Flames 1 Blue Jackets 2
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Rick Nash stretched his streak of multipoint games to four with a pair of assists 2:04 apart in the second period, and the Columbus Blue Jackets rallied for a 2-1 victory over the Calgary Flames on Tuesday night.
The Blue Jackets (4-1), off to the best start in franchise history, made the most of a two-man advantage when former Flames Anton Stralman and Kristian Huselius scored.
Stralman scored his goal with a slap shot following a faceoff, and Huselius scored from in-close off a slick pass from Nash immediately after the second penalty expired.
Curtis Glencross scored for Calgary, which has lost three straight after opening with four wins.
It was the second defeat in two nights for the Flames, who blew a five-goal lead at Chicago on Monday and lost 6-5 in overtime. The Blackhawks’ comeback victory tied for the largest in NHL history.
The Blue Jackets, fresh off a successful western road trip in which they won two of three, got a solid outing from goalie Steve Mason after he was yanked in his last outing.
Last season’s Calder Trophy winner as the NHL’s top rookie, finished with 22 saves, including gloving a slap shot from Eric Nystrom down low late in the game. He also covered the puck in heavy traffic around the crease with Flames captain Jarome Iginla digging away at with just over a minute left.
Miikka Kiprusoff stopped 31 shots for the Flames, who seemed to tire as the game wore on.
Glencross gave Calgary a 1-0 lead 16:19 into the game with his second goal of the season. Several players overskated the puck at the top of the left circle before Rene Bourque spun and whipped a wrist shot that Glencross redirected past Mason. Bourque, who leads the Flames with nine points, has a four-game point streak.
In the second period, after consecutive hooking penalties to Calgary defencemen Mark Giordano and Cory Sarich, the Blue Jackets broke through.
Nash fed a pass to Derick Brassard off the faceoff and he slid the puck to Stralman, acquired from the Flames in September because of his ability to run the point. He smoothly one-timed a shot from the top of the left circle past a screened Kiprusoff at 15:32 for his first goal.
Huselius snapped a low shot from the right side of the goal area at 17:36 for his second.
NOTES: Calgary D Jay Bouwmeester holds the longest current ironman streak in the NHL at 349 games. ... The Blue Jackets entered as the best penalty-killing team in the NHL and killed off the only penalty against them. ... Flames D Dion Phaneuf had a six-game point streak snapped.