Calgary Flames Season Chatter 22/23

[thegx.ca]

Sweet move by Anderson they should have him on every shootout...and good fight by Gilbert hopefully he can follow in Gubrandson toughness a bit...still worried not seeing much of typical Sutter style team defence yet but still early in season and and win is a win

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 18

 

Flames 5 Flyers 2

 

Coleman, Flames send slumping Flyers to 7th straight loss

 

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ByAP

9 hours ago

PHILADELPHIA -- — Blake Coleman had a goal and two assists to lead the Calgary Flames to a 5-2 victory over the slumping Philadelphia Flyers on Monday night.

 

Jonathan Huberdeau, Dillon Dubé, Rasmus Andersson and Trevor Lewis also scored for the Flames, who were playing the third contest of a six-game trip.

 

“It was nice to get that one for sure,” Huberdeau said. “We battled. Another good win for us.”

 

Tanner Laczynski and Joel Farabee scored for the Flyers, who have lost seven in a row.

 

“We were flat,” Philadelphia coach John Tortorella said. “I thought it looked like two teams with low energy.”

 

The Flames jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first.

 

Huberdeau put the Flames on the board 4:43 in. After Philadelphia’s Tony DeAngelo turned the puck over in the Flyers zone, Huberdeau raced ahead on a 2-on-1 and finished his third goal of the season with a wrist shot past Carter Hart’s glove side.

 

Dubé tallied in nearly the identical manner with 6:09 to play in the first, firing a wrist shot past Hart on a 2-on-1. This one came from the opposite side and got past Hart’s glove.

“It’s not like it’s lack of effort,” Hart said. “Nothing to hang our heads about.”

 

Philadelphia scored just 36 seconds later, when Laczynski notched his first NHL goal on a deflection of Kevin Hayes’ shot from the point. The assist gave Hayes points in six straight contests, with three goals and four assists.

 

Andersson recorded the lone goal of the second when his slap shot from long range went off the stick of Farabee and past Hart 3:29 into the period.

 

Farabee made amends with 11:57 left in the third, when he pulled Philadelphia within 3-2. Flames winger Andrew Mangiapane misfired a pass from the boards right to Farabee, who fired a wrist shot from the slot past Jacob Markström’s blocker side.

 

Markström made 23 saves.

 

Coleman, playing in his 400th career NHL game, netted the first of two Flames empty-netters with 1:51 left in the third. Lewis finished the scoring with 37 seconds remaining.

 

A third-round pick by New Jersey in 2011, Coleman is a two-time Stanley Cup champion with Tampa Bay.

 

“I’m extremely proud to get to play that many games in this league,” he said.

[thegx.ca]

Good win in Philadelphia and finally starting to see but more Sutter hockey and Sutter defense

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 19

 

Flames 1 Pens 2 SO

 

Malkin's winning goal in shootout leads Pens past Flames

 

 

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ByAP

Updated: 6 hours ago

PITTSBURGH -- — Evgeni Malkin enjoyed a fitting end to a multigame celebration of a significant career milestone.

 

Malkin scored the deciding goal in the shootout, and the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Calgary Flames 2-1 on Wednesday night for their fourth straight win.

 

Malkin, who was recognized in Pittsburgh for playing his 1,000th NHL game on Sunday, flipped a backhander over Dan Vlader’s glove. After Malkin scored, he threw his stick into the crowd and celebrated with his teammates.

 

“It was perfect,” captain Sidney Crosby said. “You wouldn’t want anyone else with the opportunity to win the game. The whole night was awesome.”

 

Crosby and Rickard Rakell also scored in the tiebreaker for the Penguins, who improved to 6-1-1 in their last eight games overall. Jan Rutta scored in regulation, and Tristan Jarry made 33 saves for his 100th NHL win.

 

“(Malkin) plays his best when the stakes are high,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. “I think that’s where players build their legacies. He’s been on the big stage an awful lot in his career.”

 

Dillon Dube scored in the second period for the Flames, who had won two in a row. Calgary has four wins in its last six games overall following a seven-game losing streak.

Vladar, making his fourth start of the season, and first since Nov. 10, stopped 38 shots.

 

Flames coach Darryl Sutter said it was quite a night for Malkin.

 

“He’s the guy that ends up winning it for them. Good for him,” Sutter said.

 

Rutta opened the scoring at 2:09 when he beat Vladar with a blocker-side wrist shot from between the circles.

 

Pittsburgh appeared to take a 2-0 lead on a Bryan Rust goal. But it was waved off because of an offsides call following a coach’s challenge.

