Music: {allcanada} Flames beat Wild in OT to wrap up perfect homestand

Saturday, February 1, 2014

{allcanada} Flames beat Wild in OT to wrap up perfect homestand

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CALGARY -- The Calgary Flames might want to delay their Olympic break.

Mikael Backlund scored 2:25 into overtime to give the Flames a 4-3 victory against the Minnesota Wild at Scotiabank Saddledome on Saturday night. It was their fifth consecutive win during a perfect homestand; they play three road games next week before breaking for the 2014 Sochi Olympics. Calgary's next home game is Feb. 27against the Los Angeles Kings.

It's the first time in almost a year the Flames have put together five straight wins on home ice; their last such streak came from Feb. 23 to March 27, 2013. It's also the first time since Feb. 7-15, 1997, that Calgary has swept a five-game homestand. The hot stretch at home comes after the Flames set a franchise record by losing seven straight in their own building.

Backlund won it when he batted Sean Monahan's rebound out of midair and behind Darcy Kuemper for his second of the night and 13th of the season. Backlund has had two points in each of the Flames' past four games.

The Wild, who play their final two games before the break at Xcel Energy Center, scored twice in the final 10 minutes of the third period to force OT and earn a point.

With Flames forward Joe Colborne in the penalty box for holding, Calgary product Dany Heatley scored his first in nine games to pull Minnesota within one with 9:29 remaining. With 4:05 left, Keith Ballard crashed the net and scored his second of the season to push the game past regulation. The Wild (29-21-7) hold the first of the two wild-card spots in the Western Conference.

Calgary's TJ Galiardi opened the scoring at 12:36 of the first period and in doing so, snapped a nasty scoring drought. He gained the Wild zone and took a return pass from Kevin Westgarth before spinning and firing a backhand that made its way past Kuemper for his first in 38 games to put the Flames up 1-0.

The goal came just over a minute after Flames starter Karri Ramo bailed out Mike Cammalleri, who made his return after missing nine games with a concussion. Cammalleri's drop pass at the Minnesota blue line turned into an odd-man rush the other way for the Wild, with Charlie Coyle stepping around the Flames forward before Ramo sprawled to make the save.

Ramo left the game six minutes later with a lower-body injury and did not return. It's the third time in four games the Flames have had to use both goaltenders but the first time due to injury.

It took the Wild a while to test Reto Berra in relief, but Matt Cooke made the most of his shorthanded opportunity in the second. Cooke barreled down left wing and ripped a shot over Berra's shoulder at 14:03 to tie the game 1-1. The goal came on the Wild's 10th shot of the night and the third against Berra.

Dennis Wideman restored Calgary's lead with 1:36 remaining in the period by deflecting Chris Butler's point shot past Kuemper seven seconds after Zach Parise's slashing minor expired.

Backlund's shorthanded goal a minute into the third period gave the Flames a two-goal cushion. Lee Stempniak raced down the left side on a 3-on-1 break and shoveled the puck on net. With Kuemper spun around, Mark Giordano tapped the puck back to Backlund who hit a virtually empty net.

The assist extended Giordano's point-scoring streak to nine games, the longest of any defenseman this season.

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