST PERIOD

1:10 into the game, Jarome Iginla got a penalty for goaltender interference to give Edmonton the game's first power play.

The Oilers capitalized with 45 seconds left in the man advantage. Lubomir Visnovsky got a cross-ice pass from Ales Hemsky and roofed it under the crossbar to make it a 1-0 game.

3:28 into the opening frame, a pair of heavyweights dropped the gloves. Steve MacIntyre and Brian McGrattan went toe to toe for two solid minutes with both combatants getting in some heavy shots.

Edmonton had some chances on its second man advantage of the night with just over nine minutes to play in the first but it was Calgary that ultimately capitalized with a shorthanded marker that tied the game up.

Denis Grebeshkov had trouble handling the puck at the right point which led to Daymond Langkow poking it off his stick and forcing a two-on-one. Langkow fed the puck over to Rene Bourque in the slot and he redirected in past Khabibulin to make it 1-1.

After one period, the game was tied 1-1 with shots being nine for each team.

SECOND PERIOD

Just under four minutes into the second, Calgary struck to take their first lead of the game. Nigel Dawes took a pass from Bourque and snuck it past Khabibulin to make it 2-1.

40 seconds later, Eric Nystrom scored on a goalmouth scramble after sliding across the crease and stabbing at the puck.

Calgary looked to go up by three midway through the period when David Moss deflected a point shot past Khabibulin for a Flames power play goal. The goal was reviewed to see if Moss had knocked it down with a high stick on the play. After review it was determined it was not a high stick.

Edmonton came close to their second goal of the game late in the period when Visnovsky's shot from the point was redirected by Jacques in front but rang off the post.

Moments later, Ladislav Smid dropped the gloves with Mark Giordano for a sprited bout at centre ice. Both blueliners got their shots in during what could be determined a draw.

Shots on goal after two were 28-18 for the Flames.

THIRD PERIOD

The Oilers started the third period on a two-man advantage with plenty of opportunities to get back within one but Calgary's penalty killers came up big as they killed off all of the first penalty and then the entire four minutes of the Cory Sarich double minor.

Edmonton rang the puck off several posts including a blast by Grebeshkov from the point.

Nigel Dawes made it a 5-2 game in the latter part of the third, scoring his second of the game to give Calgary the three-goal cushion.