Flames 4, Penguins 2
PITTSBURGH -- Joe Colborne scored a goal and set up Lance Bouma's game-sealing goal in the third period and the Calgary Flames ended a seven-game losing streak by surprising the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-2 on Saturday.
The Flames, who had won only once in 11 games since Feb. 11, got a solid effort in net from Joni Ortio in his first victory of the season while handing Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury only his second regulation-time loss at Consol Energy Center since Jan. 1.
Calgary trailed 2-1 after Sidney Crosby scored scored two goals, but Mark Giordano, Mikael Backlund and Bouma produced goals in succession against a team that was 12-2-2 in its last 16 home games.
Bouma's second goal in 29 games made it 4-2 at 14:03 of the third as he beat Fleury on a wrist shot, off a nifty drop pass from Colborne after he gathered the rebound of Deryk Engelland's shot.
For the first two periods, whenever the Penguins did something right, the Flames answered almost immediately -- something they haven't been doing while going winless since Feb. 19.
Crosby scored 30 seconds into the game on a deflected shot off the end boards with an assist from Patric Hornqvist. Crosby's shot went past goalie Ortio, who made 29 saves after coming in with an 0-6-2 record.
But the Flames tied it only 1:28 later when Sam Bennett's shot deflected off Colborne's right skate and directly into the net for Colborne's 11th goal before goalie Fleury could react.
Fleury (26 saves) was trying to become only the 20th goalie in NHL history to win 350 games.
Crosby, who has 43 of his 63 points this season at Consol Energy Center, regained the lead for Pittsburgh 5:24 early in the second with a sequence that began with him winning a faceoff in the defensive zone.
Crosby kept the up-ice rush going with a between-his-legs drop pace, then went to the net and redirected Hornqvist's shot into the goal from the right point.
Pittsburgh came in with three wins in four games.
But again the Flames needed less than two minutes to answer as defenseman Mark Giordano, left alone in the left circle, put a wrist shot past Fleury that was created Backlund's pass.
Later in the period, Penguins then appeared to swing the momentum their way by killing off Tom Kuhnhackl's four-minute penalty for high-sticking Jakub Nakladal, but Backlund deftly redirected Dougie Hamilton's on-the-stick pass to the left circle into the net to give Calgary the lead for good at 3-2.
The Flames also won the only previous meeting between the interconference teams, 5-2 on Nov. 7.
NOTES: With Pittsburgh RW Kevin Porter (ankle surgery) out for the season after being injured Thursday against the New York Rangers, the Penguins called up RW Josh Archibald from their AHL farm club. ... Penguins F Beau Bennett, out for 33 of the last 34 games because of a shoulder injury, is practicing for the first time since being reinjured Jan. 23. ... The Flames continue to search for a linemate for LW Johnny Gaudreau and C Sean Monahan, beginning the game with Michael Frolik at right wing. They ended their previous game with recent callup Garnet Hathaway at right wing. ... Calgary started Joni Ortio in net, his second start since the Flames acquired G Niklas Backstrom from Minnesota on Monday. G Jonas Hiller also made one start. ... Puck-moving D Justin Schultz was expected to make his Penguins debut, one week after being picked up from Edmonton but sat out a fourth consecutive game. He has been out because of immigration issues and a lack of practice time with his new team. ... Calgary scratched Backstrom as it wrapped up a four-game trip. The Penguins, who play their next four on the road starting Sunday at New Jersey, sat down Schultz and G Jeff Zatkoff.