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CALGARY — Pavol Demitra's goal 3:54 into overtime Saturday night gave the Vancouver Canucks a 5-4 win over Calgary, spoiling the Flames's home opener.
After Michael Cammalleri was knocked off the puck deep in the Canucks end, Vancouver broke out on a three-on-one rush led by puck carrier Alex Burrows. Burrows waited patiently before sending the puck across the to Pavol Demitra at the edge of the crease and he banged it in the open side for his first of the season.
Daniel Sedin scored twice for Vancouver (2-0-0). Also scoring was Rick Rypien and Ryan Kesler.
Michael Cammalleri, Rene Bourque, Todd Bertuzzi and Andre Roy scored for Calgary (0-1-1). All four of the Flames goal scorers were summer acquisitions.
Vancouver Canucks forward Pavol Demitra celebrates after scoring the overtime goal to beat the Calgary Flames in Calgary on Saturday. (Todd Korol/Reuters)
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- Vancouver Canucks
- Todd Bertuzzi
- Kevin Bieksa
- Rene Bourque
- Dustin Boyd
- Alex Burrows
- Michael Cammalleri
- Pavol Demitra
- Jarome Iginla
- Ryan Johnson
- Ryan Kesler
- Miikka Kiprusoff
- Daymond Langkow
- Roberto Luongo
- Willie Mitchell
- Wayne Primeau
- Brandon Prust
- Robyn Regehr
- Andre Roy
- Rick Rypien
- Daniel Sedin
- Henrik Sedin
Flames captain Jarome Iginla was held pointless for the second straight night but did get his name on the scoresheet getting in a spirited first period fight with veteran Canucks defenceman Willie Mitchell. The Canucks made it two straight victories over its Northwest Division rival having also won 6-0 on Thursday at GM Place.
Trailing 4-3 to begin the third, Sedin's second of the game pulled the Canucks even at 6:10 one-timing a shot from the slot after getting open behind defenceman Marc Giordano and being set up perfectly from behind the net by brother Henrik Sedin.
Calgary broke a 3-3 tie at 14:08 of the second period when Cammalleri and Bourque combined for their second goal of the night.
Bourque, who earlier connected on a set up from Cammalleri, was the playmaker this time, steaming into the Canucks zone, cutting to his left to evade a Canucks defenceman, and firing a slapshot towards Roberto Luongo.
The screened Canucks goaltender got a stick on it but was unable to corral the rebound and Cammalleri, while falling, swiped in the loose puck.
Trailing by two, Vancouver roared back to tie the game 3-3 on goals 62 seconds apart in the second period.
Taking advantage of more poor lapse Flames defensive coverage, Rypien found himself completely alone in the slot and one-timed a centring pass from Ryan Johnson past Miikka Kiprusoff.
Kesler then exhibited some determination charging to the net and while sliding into the Flames goal as part of a pile-up of players, managed to get his stick on the puck in the process.
With the game tied 1-1 midway through the first, it was Calgary that struck twice close together getting goals 37 seconds apart.
First, Bertuzzi redirected Giordano's shot from the blue-line, a play that was set up by Daymond Langkow who, without a stick, was able to kick the puck back to Giordano.
At 10:03, Bourque then scored when he swatted in a fluttering shot from Cammalleri out of mid-air.
After failing to solve Luongo on Thursday night, the source of Calgary's first goal was an unlikely one with Roy slapping a rolling puck past the Vancouver goalie from the slot after being set up by fourth line teammates Wayne Primeau and Brandon Prust.
The goal came just 38 seconds after Sedin had given the Canucks a 1-0 lead jamming a harmless looking shot from the side of the net past Kiprusoff. Both teams failed to score a power-play goal with Calgary going 0-for-7 and the Canucks finishing up 0-for-6.
The Flames are 0-for-13 through its first two games.
Notes: Vancouver D Kevin Bieksa was shaken up five minutes into the first period after a collision with Wayne Primeau. Bieksa left the ice gingerly and did not return... Calgary D Robyn Regehr made his season debut after missing the opener due to the birth of his first child... The Flames also made a line-up change up front inserting rookie Brandon Prust for Dustin Boyd... Calgary entered the night having lost seven of its last 10 home openers... Calgary's six-goal loss on Thursday was its largest margin of defeat since a 7-1 setback to Phoenix on Jan. 23, 2003... Calgary's next meeting with Vancouver will also be a home-and-home series beginning Nov. 27 in Vancouver.
