Flames 3, Oilers 2

4/1/2008 11:08 PM

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) -The Edmonton Oilers' strong late-season push wasn't enough to get in the playoffs.

Owen Nolan scored the winning goal with 3:44 left in regulation, lifting the Calgary Flames to a 3-2 victory and eliminating the Oilers from the Western Conference playoff race.

Curtis Glencross scored twice for Edmonton, which won 13 of its previous 19 games.

``We believed that we could get in and that we had the type of team that could make some noise,'' Oilers forward Jarret Stoll said. ``We can't feel sorry for ourselves. We battled hard when a lot of things were against us. And we never once used those excuses.''

Added assistant captain Steve Staios: ``Our guys laid it on the line every night for a long time and it is tough. ... We knew we were in a tough spot but we played our hearts out. It's just disappointing.''

Nolan took a long rebound of Matthew Lombardi's shot and put the puck into an open goal for the win.

``You've got to tip your hat to Edmonton,'' Nolan said. ``They played really well the last couple of months to get themselves back into the race. They've got a lot of heart but we've got a lot of heart here, too, and we want to continue to win.''

Adrian Aucoin and Alex Tanguay also scored for Calgary, which snapped a two-game skid and moved into sixth place in the West. The Flames need just a point in their last two games or a loss by Vancouver to make the playoffs.

Calgary captain Jarome Iginla believes the Flames did what they have to late in the season, finding a way to win.

``In certain areas we'd like to have pushed back more than we did at times but we found a way to win the game and that's what it's about at this time of year, winning games in different ways,'' he said. ``After they got one we settled down on the bench and had a little bit of a push after and got the goal right back. It was great.''

Glencross tied the score 2-2 with 6:43 to go in the third. Kyle Brodziak made a long pass to spring Glencross on a breakaway, and the left winger scored glove-side on goalie Miikka Kiprusoff.

The Oilers opened the scoring just over 10 minutes in as Glencross continued to pay dividends since joining Edmonton from Columbus in early February. He took a pass in the middle of the ice and beat Kiprusoff through the legs for his 14th of the year and eighth with the Oilers.

Calgary tied it 5 minutes later on the power play as Nolan hit a pinching Aucoin with a pass. Aucoin's shot caromed off defender Denis Grebeshkov and past Oilers goalie Dwayne Roloson.

The Flames took a 2-1 lead with 2.1 seconds left in the second as Tanguay took a bad-angle shot which Roloson deflected into his own goal.

Notes: Edmonton leading scorer Ales Hemsky left the game with a lower body injury midway through the second period. ... Calgary was without C Craig Conroy, who left their game against Vancouver on Sunday with a torso injury. ... Daymond Langkow was able to play for the Flames after missing one game due to a death in the family. ... Joni Pitkanen was back in the Oilers' lineup after leaving Edmonton's last game against Calgary on Saturday with an injured groin. ... The Oilers signed free-agent forward Bryan Lerg from Michigan State. The five-foot-10, 175-pound Michigan native has 20 goals and 19 assists in 42 games this year for the Spartans. Lerg signed a two-year deal worth $962,000, with $175,000 in bonuses.