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Nash ties game in final minute, scores winner in SO

Columbus 4 Flames 3CALGARY — Rick Nash scored the tying goal with 58 seconds left in the third period then scored the only goal of the shootout to give the Columbus Blue Jackets a 4-3 victory over the Calgary Flames on Thursday.
Rene Bourque, James Wisniewski
Columbus Blue Jackets' James Wisniewski

Columbus 4 Flames 3

CALGARY — Rick Nash scored the tying goal with 58 seconds left in the third period then scored the only goal of the shootout to give the Columbus Blue Jackets a 4-3 victory over the Calgary Flames on Thursday.

It looked like Calgary was in control, leading 3-1 with less than five minutes remaining in the game but Columbus scored twice to pull even.

Blue Jackets centre Derek MacKenzie won a faceoff deep in the Flames end and Columbus quickly worked the puck back to defenceman Nikita Nikitin at the blue-line, who fired a slapshot past Miikka Kiprusoff through traffic at 15:55 of the third period.

With goaltender Curtis Sanford pulled for an extra attacker, Nikitin set up the tying goal at 19:02 when his slapshot from the blue-line was deflected in by Nash, who scored his team-leading eighth goal.

After neither team could end it in overtime, Calgary became the final NHL team to appear in a shootout this season.

It would not go well for the home side, with Alex Tanguay, Lee Stempniak and Rene Bourque all being stopped by Sanford.

After Jeff Carter and Fedor Tyutin were denied by Kiprusoff, Nash scored the decisive goal faking a shot before sliding the puck just through Kiprusoff’s legs.

Antoine Vermette also scored for Columbus (7-15-3), which is 4-2-2 in its last eight games.

Stempniak, Bourque and Blake Comeau scored for Calgary (10-12-2). The Flames now head onto the road for back-to-back stops this weekend in Edmonton on Saturday night and then Vancouver on Sunday.

Bourque broke open a 1-1 tie with 19 seconds left in the second period.

Bourque streaked past Blue Jackets defenceman Jim Wisniewski and wired a slapshot into the top corner past Sanford.

Bourque, who had just a goal and an assist in his last 15 games, showed jumping head-on into the corner glass after the goal as the sell-out crowd of 19,289 roared its approval.

It was Bourque’s seventh goal of the season, tying him with Jarome Iginla and Curtis Glencross for the team lead.

Letestu had an opportunity to atone for his giveaway on a third period power play, but his dangerous shot from the slot was stabbed by the outstretched glove of Kiprusoff, who made 30 saves.

Calgary extended its lead to 3-1 5:48 into the third period on Comeau’s first goal of the season. Comeau entered the Columbus zone and stopped sharply, causing Blue Jackets defenceman Nikitin to slide harmlessly out of the play, then fired a shot that hit Vinny Prospal in front and just trickled past Sanford.

Comeau entered the night with no points in his first 19 games. It was his fourth game with the Flames after being claimed off waivers from the New York Islanders, where the 25-year-old scored 24 goals last season.

In his eight straight start, Sanford had 32 saves to Columbus to improve to 4-2-2.

Calgary tied the game 1-1 at 13:02 of the first period. Jay Bouwmeester’s wicked slapshot missed the net, but the puck took a lively carom and Stempniak scored from a sharp angle off Sanford.

Columbus struck first at 5:23 of the first period. Nikitin’s slapshot from the blue-line was stopped by Kiprusoff, but Vermette was right there to put in the rebound.