The Calgary Flames struck to their game plan of checking the Edmonton Oilers everywhere on the ice Sunday night and it paid off with a 2-1 victory.
Flames goalie Mike Vernon faced only 16 shots as his teammates kept the Oiler snipers off balance for the entire time."There was only time they got a rebound and that was it," Vernon said. "We did our job defensively tonight. Sixteen shots may sound like an easy night but it's never easy against the Edmonton Oilers especially when you give them a penalty in the last two minutes of the game.
"Our team did a heck of job of clogging up the middle and taking center ice away from them."
Edmonton goalie Bill Ranford was much busier, facing 31 shots. He played well, turning aside two breakaways and shots from close range.
"Ranford definitely deserved first star," said Theron Fleury, who scored the winning goal at 14:09 of the second period.
Fleury, a former Salt Lake Golden Eagle, deflected an on-ice shot from defenseman Al MacInnis past Ranford.
"It was just me and Ranford back there and I just touched the puck slighly," Fleury said.
Brian MacLellan scored the other Calgary goal, also in the second period.
Dave Brown, known more for his policeman role than scoring, gave the Oilers a 1-0 lead in the first period.
Brown's last goal goes back 138 games - to the days when he laced on his stakes for the Philadelphia Flyers - and it has been so long, he couldn't remember the last time he scored.
"I figured it would come some time or another," Brown said. "I'm not all that great with the puck . . . but everyone should score a few goals a year. I've had a lot of chances but just couldn't put them away."
Blackhawks 7, North Stars 1
At Chicago, Chris Chelios had a goal and three assists and Jacques Cloutier turned back 24 shots to power the Blackhawks. Mike Modano's third goal at 17:13 of the final period ruined Cloutier's shutout bid. Chelios's power-play goal in the opening period was one of five goals scored by Chicago's special teams.
Canucks 3, Nordiques 2
At Quebec, Steve Bozek scored twice in the third period to lift Vancouver. With the score 1-1, Bozek struck at 10:51, taking a pass in the slot from Brian Bradley and depositing a low shot into the left corner of the net. Bozek then scored at 16:11, banging a rebound past goaltender Ron Tugnutt.