Olli Jokinen scores twice in 3rd to lift Jets over Rangers

Olli Jokinen's third-period outburst for the Winnipeg Jets put any talk of a New York Rangers goalie controversy to rest.

Not that there was much of one to begin with.

Jokinen scored the go-ahead and insurance goals against rookie Cam Talbot and pushed the Jets to a 5-2 victory over New York on Monday night.

By the time Blake Wheeler put a puck into an empty net in the final minute, Talbot was on the bench mulling his second NHL loss.

"I thought I felt all right, still not where I wanted to be," said Talbot, who made 25 saves in his second straight start over Henrik Lundqvist. "Four goals is not going to cut it. I can't expect the guys to go and score five goals for me every night."

Up until this one, three was plenty for Talbot to win. He already has two shutouts to his credit and he hadn't allowed more than two goals in his first seven starts — a Rangers record.

Jokinen broke a 2-2 tie with 7:18 left and scored again 5:24 later. The former Rangers forward, who also assisted on Devin Setoguchi's tying goal in the second period, gathered the puck after a strange carom and fired it in.

"Their guy just kind of rimmed it back behind the net," Talbot said. "I think it hit his skate right behind and ricocheted off and went out front. It actually did hit my stick, but it ended up right back at front.

"That's my fault. I've got to put it right back to the corner," he added.

Jokinen then squeezed his sixth of the season between Talbot's pads to make it 4-2 with 1:54 left.

Talbot's streak snapped

Talbot had won six straight starts, including a victory Saturday over Vancouver in his Madison Square Garden debut when he made a career-best 35 saves.

John Albert also scored in his NHL debut for Winnipeg, which got 35 saves from Ondrej Pavelec in the fourth-game of its season-high, six-game road trip (3-1).

"This was a really great win," Jokinen said. "We played another solid road game. I'm very glad to get the two goals and see Albert get his first goal on his first shot.

"I was telling him about a guy back home who scored on his first seven shots, so he's got a ways to go," he said.

Mats Zuccarello and Ryan Callahan had goals for New York (14-14).

Rangers coach Alain Vigneault wouldn't reveal who the goalie would be Thursday at Buffalo. After that, New York will begin a nine-game homestand.

.500 hockey club

The Rangers, 4-3 in their last seven, haven't been more than one over .500 this season.

"We're definitely not getting the traction that I know we want," Vigneault said. "The only way we're going to get traction and get better is by playing more consistent hockey. Is this team a .500 hockey club? We're certainly playing like one."

After the Jets took a 2-1 lead in the second, Callahan got the Rangers back even with his seventh, scored with 4:10 left in the second.

Winnipeg turned the tide in the opening seven minutes of the period when the Jets outshot the Rangers 6-1, and that total didn't include drives by defencemen Dustin Byfuglien and Jacob Trouba, who hit the crossbar and right post, respectively, five minutes apart.

The Jets then found the range.

Setoguchi took a pass from Jokinen and snapped a shot that sailed between the legs of New York defenceman Michael Del Zotto and past Talbot.

Byfuglien then intercepted a pass by Derick Brassard and sent a stretch pass to Albert for a breakaway. Albert moved in on Talbot and wristed a rising drive that nestled into the top left corner at 10:00.

"Obviously, he didn't make the same amount of saves that he had done in the past," Vigneault said of Talbot, "but we certainly made his life challenging by how we played in front of him."

Albert, recalled by the Jets on Sunday, flashed a wide grin as he received a series of high-fives from teammates as he skated in front of the bench. The puck — it sat in his dressing room stall — will go to his parents who live outside of Cleveland.

"That was the greatest feeling I've ever experienced," Albert said. "Especially to score at a key moment of the game the way I did. And to score my first goal at Madison Square Garden was extra special."

The Rangers got the jump on the Jets, grabbing a 1-0 lead just 2:49 in on Zuccarello's fourth goal of the season.

New York was helped by a blatant turnover by defenceman Keaton Ellerby. The puck came right to defenceman Ryan McDonagh, who fired a slap shot from inside the blue line at the left point that was deflected in by Zuccarello.

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Adidas to unveil World Cup ball Tuesday in Brazil

It's looking quite festive these days at Adidas' North American headquarters, and it has nothing to do with the holiday season.

