ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – Daymond Langkow and Craig Conroy scored, Miikka Kiprusoff stopped 38 shots and the Calgary Flames beat Minnesota 2-1 Sunday to replace the Wild atop the Northwest Division.
Calgary has beaten Minnesota four straight times.
Mark Parrish scored for Minnesota, which is winless in three straight. The Wild hadn’t lost more than two in a row since going 0-4-1 from Oct. 24-Nov. 1. The Wild are 4-6 since Feb. 2, with their wins coming in overtime or a shootout.
The Wild held a six-point advantage six days ago, but now trail the Flames by a point in the Northwest Division.
Kiprusoff, who also made 38 saves in blanking Detroit 1-0 Friday, made his biggest saves during a Minnesota power play flurry late in the second period.
He stopped Brian Rolston from the left circle and slid across to stop the rebound attempt by Mikko Koivu. He also made a pad save to stop Branko Radivojevic early in the third period. Kiprusoff is 18-5-2 lifetime against Minnesota.
Langkow was alone in front to tip a pass from Jarome Iginla past Niklas Backstrom midway through the opening period for a 1-0 lead. It was the Flames’ seventh power-play goal in eight games.
Minnesota thought it tied the game midway through the second.
After Kiprusoff made a pad save on a shot by Pierre-Marc Bouchard. In a battle for the rebound, Aaron Voros was dragged down by Flames defenseman Jim Vandermeer. Sliding toward the net, Vandermeer kicked the puck across the goal line as Voros slid into Kiprusoff.
Referee Brad Meier immediately waived off the goal, saying the puck was pushed in with the goaltender. The play was not reviewed.
Less than three minutes later, Conroy completed a 2-on-1 with Owen Nolan by beating Backstrom with a snapshot from the slot for a 2-0 lead. The assist was the 800th career point for Nolan.
Parrish scored 38 seconds into the final period, knocking home a rebound of a tip that was stopped by Kiprusoff.
Notes: Calgary is 18-0-3 when leading after two periods. … Wild D Keith Carney played his 1,000 career game. … Minnesota has lost four of its past six home games. … Langkow has 28 points in 35 career games against Minnesota.
AP-ES-02-24-08 1649EST
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