Flames 6, Oilers 2
Lee Stempniak registered his second career hat trick and added an assist as the Calgary Flames continued their dominance in the Battle of Alberta with a 6-2 road victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday.
Blake Comeau and defenseman Jay Bouwmeester recorded a goal and two assists apiece, Mikael Backlund also tallied and Olli Jokinen set up a pair of scores for Calgary, which has won nine straight meetings with Edmonton and 16 of the last 17 matchups.
The Flames, who had scored one goal in each of their previous four games, began their outburst when Backlund converted a cross-slot pass at 6:48 of the opening period for his first tally in 13 contests.
Comeau beat Nikolai Khabibulin with a slap shot from the left faceoff circle midway through the session to end a 13-game drought. Stempniak scored on wristers late in both the first and second periods for a 4-0 advantage.
Stempniak completed his three-goal performance with an empty-netter late in the third. He entered with one tally in his previous 20 contests.
Defenseman Andy Sutton spoiled Miikka Kiprusoff's shutout bid 4 1/2 minutes into the third, but Bouwmeester restored Calgary's four-goal lead during a power play less than three minutes later.
Ryan Smyth had a goal and an assist while Taylor Hall made his return to the lineup for the Oilers, who have lost three straight contests and eight of their last nine. Hall had missed the previous two matches with a facial laceration.