CALGARY // The Calgary Flames struck early then held on for a 4-3 victory over the slumping San Jose Sharks on Friday. Four different players scored to give the Flames a 4-1 lead in the second period before San Jose, who lead the Pacific Division, stormed back to dominate the final 20 minutes. Manny Malhotra and Dan Boyle scored to bring San Jose to within a goal with 1:51 to play but the Flames held on to hand the Sharks a fifth loss in a row.
Jarome Iginla and Daymond Langkow gave Calgary a 2-0 first period advantage. Dany Heatley got San Jose to within one early in the second but the Flames got a three-goal lead through Nigel Dawes and Eric Nystrom before San Jose rallied. Miikka Kiprusoff had 25 saves for Calgary while Evgeni Nabokov stopped 20 shots for San Jose. The Vancouver Canucks have given their forward Ryan Kesler a six-year extension to his deal, putting him under contract - said to be worth US$30 million (Dh110.1m) - until the end of the 2015-16 season. "Ryan has showcased his ability to perform under extreme pressure and we are looking forward to continuing to see Ryan develop into one of the league's premier players," said Mike Gillis, the Canucks general manager.
* Reuters