Brightly colored cleats are on posters, in displays and even just strewn about. The neon shoes are part of the German shoemaker's Samba collection released recently in advance of next summer's World Cup in Brazil.

Adidas is on an all-out marketing blitz with the crowning jewel — the World Cup match ball — to be unveiled Tuesday in Rio de Janeiro. An official sponsor of the World Cup and partner with FIFA, football's international governing body, the company has designed the ball for every tournament since 1970.

The spirits around Adidas are as bright as their shoes. After all, the company only gets this kind of chance to promote its brand every four years.

Adidas trails behind global leader Nike in overall sales of shoes and athletic apparel. However, Adidas has traditionally led when it comes to the football market and this year is expected to have record sales of about $2.1 billion. The company estimates that number will jump to $2.8 billion next year.

The last time there was a World Cup, in 2010, Adidas saw its football business jump 14 per cent.

Nike, which entered the market in 1994, had football-related sales of $1.9 billion last year, putting the company right on Adidas' heels. Nike quickly increased its profile by sponsoring the kits for such teams as Barcelona and Manchester United. Last month, the Oregon-based company revealed the World Cup kits for the hometown Brazilian team.

Adidas founder Adi Dassler made the company's first pair of football cleats in 1925 in Herzogenaurach, Germany. As legend has it, Dassler helped West Germany beat the mighty Hungarians in the 1954 World Cup because of shoes he designed with screw-in studs that aided traction on the rain-slicked pitch.

In the lead-in to the World Cup, Adidas has introduced four Samba football boots: the blue Adizero F50, the berry-colored Predator, the "slime" green Nitrocharge and the purple 11Pro. The colours were chosen to pay tribute to Carnival.

The company also updated the kits for many of its national teams, including Spain, Argentina, Germany and Colombia.

But the ball is what brings the most buzz. Designers have been sworn to secrecy and those who have been allowed to see the ball had to sign a confidentiality agreement.

A contest was held in Brazil to name the ball, and the Brazuca — an informal word often used to describe national pride in the South American nation — was born, beating out fellow finalists Bossa Nova and Carnavalesca.

The 2010 World Cup match ball was called Jubulani and was made of eight thermally bonded panels. Adidas sold 13 million of them.

To mark the introduction of the Brazuca — which will have its own Twitter account — Adidas says that parents of every baby born in Brazil on Tuesday will be entitled to receive a ball next Friday and Saturday at specific locations in all 12 host cities. They will need to present the child's birth certificate as proof.

Adidas and FIFA recently agreed to extend the company's agreement to make the World Cup ball to 2030. The value was not disclosed, though FIFA top-tier sponsorships are currently estimated at about $100 million per four-year World Cup cycle.

"Adidas was built on soccer," said Antonio Zea, the company's innovation director for football. "It's part of our DNA."

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Jays part ways with J.P. Arencibia, sign C Dioner Navarro

Catcher J.P. Arencibia was non-tendered by the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday night, making him a free agent.

The move comes hours after Toronto signed free agent catcher Dioner Navarro to a two-year deal worth US$8 million.

The Blue Jays also tendered contracts to centre-fielder Colby Rasmus, left-handed pitcher Brett Cecil and right-handed pitcher Esmil Rogers.

All three are arbitration eligible players.

Arencibia's future in Toronto had been a hot topic during the last season after he posted a .194 batting average and .227 on-base percentage in 2013. In three-plus seasons with the Blue Jays, the 27-year-old sports a .212 average.

Navarro, 29, hit .300 last season with a career-high 13 home runs in 89 games for the Chicago Cubs.

The 10-year veteran from Venezuela has also played for the Tampa Bay Rays, New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers and Cincinnati Reds.

Navarro has a career .251 batting average with 54 home runs and 243 runs batted in.

Rasmus hit .276 with 22 homers and 66 RBIs. He was also named the Blue Jays' Wilson Defensive Player of the Year in 2013.

Cecil had a 5-1 record in 60 appearances as a relief pitcher. He had a 2.82 earned-run average with 70 strikeouts and one save.

