hildren.OMINOUS DEBUTNew Vikings kicker Kai Forbath

DETROIT -- Mikael Backlund and the Calgary Flames got their six-game road trip started in the best way possible.Backlund scored the tiebreaking goal with 7:46 left in the third period to give Calgary a 3-2 victory over the slumping Detroit Red Wings on Sunday night.This is huge, because were looking at these six games almost like a playoff series, said Flames defenseman Dougie Hamilton, who had three assists. We know we have to pick up some wins on this trip, and this is a good start.Garnet Hathaway got his first career goal and Matt Stajan also scored for Calgary. Chad Johnson stopped 21 shots.I thought this was a very even game, but we did a nice job of capitalizing on our chances, Flames coach Glen Gulutzan said. We didnt lose any momentum coming out of the Chicago game, where we played very well in a loss.Tomas Tatar and Anthony Mantha scored for Detroit, which lost its fourth straight game. Jimmy Howard made 23 saves.I think we gave them their chances. I think from the start, a few turnovers in our own end, all of a sudden they end up spending a minute, minute and a half in our end instead of making a simple play and move the play out to the neutral zone, Red Wings captain Henrik Zetterberg said.Backlund broke a 2-all tie when he slammed Michael Froliks pass from the left circle past Howard and into the open side of the net for his second goal.We better pick ourselves up and we better come to work tomorrow to get better, Detroit coach Jeff Blashill said. And we better put the work in that it takes to earn confidence come Wednesday (at Buffalo). Thats the bottom line. We better pick ourselves up in a hurry and focus on coming to win a hockey game on Wednesday.Mantha tied it 2-all 7:59 into the third with his first of the season. He put a snap shot under the crossbar on the short side after bringing the puck out from behind the net.Stajan gave the Flames a 2-1 lead at 2:31 of the third with his first goal of the season. He tipped in Hamiltons slap shot from the right point.Hathaway tied it 1-all at 3:40 of the second. Hathaway, who was beside the net and battling with a Red Wings player, got the shaft of his stick on a high shot by Hamilton from the top of the right circle and deflected it into the empty side of the net.Thats an amazing feeling. I saw Fer (Micheal Ferland) get the puck to Dougie, so I went to the net, Hathaway said. It was an odd play, because Howard was still flailing around, so I wasnt sure if he had the puck or if it had gone in. Ill probably tell people that I sniped it -- that sounds a lot better. Weve still got five more road games, so it is big to get this one and get some momentum.Tatar gave Detroit a 1-0 lead 8:06 into the game. He blindly slid a puck toward the net from the high slot that beat Johnson. It was Tatars third goal and only his second in 14 games.Howard was forced to make a couple of saves in close after Red Wings giveaways deep in their zone.Detroit defenseman Alexey Marchenko left with an upper-body injury after taking a hit from Ferland with a little less than 5:30 left in the second period. Blashill said Marchenko will likely be out a little while and the team would have more information Monday.Game notes Detroit LW Thomas Vanek returned after missing 11 games with a hip injury. The Red Wings were 3-7-1 without Vanek and averaged under two goals per game. He had four goals and eight points in seven games. ... Calgary forward Johnny Gaudreau missed his second game after sustaining a broken finger on a slash by Minnesota C Eric Staal. Gaudreau will miss six to eight weeks. ... Red Wings C Darren Helm missed his second game after dislocating his shoulder. He also will be out six to eight weeks.UP NEXTFlames: Visit the Buffalo Sabres on Monday night.Red Wings: Visit the Sabres on Wednesday night. Clearance Football Jerseys Throwback . They reached the 100-point plateau for the fourth time in five games, bested the visiting Trail Blazers by 34 in the paint and scored 19 of the final 25 points in regulation. Custom Football Jerseys Throwback . Spiller left Week 3s 27-20 loss to the New York Jets with a thigh injury, but fully practiced with the team all week and expects to be ready to go on Sunday. http://www.cheapfootballthrowback.com/ .Y. - Free agent outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury, fresh off winning the World Series with Boston, reached agreement with the rival New York Yankees on a seven-year contract worth about $153 million, a person familiar with the negotiations said Tuesday night. Cheap Football Jerseys Throwback China . After a lengthy wait, persistent rain finally forced the postponement of the Nationals game against the Miami Marlins on Saturday night. The teams, and a few thousand fans, waited nearly four hours from the 7:05 scheduled start time before an announcement was made shortly before 11 p. Football Jerseys Throwback Outlet . Haas