New York Islanders' Tim Wallace, right, crashes to the ice with Calgary Flames' Derek Smith during second period pre-season NHL hockey action in Calgary, Alta., Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2011.Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press
Henrik Karlsson made 13 saves and Curtis Glencross scored the game winner Tuesday night as the Calgary Flames beat the New York Islanders 2-0 in NHL pre-season action.
With Calgary icing the more veteran line-up, the young kids on the Islanders found it difficult to generate much offence. When they did, Karlsson was there to shut the door.
The six-foot-five Swede will once again back-up Miikka Kiprusoff after going 4-5-5 in that role in his first year in the NHL last season.
The only offence Karlsson would need came at 4:10 of the second period on a nice short-handed goal by Glencross, who is coming off a career-high 24-goal season that earned the potential unrestricted free agent a new US$10.2-million, four-year contract.
Matt Stajan gained the Islanders blue-line and cut to his left threading a pretty pass to Glencross behind the Islanders defence. Glencross continued across the top of the goal crease and tucked a backhand behind veteran Evgeni Nabokov.
Calgary added a second goal at 4:21 of the third period when Lee Stempniak finished a two-on-one with Alex Tanguay, taking a perfect set-up from the Flames veteran playmaker and firing his second pre-season goal behind Nabokov's replacement, Mikko Koskinen.
Stempniak was acquired from the Phoenix Coyotes at the end of August in exchange for Daymond Langkow.
Calgary improved to 2-3-0 with one pre-season game remaining, Thursday night versus the Phoenix Coyotes.
New York, which was playing just its third game, fell to 1-2-0 with two games remaining in a shorter than normal five-game pre-season slate.
While the Islanders' forward ranks were littered with kids, that was not the case in net.
In his first game in an Islander uniform, Nabokov stopped 15 of 16 shots in two periods of action.
The 36-year-old refused to play for New York last season after the Islanders claimed him late in the year off NHL re-entry waivers, thwarting the Detroit Red Wings' attempt to sign him.
Nabokov was a 44-game winner with the San Jose Sharks in 2009-10 before struggling most of last season in the KHL.
This season, he has decided to join New York and he is competing for a roster spot with incumbent starter Rick DiPietro and rookie Al Montoya, who had an impressive 9-5-5 finish to the season after being recalled from the minors in mid-February.
Notes: The Islanders sat numerous regulars including forwards John Tavares, Michael Grabner, Matt Moulson, and Kyle Okposo... Former Flames defenceman Steve Staios played in his third straight game for the New York. The 38-year-old is in the Islanders camp on a tryout basis... Jarome Iginla (back) is still not back skating. Rene Bourque is also nursing a nagging injury and isn't likely to return to action until the season opener. Veteran C Brendan Morrison (off-season knee surgery) is skating but has not been cleared for contact. His availability for the start of the regular season is not yet known.