Stajan scores in OT, lifts Flames over Sharks

[March 15, 2012]  CALGARY, Alberta (AP) -- Matt Stajan scored 4:20 into overtime, and Jarome Iginla reached 30 goals as the Calgary Flames beat the San Jose Sharks 3-2 on Tuesday night in a pivotal Western Conference matchup.

In the final minute of overtime, the Flames came in on a 2-on-1 break and executed it perfectly. Blake Comeau sent a pass across to Stajan, who scored his fifth of the season into an open side.

Sven Baertschi also scored for the Flames (33-25-12), who have won four straight.

Logan Couture scored his 29th and 30th goals for San Jose (34-25-10). Despite having just one win in seven games (1-3-3), the Sharks have moved into eighth place in the Western Conference.

Calgary and Colorado are even with the Sharks at 78 points, but San Jose has one game in hand on Calgary and two on the Avalanche.

Couture tied it 1:22 into the third as the Sharks' third-ranked power play, after going 0-for-4 through the first two periods, converted with the extra man.

The second period has been troublesome for the Flames all season. Calgary has been outscored 79-56, but the Flames scored the only two in the frame on Tuesday and took a 2-1 lead.

Iginla's go-ahead goal came on an unusual play. Sharks defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic fired the puck up the side boards into open ice, but just as he released the puck, Mark Giordano stepped onto the ice after his penalty expired.

Giordano carried the puck into the Sharks' end, pulled up, and sent a cross-ice pass to Iginla, who one-timed a slap shot past goalie Antti Niemi.

Iginla reached 30 goals for the 11th straight season, a feat accomplished by only six others in NHL history: Wayne Gretzky, Phil Esposito, Bobby Hull, Marcel Dionne, Jaromir Jagr and Mike Gartner.

Iginla has scored goals in five straight games, and has at least one point (seven goals, five assists) in seven consecutive.

Curtis Glencross had his seven-game goal streak snapped on Tuesday. His bid to tie the Flames' franchise record, held by Gary Roberts (1993) and Kent Nilsson (1983), ended abruptly when he was given a boarding major and was ejected with 29 seconds left in the first period.

After getting dumped in the Sharks' end by Jason Demers, Glencross got up. As the San Jose defenseman went to play the puck near the boards, Glencross shoved him in the back, sending Demers face first into the glass.

The Sharks produced five shots on goal during the 5-minute power play but none were really dangerous. Shortly after the Flames returned to even strength, Baertschi tied it 1-1.

The speedy 19-year-old winger sent a pass to the corner to Roman Horak, who directed a shot on net. Niemi made the stop, but Baertschi pounced on the rebound and whipped a shot over Niemi's shoulder for his second goal in two games.

Baertschi, the 13th pick in last year's draft, has played three games for the Flames since being recalled a week ago from Portland of the Western Hockey League because of injuries.

Six forwards remain out, but as soon as one is ready to return, Baertschi will return to juniors.

San Jose opened the scoring 53 seconds into the game.

Good pressure by the Sharks put goalie Miikka Kiprusoff to work early. He turned aside the first three shots he faced, but the latter off the stick of defenseman resulted in a rebound that Couture put in.

It was the first time in 12 games the Flames failed to score first.

NOTES: Gartner and Jagr own the record for most consecutive 30-goal seasons at 15. ... Comeau (shoulder) returned after missing four games. ... RW Tim Jackman (shoulder), who practiced Monday but not on Tuesday, is considered closest to returning. ... San Jose C Tommy Wingels (upper body) didn't play after getting hurt Monday against the Oilers. He was replaced by LW Brad Winchester. ... Flames have 328 man-games lost to injury, compared to 127 for San Jose. ... Calgary D Jay Bouwmeester played in his 576th consecutive game, tying him with Billy Harris for the NHL's seventh longest. Doug Jarvis has the longest streak at 964 games.

[Associated Press]

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