The Calgary Flames are back in playoff contention.
David Moss had two power-play goals and added an assist in the Flames' 4-1 victory over the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday night in the final game for both teams before the five-day All-Star game break.
''Going into the break, we wanted to give ourselves a chance to be in the hunt and we are now,'' Moss said. ''It will be a good few days off and then we'll get back to work,'' Moss said.
Flames defenseman Adam Pardy added his first goal of the season - and fourth in 143 career games - and Jarome Iginla had an empty-net goal. The Flames, two points behind three teams tied for seventh and just six points out of a fourth-place tie, have won four straight and are 10-3-3 in their last 16 games.
''Guys are banged up. It's good to have a few days just to rest your body and rejuvenate,'' Moss said. ''The second half is huge for us so the break is probably comes at a good time.''
Moss has four two-goal games in his last 12.
''It's just one of those things, I can't explain it,'' said Moss. ''It's a good streak to be on, there are worse things for sure.''
Miikka Kiprusoff made 28 saves, allowing only Philip McRae's first NHL goal midway through the third period. McRae, the 20-year-old son of former NHL enforcer Basil McRae, was playing his seventh NHL game.
The Blues have lost four in a row.
''It will be good just to have some time to relax and recharge and forget about this last little bit here and come back ready to go,'' McRae said. ''We come back and play Colorado and Edmonton. If we win those two games, we're right back in it and have some confidence and can get the ball rolling the other way.''
Calgary opened the scoring 5:34 into the game, taking advantage of St. Louis defenseman Erik Johnson's error. Goalie Ty Conklin stuck out his pad to stop Moss's snap shot from the wing, but rebound bounced into the slot and Johnson misplayed the clearing attempt and fired it straight into his own net.
As the 22-year-old Johnson sat shaking his head on the bench, highlights of the blooper were shown over and over again on the video screen to the roars of the sellout Saddledome crowd.
NOTES: Kiprusoff has 259 regular-season victories to moves past Ken Dryden into 38th place on the NHL's career list. ''He was a legend for the Montreal Canadiens, so that's pretty cool,'' Kiprusoff said. ... Calgary's Craig Conroy cleared waivers and must now decide whether to retire or report to the Flames' AHL affiliate. The Flames are expecting the 39-year-old center to make his decision after the All-Star break.
