Lundmark, McElhinney lifts Flames past Blue Jackets in shootout, 4-3

Lundmark scores shootout winner for Flames

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Calgary backup Curtis McElhinney stopped Anton Stralman in the fourth round, and Jamie Lundmark followed with the shootout winner in the Flames’ 4-3 comeback victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday night.

With the Blue Jackets seemingly in control late in the third period with a 3-1 lead, Calgary’s Dustin Boyd and Nigel Dawes scored in a 1:19 span to tie it.

Making only his second start, McElhinney made 29 saves to push the Flames’ road points streak to nine games. The Flames, playing the second game of a six-game trip, are 9-1-3 on the road.

Rick Nash and Marc Methot scored 1:03 apart late in the second period to give Columbus the lead. The Blue Jackets have lost a season-worst five in a row.

Olli Jokinen had a goal and assist, and Jarome Iginla had two assists for Calgary.

Jared Boll also scored, and Kristian Huselius added two assists for Columbus, returning home after a five-game trip.

Not only did McElhinney stop the puck, but also Stralman who strangely crashed into the netminder on his shooutout attempt. Lundmark came through with a high shot past Steve Mason, who also put aside 29 shots.

Calgary’s Mark Giordano rang a shot off the post early in overtime and Columbus’ R.J. Umberger cut in alone but couldn’t beat McElhinney late in the extra session.

On the Flames’ game-tying sequence, Jokinen, working behind the net, centered a nifty backhand pass that Boyd backhanded past Mason, who was leaning the wrong way, at 14:14 for his fourth.

Then from nearly the same spot behind the net, Moss fed Dawes in the slot. He one-timed a low shot for his seventh at 15:32 and extending his goal streak to three games.

A tight-checking scoreless affair after one period made way for back-and-forth play in the middle stanza with Columbus skating off ahead.

Jokinen atoned for a first period wide-open net miss by slotting home a rebound for his fifth at 5:29 on the power play to open the scoring.

Columbus soon began finding more open ice, but McElhinney slammed the door on Umberger’s slot shot and Derek MacKenzie’s breakaway deke.

But Calgary couldn’t stop the league’s top power play. On a rush, Huselius sent a cross ice feed from the left wing that Nash went over McElhinney to make it 1-1 at 13:20 for his 15th.

The Blue Jackets continued to pressure with Samuel Pahlsson firing high on a great close-range change and then Methot converting with a wrist shot from the left circle for his first at 14:23 to give Columbus the lead.

Then, after Boll took a goaltender-interference penalty for ramming McElhinney into the backboards, he stepped out of the penalty box and scored on a low wrist show from the inside right cirlce for his third to make it 3-1 at 19:32.

Each goalie made several quality saves to keep the game scoreless after one period. Mason kicked aside dangerous shots from Iginla and Curtis Glencross, while Jokinen fanned on chance from the back post with an open net. McElhinney follow suit, sticking out a skate to stone Derick Brassard down low.

NOTES: Calgary played the first of three games in four nights. … Columbus returned home having played the fourth-most road games in the league so far this season. … The home team has won 13 of the past 16 meetings in the series.