Rogers began the season in Toronto's bullpen, but then started 20 games as the Blue Jays' rotation was riddled with injuries. He earned a 5-9 record over 44 games, striking out 96 with a 4.77 ERA.

The Blue Jays probably will retain backup catcher Josh Thole, who has experience catching knuckleballer R.A. Dickey.

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Canada announces 2014 world junior selection camp roster

Tampa Bay Lightning prospect Jonathan Drouin and fellow forward Connor McDavid of the Ontario Hockey League's Erie Otters headline Canada's 25-man national junior team selection camp roster.

Hockey Canada on Monday announced that 15 forwards, eight defencemen and two goaltenders will compete at the MasterCard Centre in Toronto from Dec. 12-15 for 22 spots on Canada's world junior championship entry.

The final roster of 22 players for the 2014 world junior tournament in Malmo, Sweden must be finalized by Dec. 25.

The smaller roster compared to previous selection camps will allow Canadian head coach Brent Sutter to get down to business quicker. He guided the Canadian squad to world junior gold in 2005 and 2006.

'Last year [was] the first year in 15 years that we did not bring home a medal. ... We had to look at different ways to get better.'- Hockey Canada president and CEO Bob Nicholson

"Hockey Canada is looking forward to an extremely competitive camp in December, as we look to assemble a team that will make all Canadians proud," Scott Salmond, Hockey Canada's senior director of men's national teams and hockey operations, said in a statement.

Four players from last year's squad that placed fourth in Ufa, Russia have been invited back: Goaltender Jake Paterson, defenceman Griffin Reinhart and forwards Charles Hudon and Drouin. Hudon missed last year's tournament due to injury.

"We've been challenged," Hockey Canada president and CEO Bob Nicholson said at Monday's news conference in Toronto. "Last year [was] the first year in 15 years that we did not bring home a medal. … We had to look at different ways to get better. We wanted to make sure we had more eyes and more people watching the players throughout the season.

"I'd really like to thank our management group. [They've] done an outstanding job. The number of games [they've] watched is tremendous."

Dumba on loan

Blue-liner Matt Dumba was the only teenage National Hockey League player announced Monday as a camp invitee, on loan from the Minnesota Wild. The seventh pick in the 2012 draft, he has played in just 13 of the Wild's first 28 games.

Forwards Nathan MacKinnon (Colorado), Sean Monahan (Calgary) and Tom Wilson (Washington) along with defenceman Morgan Rielly (Toronto) are also eligible.

"This is a real pressure-filled situation, there's a lot of expectations on these young players," Salmond said on a conference call with reporters. "Any time I think a young player can get that kind of experience on that kind of stage, it's good for their personal development and then hopefully it translates into more success as they return back to the NHL and have that confidence and have that experience."

For now Rielly is staying in Toronto.

"He can play here and he can make a contribution and he's growing into an NHL hockey player," Toronto coach Randy Carlyle told reporters after Monday's practice. "If we felt we were being counterproductive in his growth or his development, then it would make that decision that much more difficult."

Nicholson said Hockey Canada is going to "loosen up" its policy on NHL players, saying there will be discussions with teams through December to determine if any of the aforementioned players would be added to the team as it's being assembled.

"Every NHL team is a little bit different in how they're set up and how they do things," Sutter said. "They look at their rosters, and how significant roles those players are playing on their teams right now. So it's all different. You can't put them all into one, because every organization is a little bit different in how they see their team right now."

The 2014 world junior tournament begins Dec. 26 and runs through Jan. 5.

Groulx, McGill on bench

Sutter, 51, most recently coached Canada at an international competition last spring at the world hockey championship.

Joining the former head coach of the NHL's Calgary Flames and New Jersey Devils on the bench is Benoit Groulx and Ryan McGill. Groulx is head coach and general manager of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League's Gatineau Olympiques and McGill is bench boss with the Western Hockey League's Kootenay Ice.

McDavid has a legitimate chance at the rare opportunity to make the team as a 16-year-old. In his second season with Erie, the gifted centre from Toronto has 11 goals and 45 points in 27 games this season, good for sixth in the OHL scoring race.

This past summer, Sutter said he had watched the five-foot-11, 170-pound forward on video and was excited to see how McDavid could compete against the world's top junior players.

Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby played for Canada at the world juniors in 2005 at age 17 and Ice forward Sam Reinhart, who has received an invitation to this year's camp, is expected to be drafted to the NHL early in the draft in June.

Drouin, 18, is second in QMJHL scoring this season with 47 points in 21 games, a similar pace to last season when the 2013 third overall draft pick posted 41 goals and 195 points in 49 contests with the Mooseheads.

Griffin Reinhart, 19, has 10 points and a plus-5 rating in 18 games this season, his fourth full campaign with Edmonton. The New York Islanders drafted the six-foot-four, 202-pounder fourth overall in 2012.

"We're not assembling an all-star team but a team for the world juniors," Bruce Hamilton, who's in his first year on Canada's management team, told reporters.

Canada's national junior team selection camp roster

* Returning player

+ Selected to 2013 team but didn't play due to injury

PLAYER	HOMETOWN	CLUB TEAM
GOALTENDERS
Zachary Fucale	Rosemere, Que.	Halifax (QMJHL)
*Jake Paterson	Mississauga, Ont.	Saginaw (OHL)
DEFENCEMEN
Chris Bigras	Woodland Beach, Ont.	Owen Sound (OHL)
Matt Dumba	Calgary	Minnesota (NHL)
Aaron Ekblad	Belle River, Ont.	Barrie (OHL)
Josh Morrissey	Calgary	Prince Albert (WHL)
Adam Pelech	Toronto	Erie (OHL)
Derrick Pouliot	Weyburn, Sask.	Portland (WHL)
*Griffin Reinhart	West Vancouver, B.C.	Edmonton (WHL)
Damon Severson	Melville, Sask.	Kelowna (WHL)
FORWARDS
Josh Anderson	Burlington, Ont.	London (OHL)
*Jonathan Drouin	Huberdeau, Que.	Halifax (QMJHL)
Frederik Gauthier	Mascouche, Que.	Rimouski (QMJHL)
Felix Girard	Levis, Que.	Baie-Comeau (QMJHL)
Bo Horvat	Rodney, Ont.	London (OHL)
*+Charles Hudon	Boisbriand, Que.	Chicoutimi (QMJHL)
Scott Laughton	Oakville, Ont.	Oshawa (OHL)
Curtis Lazar	Vernon, B.C.	Edmonton (WHL)
Taylor Leier	Saskatooon	Portland (WHL)
Anthony Mantha	Longueuil, Que.	Val-d'Or (QMJHL)
Connor McDavid	Newmarket, Ont.	Erie (OHL)
Nic Petan	Delta, B.C.	Portland (WHL)
Sam Reinhart	West Vancouver, B.C.	Kootenay (WHL)
Kerby Rychel	Tecumseh, Ont.	Windsor (OHL)
Hunter Shinkaruk	Calgary	Medicine Hat (WHL)

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Galchenyuk, Subban give Canadiens edge over Devils

P.K. Subban may want to don goalie pads the next time he takes to the ice.

Subban made two dramatic goal-line saves in Montreal's 3-2 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Monday night, helping the Canadiens extend their seven-game point streak.

"To be honest with you, I don't think I'll be taking (Carey) Price's job anytime soon," said Subban. "He's got that pretty locked down. The amount of times that he's bailed me out, I don't mind stepping in there."

With the score still tied 0-0 early in the game, Subban got his outstretched stick on a Jaromir Jagr shot from inside the crease, denying the star forward of a sure goal.

Subban later shut the door on Devils (11-12-5) forward Damien Brunner, crashing into the net and blocking the shot to keep the Canadiens (16-9-3) in front 2-1 at the start of the third.

"I just happened to be in the position today where the puck was there, and cleared it out," said Subban. "Just trying to do my job.

In addition to the two saves, Subban ended the night with his team-leading 20th assist and five blocked shots in 23:34 of work.

And despite calling Subban out on his defensive liabilities last month, head coach Michel Therrien had only positive things to say about his flamboyant defenceman.

"As far as I'm concerned, he's playing his best hockey. His focus is at the right place," said Therrien. "He's doing a fabulous job for the team. We're putting him out there against top players game in and game out. And he loves that challenge. And it's not a coincidence that we're having success, that we pick up wins.

