Glencross posts hat trick, Flames beat Hurricanes 4-1

Glencross has hat trick in Flames’ win over Canes

CALGARY, Alberta — Curtis Glencross recorded his first NHL hat trick to lead the Calgary Flames to a 4-1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday night.

New Flames forward Matt Stajan added the winning goal in the second period. It was Stajan’s second game with Calgary since being acquired from the Toronto Maple Leafs in a seven-player trade on Sunday.

Carolina captain Eric Staal scored the lone goal for the Hurricanes, who have lost two straight following a four-game winning streak.

Miikka Kiprusoff stopped 27 shots to earn his 25th win of the season. Carolina’s Cam Ward made 35 saves.

Stajan was acquired along with forwards Jamal Mayers and Niklas Hagman and defenseman Ian White for defenseman Dion Phaneuf, forward Fredrik Sjostrom and defensive prospect Keith Aulie.

Forward Ales Kotalik and Christopher Higgins made their debuts for the Flames after being acquired on Monday from the New York Rangers for Olli Jokinen and Brandon Prust.

On the heels of a lackluster performance during a 3-0 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday, the Flames showed jump in the first period.

Following a strong shift by center Daymond Langkow between Higgins and Kotalik, the checking line of Eric Nystrom, Mayers and Glencross continued to hem the Hurricanes inside their own zone.

That pressure paid off as Glencross drove hard toward the net in pursuit of a rebound when the puck deflected off his body and into the Carolina net behind Ward at 2:54 of the first.

Carolina had a great opportunity late in the period when it had a two-man advantage for 36 seconds, but the Flames killed off the power play.

The Hurricanes tied it at 7:19 of the second period when Staal deflected a shot by Jussi Jokinen past Kiprusoff on another Carolina power play.

With the teams playing 4-on-4 late in the second, Stajan and Glencross scored 52 seconds apart.

While cutting toward the net on the right side, Stajan kicked a pass from Jarome Iginla onto his stick before tucking the puck into the far corner. Glencross then took a cross-ice pass from Jay Bouwmeester and blasted a slap shot to the short side past Ward.

Glencross finished the scoring with an empty-net goal at 18:58 of the third.

NOTES: D Joe Corvo returned to the Carolina lineup after missing 28 games due to a leg injury. … After recording just 18 shots against Philadelphia on Monday, the Flames surpassed that total by the 12-minute mark of the second period. … The Flames are 3-9-3 in their past 15 games.