said he "felt a lot of pain" in his right shoulder when he slammed his racket to the ground in frustration after losing his serve at 3-3 in the first set. MINNEAPOLIS -- The Minnesota Vikings returned, literally, to their winning way.Xavier Rhodes took back one of his two interceptions 100 yards for a touchdown and Cordarrelle Patterson returned the second-half kickoff 104 yards for a score in Minnesotas 30-24 victory over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, helping the Vikings stop their four-game losing streak.Its been a long, long, long month, but its good to feel this again, said coach Mike Zimmer, who urged his team multiple times this week to stop chasing those momentum-shifting plays and focus instead on fundamentals. Its good to see the fight that the players had, to see the hard work.The Vikings are the first team since the 1962 Dallas Cowboys to have a 100-yard interception return touchdown and a 100-plus yard kickoff return touchdown in the same game. The Cowboys Amos Marsh had a 101-yard kickoff return touchdown and Mike Gaechter had a 100-yard interception return touchdown in Dallas 41-19 win over Philadelphia.The Vikings (6-4) held onto their first-place tie with Detroit in the NFC North, with a rematch against the Lions looming in four days. After scoring twice each on defense and special teams during their NFL-best 5-0 start, the Vikings failed to produce a return touchdown over their last four games until this breakthrough. They also sacked Carson Palmer four times, two by Danielle Hunter, for the most since their last victory six weeks ago.Palmer, who passed for 198 yards and two scores, was off the mark for much of the afternoon and had no time to find anyone on the final two possessions.They have a great front. They knew that we were in a position where we must throw, Palmer said. So they really pinned their ears back and had some good rushes, and we just couldnt quite get the ball out.David Johnson rushed for 103 yards and a score and tacked on 57 yards and a touchdown receiving, but the Cardinals (4-5-1) netted only 27 yards after halftime. The NFC runner-up last season fell further into the background of the playoff picture with four more road games remaining.Its an uphill climb, but I feel like with the veterans we have, the leaders, the players we have, we definitely still have a chance, said Johnson, who has topped 100 yards from scrimmage in all 10 games, only the fourth player to do so since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970.TENSION, GONEThe Cardinals climbed within six points after Chandler Jones sacked Sam Bradford to force a fumble that Deoone Bucannon recovered at the Vikings 27.ddddddddddddThat set up Johnsons third-down catch in the end zone with 7:24 remaining.John Browns 32-yard punt return put the Cardinals in excellent position, but the Vikings fired up their pass rush and quickly forced a punt. They had to kick it back, but Jeff Locke boomed a 72-yard punt after a friendly roll to the Arizona 13 with 2:20 left.It was weighing on everyone, said Bradford, who went 20 for 28 for 169 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. I think you could feel it just at practice and in the locker room. So the joy of winning, its a great feeling. That feeling we had in the locker room today, I think it solved a lot of problems.FITZS FRUITLESS VISITLarry Fitzgerald had six catches for 63 yards, leaving his native city with a loss for the fifth time in five trips in his NFL career. Fitzgerald has scored only one touchdown in eight all-time games against the Vikings, the team he used to serve as a ball boy for when Dennis Green was the coach. Green, who died on July 22 at age 67, was honored before the game with a video tribute and a painting presentation to his wife and three of his children.OMINOUS DEBUTNew Vikings kicker Kai Forbath made a short field goal and three extra points, but he had one PAT blocked in the second quarter that loomed large at the end. Forbaths ensuing kickoff was short, setting up a 49-yard return by Brittan Golden. Forbath replaced Blair Walsh, who missed a league-leading four extra points.INJURY REPORTCardinals: DT Corey Peters (foot) and FS Tyrann Mathieu (shoulder) were inactive, with Mathieu sidelined for a second straight game. RT Mike Iupati limped off after hurting his left ankle in the second quarter but returned before halftime.Vikings: Nickel CB Captain Munnerlyn (ankle) and punt returner Marcus Sherels (ankle) each returned from injuries that kept them out last week.UP NEXTCardinals: They visit Atlanta next Sunday. Theyve lost their last three games in the Eastern time zone, including at Buffalo and Carolina this season.Vikings: They play their first Thanksgiving Day game at Detroit since 1995, their only loss in six all-time appearances on the holiday. Their last Thanksgiving Day game was in 2000 at Dallas.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '