Iginla scratched, Flames beat Avalanche 4-3

[March 28, 2013]  CALGARY, Alberta (AP) -- Mike Cammalleri scored twice in the second period and Calgary held off the Colorado Avalanche 4-3 on Wednesday night before trading captain Jarome Iginla to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The Flames sent Iginla to the Eastern Conference-leading Penguins in exchange for college prospects Kenneth Agostino and Ben Hanowski and a first-round pick this year.

Iginla was announced as a healthy scratch two hours before the start of the game. He sat out for the first time since April 8, 2007, in Colorado, ending his consecutive games streak at 441.

The 35-year-old Iginla is in the final year of his contract and will be an unrestricted free agent July 1. He has nine goals and 13 assists in 31 games this season. In 1,219 career regular-season games in 16 seasons, all with Calgary, Iginla has 525 goals and 570 assists. He has 28 goals and 21 assists in 54 career playoff games and has played for Canada in three Olympics.

Agostino plays for Yale, and Hanowski at St. Cloud State. Both are forwards.

Jiri Hudler and Steve Begin also scored, Blake Comeau had two assists, and Joey MacDonald made 27 saves. The Flames, ahead of only Colorado in the 15-team Western Conference, won their eighth straight game on home ice to improve to 13-15-4.

Jamie McGinn, Gabriel Landeskog and Ryan O'Reilly scored for Colorado. The Avalanche have lost three straight and seven of eight to drop to 11-17-4.

PA Parenteau had two assists, and Semyon Varlamov made 23 saves for Colorado.

The Flames outshot the Avs 14-2 in the first period and took a 2-0 on Hudler's power-play goal and Begin's goal, his first goal in 17 games.

McGinn scored for Colorado at 4:29 of the second before Cammalleri answered back for Calgary 12 seconds later to put the Flames up 3-1.

Shortly after MacDonald made a glove save on Steve Duchene, the backup Calgary goalie let in a weak goal when Landeskog's pass bounced off the net, then off his skate and in.

Cammalleri then one-timed a pass from Dennis Wideman past Varlamov to put the Flames up 4-2.

The Avs outshot the Flames 16-2 in third, pulling within one on O'Reilly's goal during a two-man advantage.

NOTES: Cammalleri ended a nine-goal goal drought. He had also gone four straight games without a point. ... While the Flames have won eight straight games at home, they've lost 10 in a row on the road, going 0-9-1.

[Associated Press]

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