"He's certainly one of the best defencemen right now."

At the other end of the ice, Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur could have used similar help. Brodeur, who's usually successful at the Bell Centre with 19 wins in 30 career starts, allowed three goals on only 17 shots.

The Montreal native thought it was tough to get into the game when he wasn't being kept busy.

"Usually when I don't have any shots, what helps me is that I'm used to playing the puck," said Brodeur. "When I get no shots, I'm able to stay in the game. But when I get no shots, and I can't play the puck, the games are long.

"It's tough to get going. Not before the third period that I felt good, and I started making some saves."

Brodeur also credited Subban for handing his Devils their first regulation loss at Montreal since 2008.

"We missed a couple of open-netters that their defenceman made some great plays on," said Brodeur. "At the end I think that made the difference."

After Subban made his first save of the game, Steve Bernier opened the scoring at 11:13 of the first period after sustained pressure by New Jersey. Bernier was left all alone in front of the net and beat Price on his blocker side by deflecting an Anton Volchenkov shot from the point.

The Canadiens levelled the score at 8:49 of the second when Rene Bourque took a no-look, behind-the-back pass from David Desharnais and scored his sixth of the year, short side.

With Dainius Zubrus in the box for interference, Max Pacioretty broke the deadlock on the power play at 16:49, taking a cross-ice pass from Andrei Markov and firing home from the face-off circle to Brodeur's left.

"I started out slowly," said Pacioretty, who didn't register a shot in the first period. "Everything was bouncing away from me in the first. I got a couple there in the second, and let loose. It took me half the game to get into it."

Shortly after Subban's second save, former Canadiens forward Michael Ryder made it 2-2 early in the third period when he rifled a slapshot in to the top corner of the net with Douglas Murray trying to get in his way.

"I just tried to make sure to get it on net," said Ryder. "I saw the defender was trying to block it. I tried to get it upstairs, and I managed to find a way in."

Alex Galchenyuk scored the winner for the Canadiens at 9:34, netting his seventh of the season into a gaping net after an Alexei Emelin shot fortuitously landed on his stick.

Price made 28 saves for his 12th win of the year, and now has a 2.39 goals-against average in 18 career games against New Jersey.

The game was the first of a home-and-home series between the Canadiens and Devils. The teams face off again on Wednesday in New Jersey.

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Communities celebrate Sports Day in Canada

Video

Watch fesitvities on demand as part of CBC Sports Weekend

CBC Sports Posted: Nov 30, 2013 9:24 PM ET Last Updated: Nov 30, 2013 9:25 PM ET

Communities across the country took part in RBC Sports Day in Canada on Saturday to celebrate the power of sport and national spirit.

Watch the festivities from Calgary on demand as part of CBC Sports Weekend.

Click the video above for more.

Comments on this story are pre-moderated. Before they appear, comments are reviewed by moderators to ensure they meet our submission guidelines. Comments are open and welcome for three days after the story is published. We reserve the right to close comments before then.

Submission Policy

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Max Pacioretty propels Habs over Leafs in Montreal

The Toronto Maple Leafs had many reasons to be upset Saturday night, but it was Max Pacioretty's showboating that stood out the most.

Pacioretty celebrated his second goal of Montreal's 4-2 victory over the Leafs on Saturday night by twirling his stick and pretending to sheathe it like a sword.

"The goal stirred our emotions a bit," said Leafs head coach Randy Carlyle. "If they want to hot dog, spin the sword, those kind of things... That was what stirred the pot."

"You don't really like to see that kind of stuff," added Toronto forward James van Riemsdyk. 

Pacioretty put the Canadiens up 4-0 at that point, and coach Carlyle thought the celebration was exactly what his Leafs needed. 

'The goal stirred our emotions a bit. If they want to hot dog, spin the sword, those kind of things... That was what stirred the pot.'- Leafs coach Randy Carlyle on Pacioretty's celebration

"That's when we got involved in the game," said Carlyle. "We got emotionally involved. We were better after that."

Toronto answered with two quick goals. Riemsdyk netted the first, lifting the puck from a tight angle into the roof of the net over a crouching Carey Price at 18:10 of the second. And Mason Raymond, who was on the ice for Pacioretty's goal and said the celebration ignited him, scored 22 seconds later to make it 4-2.

"Normally it's a bad break, when you allow a goal at the end of a period," said Pacioretty. "The period ending there helped us. We had time to recuperate, we figured out what we did wrong."

The Canadiens kept the Leafs off the score sheet in the third, extending Toronto's winless streak away from home to seven games.

"We need to find our spark," said Laval-native Jonathan Bernier, who made 35 saves for the Leafs. "We have to be excited to play, and we have to find a way to score goals. That's what we were doing at the start of the season."

The Canadiens wasted no time getting their first past Bernier after the Leafs took a penalty for interference in the game's first minute.

Pacioretty scored his eighth of the season on the power play at 0:58 after taking a crisp pass from P.K. Subban, who was deep in his own zone. Pacioretty walked in on the breakaway and got off three shots on net before sliding one past Bernier's outstretched leg.

"The power-play goal put us back on our heels," said Carlyle. "They made a stretch pass, we didn't have coverage on Pacioretty, and he got three whacks at it. That's how far we were behind on the play."

Price got an assist on the goal, his first point of the season.

Subban added to the lead at 16:13 of the first after a David Desharnais face-off win landed on his stick. Subban took a step towards the goal and beat Bernier with a wrist shot over his blocker.

The goal was the first for a Habs defenceman in nine games dating back to Nov. 7, when Andrei Markov scored against the Senators.

The Canadiens added to their lead at 15:05 of the second period when Tomas Plekanec fired home his ninth of the year on a two-on-one with Daniel Briere.

Pacioretty put the game out of reach two minutes later while playing shorthanded. He followed up with his celebration.

"It was a strange shot," said Bernier. "His release surprised me. It's a goal that I would love to get back. I was expecting a wider shot. That's a stop I need to make."

The goal was Pacioretty's team-leading ninth of the year. He also finished the game with an assist, and took a career-high 10 shots on net.

"His play does his talking for him," said Subban of Pacioretty. "When he's confident, he's one of our best forwards.

"He can do it all. He's big, he can skate, he's physical, he can shoot the puck, probably one of the harder wristers in the league. It's a big boost for our team."

Price made 34 saves on the night and is fifth-best in the league among goaltenders with a .937 save percentage.

Both the Canadiens (15-9-3) and Maple Leafs (14-10-3) were coming off 3-2 losses in extra time on Friday night. Montreal lost to the Washington Capitals in a shootout, while Buffalo scored 38 seconds into overtime to beat Toronto.

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Did You See That? James van Riemsdyk's sweet goal

Video

Leafs' forward goes top shelf to beat Carey Price

By Rod Perry, CBC Sports Posted: Nov 30, 2013 10:37 PM ET Last Updated: Dec 01, 2013 12:50 AM ET

Cheeky would be one way to describe James van Riemsdyk's goal Saturday night. 

The Toronto Maple Leafs forward beat Montreal Canadiens goalie Carey Price in close on a seemingly impossible angle late in the second period, calmly depositing the puck over the netminder's shoulder. 

Montreal had the last laugh in the end, though, with a 4-2 victory. 

Watch the video above to see how the goal unfolded. 

Comments on this story are pre-moderated. Before they appear, comments are reviewed by moderators to ensure they meet our submission guidelines. Comments are open and welcome for three days after the story is published. We reserve the right to close comments before then.

Submission Policy

Note: The CBC does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comments, you acknowledge that CBC has the right to reproduce, broadcast and publicize those comments or any part thereof in any manner whatsoever. Please note that comments are moderated and published according to our submission guidelines.

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Don Cherry wants Coach's Corner to remain status quo

Don Cherry doesn't plan on going anywhere in the near future.

The 79-year-old Cherry took the time clarify his status going forward during his Coach's Corner segment on Hockey Night in Canada Saturday, saying his popular segment should remain status quo.

"I know I'm good...I know everybody watches," he said, "So all I'm saying is 'take it easy, don't try to ruin a good thing. Just leave us alone, and we'll be just as good next year."

