Columbus Blue Jackets Antoine Vermette (L) celebrates with teammate Jan Hejda, who score the Blue Jackets second goal against the Calgary Flames, during the second period of their NHL hockey game in Calgary, Alberta, January 8, 2010. REUTERS/Jack CusanoJACK CUSANO/Reuters
Antoine Vermette scored once and added two assists Friday to lead the Columbus Blue Jackets to a 3-2 victory over the Calgary Flames.
Coming on the heels of a 4-2 win Thursday night in Edmonton, Columbus got consecutive victories for the first time since a three-game winning streak in mid-November. The struggling Blue Jackets came to Alberta winless in its last 13 games on the road.
Leading 2-1 to open the third period, Columbus opened up a two-goal lead at 5:22 on a pretty three-way passing play between Jakub Voracek, Raffi Torres and Vermette.
Voracek sent a cross-ice pass to Torres, who quickly slid a pass back across the slot to Vermette who buried his 13th goal into an empty net with goaltender Curtis McElhinney caught out of position.
Calgary got back to within one when Adam Pardy set up Rene Bourque's 15th goal at 11:59 but Blue Jackets goaltender Mathieu Garon shut the Flames out the rest of the way to finish the night with 20 saves.
With Miikka Kiprusoff coming off back-to-back starts Tuesday and Wednesday, McElhinney made his sixth start of the season for the Flames recording 19 stops.
Torres and Jan Hejda also scored for Columbus (17-20-9), which won for just the third time in its last 16 games.
Mark Giordano also scored for Calgary (25-14-5), which blew an opportunity to move into sole possession of first place in the Northwest Division. The Flames remain tied with the Vancouver Canucks, who they'll meet Saturday night at GM Place.
Columbus took a 2-1 lead at 11:03 of the second period on a play that began when Calgary forward Eric Nystrom collided with referee Ian Walsh along the side boards and lost the puck. Vermette sent a pass back to the blue-line where Hejda's one-timer found the low corner on McElhinney.
Calgary recalled Jamie Lundmark from the AHL's Abbotsford Heat earlier in the day and inserted onto the top line with Jarome Iginla and Daymond Langkow. Lundmark found himself with a wide open net 30 seconds into the game only to shovel the puck off the goal post.
Less than a minute later, Columbus took a 1-0 lead when Vermette fended off Flames defenceman Robyn Regehr and dropped a pass into the slot to a wide open Torres who scored his 12th of the year.
Calgary tied it 1-1 at 15:47 of the first on a neatly executed give and go between Giordano and Curtis Glencross. After dishing the puck off to the Flames forward, Giordano broke for the net taking the return pass and lifting a backhand past Garon as he cut across the top of the goal crease.
Vermette's prettiest set-up of the night didn't result in a goal. Late in the first period on a two-on-one rush while shorthanded, Vermette spun at the blue-line sending a backhand pass through his legs that fooled the Flames defenceman and sprung Rick Nash in alone.
However, Nash - who earlier in the season scored the only shorthanded goal Calgary has surrendered - was thwarted by McElhinney on his deke attempt.
Nash has gone eight games without a goal and remains stuck at a team-leading 19 for the season.
Calgary's offence continues to struggle - they haven't scored more than three goals just once in the past 18 games.