NHL: Iginla’s hat trick propels Flames

Jarome Iginla’s first hat trick of the season brought Calgary closer to clinching the final playoff spot in the Western Conference, and the Flames beat the Minnesota Wild 4-2 Thursday at St. Paul, Minn.

Daymond Langkow also scored in a three-goal first period for Calgary, which stunned Minnesota and goalie Niklas Backstrom with two scores in the first 80 seconds. Backstrom saw two shots before Wild coach Jacques Lemaire called timeout and replaced him with Josh Harding.

But the night again belonged to Flames All-Star Miikka Kiprusoff, the reigning Vezina Trophy winner as the NHL’s most outstanding goaltender.

After stopping all 38 shots he faced in regulation and overtime in a shootout win against Minnesota here two days before, Kiprusoff made 23 saves in Calgary’s fifth straight victory. The last three of those have been on the road, where the Flames brought only 11 wins – second fewest in the league – into the game.

Penguins 4, Bruins 2: At Boston, Sidney Crosby had three assists to bring his NHL-leading point total to 116, helping Pittsburgh to a victory over the Bruins and moving the Penguins into first place in the Atlantic Division.

Thrashers 3, Maple Leafs 2 (OT): At Atlanta, Slava Kozlov scored two goals, including the game-winner on the power play with 46.4 seconds remaining in overtime, to help the Thrashers end a three-game losing streak with a victory over Toronto.

Ducks 5, Blue Jackets 2: At Columbus, Ohio, Teemu Selanne scored a goal and assisted on three third-period power-play goals, and Anaheim beat the Blue Jackets to set a franchise record for road wins with 20.

Red Wings 2, Predators 1: At Nashville, Tenn., Pavel Datsyuk scored the go-ahead goal in the second period and had an assist, and Detroit beat Nashville and moved back into a tie with the Predators atop the NHL.

Blues, 5, Oilers 2: At St. Louis, Doug Weight had a goal and an assist and Barret Jackman added three assists, leading the Blues to a victory over Edmonton.

Avalanche 4, Coyotes 3: At Glendale, Ariz., Milan Hejduk had a goal and an assist to help Colorado boost its fading playoff hopes with a victory over Phoenix.

Canucks 4, Kings 2: At Los Angeles, Daniel Sedin scored two goals and Vancouver stretched its lead in the Northwest Division by beating the Kings.

Salo signs 4-year extension

Sami Salo has signed a four-year extension with the Vancouver Canucks.

“Sami is an elite defenseman who complements our group very well,” general manager and senior vice president Dave Nonis said in a statement. “We are confident that he will continue to perform at the high level he has established for himself over the next four seasons.”

The 32-year-old Salo made $1.5 million this season and would have been eligible for unrestricted free agency in the summer.