Speculation had been swirling all week about the iconic hockey broadcaster's future after CBC partnered with Rogers Communications in a landmark 12-year, $5.2 billion NHL rights deal earlier this week. The National Hockey League confirmed Tuesday that CBC secured English-language rights to games in the sub-licensing agreement for the next four years, beginning next season.

Rogers retains three exclusive windows to broadcast any game involving a Canadian team on Wednesdays, Saturdays, including CBC, and Sundays.

Cherry also weighed in on the NHL concussion lawsuit, saying he thinks it's a "money grab." 

Watch the video above to see what Cherry had to say.

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Mike Cammalleri helps Flames squeak past Kings

Michael Cammalleri has done his best to keep his Calgary Flames teammates going in the right direction despite a youthful roster and a host of injuries.

Saturday night, he was in the right spot at just the right time.

Cammalleri scored his 10th goal of the season with 23 seconds remaining, and the Flames pulled out a 2-1 victory over the Los Angeles Kings.

Eight of Calgary's nine wins have been by one goal, including shootout victories over Winnipeg and Florida.

"The wins haven't been as frequent for us as we would have liked, for sure," said Cammalleri, the first Calgary player to reach double digits in goals.

"We have a lot of respect for a good opponent across the hall, knowing that they're comfortable knowing how to win those types of games. We're still learning how, so this feels good. It was a special weekend for us because we had our dads here with us."

Cammalleri beat Ben Scrivens with a short backhander from the edge of the crease after getting the puck from Mikael Backlund.

The veteran centre spent his first five NHL seasons with Los Angeles.

"Cammalleri is a killer. Every game that he plays is like a home game for him," Kings coach Darryl Sutter said.

Blair Jones had a short-handed goal during a 5-minute penalty kill in the second period for Calgary.

Karri Ramo made five of his 21 saves during the Kings' long power play, helping the Flames end the Kings' club-record streak of 11 consecutive games in which they gained at least one point in the standings.

Ramo was 4 1/2 minutes away from his first NHL shutout when Justin Williams tied it with his 200th regular-season goal.

He played a carom off the right boards in the neutral zone after a clearing pass by defenceman Jake Muzzin, then carried the puck into the Flames' zone and took a 40-foot wrist shot that glanced off defenceman Shane O'Brien's stick and over Ramo's right shoulder.

"Sometimes when a team ties it up late in the game like that and you counter with quick momentum, it almost catches them by surprise because they expect the momentum to come their way," Cammalleri said.

"We tried to keep aggressive and stay after it and keep making plays, and Backs made a good play to find me in front of the net."

Calgary defenceman Ladislav Smid received a boarding major and automatic game misconduct at 14:26 of the second period for shoving Dwight King face-first into the glass deep in the Calgary zone as the Kings forward tried to beat Cammalleri to a loose puck.

King went to the bench with a cut near his right eye, and his teammates suddenly had their 5-minute power play.

But it backfired on the Kings, as the Flames responded with their fifth short-handed goal of the season.

"The funny thing is, when they got that five-minute major, we went to the bench and said: 'Hey, boys, we're going to come out of this one-nothing."' Cammalleri said.

"You get that feeling sometimes, because sometimes a team gets a five-minute power play and gets a little lackadaisical."

Calgary defenceman TJ Brodie tried to slap the puck out of his zone and partially fanned on it, but it had enough momentum to slide into the Kings' end and Scrivens fell down chasing it to his left.

Paul Byron took possession behind the net and passed it out to Jones as he was knocked down from behind by defenceman Drew Doughty.

"I spent a lot of time playing the penalty kill down in Abbottsford (of the AHL). So once I got on the ice, I had to seize the opportunity," Byron said.

"I just jumped on the ice for a change and saw that he slipped, so I put pressure on them and saw Jones out of the corner of my eye. I slipped it to him and he put it in the back of the net."

Scrivens, who stopped 18 shots, was 5-0-3 with a 1.34 goals-against average and two shutouts in his previous eight starts. But the disappointment of that goal stung him.

"Stuff happens. It is a game on ice," Scrivens said. "I was trying to get out there, play the puck and help the defencemen out. That was my plan, but I had an unfortunate break catching an edge and they were fortunate enough to capitalize on it."

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