 

Calgary then tied it at 1 at 8:37 of the second when Dube redirected a Chris Tanev shot behind Jarry.

 

HONORING MALKIN

 

The Penguins celebrated Malkin in his first home game after appearing in his 1,000th career regular-season game on Sunday at Chicago.

 

Malkin’s teammates all wore his No. 71 jersey during warmups. Malkin’s wife, Anna, and 6-year-old son, Nikita, joined him on the ice during a pregame ceremony. He received personal gifts commemorating his 1,000th career game, including a silver hockey stick.

 

“Thank you to my teammates and the Pittsburgh Penguins organization,” Malkin said. “It’s an amazing life for me and my family. The last three days I was crying every day because the team gave me so many surprises. They gave me a special night and special gifts before the game. I don’t have any words. It was just amazing.”

 

ROAD WARRIORS

 

Calgary played the fourth game of a season-long six-game road trip.

 

The Flames lost the first game of the trip against Tampa Bay, but rebounded with wins against Florida and Philadelphia prior to Wednesday’s shootout loss against the Penguins. Calgary closes the trip with games at Washington and Carolina.

 

The Flames have at least a point in their last seven games at PPG Paints Arena, dating to the 2015-16 season.

 

[thegx.ca]

Despite losing in shootout Sutter Boys doing well keeping the goals against low

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 20

 

Flames 0 Caps 3

 

Ovechkin and Oshie power Capitals past Flames 3-0

 

 

Alex Ovechkin tallies goal for Capitals on the power play

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ByAP

Updated: 11 hours ago

WASHINGTON -- — Alex Ovechkin and T.J. Oshie each had a goal and an assist, helping the Washington Capitals to a 3-0 win over the Calgary Flames on Friday.

 

Ovechkin scored career goal No. 791 at 12:24 of the third period, firing a quick wrist shot from the left circle past Calgary's Jacob Markstrom on the power play to secure the Captials' second straight win.

 

“When you win, you always have confidence. Sometimes you play well, but you can't win the game, and that's frustrating a little bit," Ovechkin said. “But the situation right now, we just have to collect the points. It doesn't matter how: lucky, bad bounce. We just have to collect the points and try to get as many as possible.”

 

Ovechkin is now nine goals away from 800 and 11 from passing Gordie Howe for second place on the NHL's all-time goals list.

 

Oshie opened the scoring early in the first period, marking the first time since Nov. 11 that Washington scored the game's first goal. He has four points in back-to-back games since returning from a lower-body injury that sidelined him for 11 games.

 

“He's one of our leaders on the ice and off the ice. He brings a lot of energy,” Ovechkin said of Oshie.

 

Evgeny Kuznetsov scored in the second period, picking up the puck from Oshie in the neutral zone, getting through three Flames and sliding the puck past Markstrom while falling.

Calgary had its share of scoring chances and outshot Washington 32-25, but Capitals goalie Darcy Kuemper earned his second shutout of the season.

 

“We've been talking about stringing a few wins together, so that was the focus tonight, just to come in and kind of do my job and help the team the best I can,” Kuemper said.

Markstrom had 22 saves in the loss for Calgary.

 

“I think they were better with the puck than we were. That was the difference,” Jonathan Huberdeau said. “We had chances and didn't capitalize on it, and they did.”

[thegx.ca]

Was hoping they'd be better defensively...

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 21

 

Flames 2 Canes 3

 

Pesce's 1st goal of season lifts Hurricanes past Flames 3-2

 

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ByAP

Updated: 9 hours ago

RALEIGH, N.C. -- — Brett Pesce’s first goal of the season snapped a third-period tie and the Carolina Hurricanes ended a five-game winless streak with a 3-2 victory over the Calgary Flames on Saturday.

 

Seth Jarvis and Martin Necas also scored for Carolina, which played its last home game until mid-December.

 

“This was huge for us, just our confidence,” Pesce said. “Just finding a way to win again.”

 

Pesce’s power-play goal came with 11:14 to play. It was his first goal since March.

 

Antti Raanta made 19 saves in his first action in five games. He dealt with an injury earlier in the week and was scratched from a scheduled start Wednesday night.

 

Adam Ruzicka and Tyler Toffoli scored for the Flames, who ended a six-game trip with a 2-3-1 record. Dan Vladar, who stopped 30 shots, is winless since his first outing of the season in mid-October.

Raanta faced only four shots in the third period.

 

“We played well all through this stretch and just haven’t got any bounces,” said Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour, whose team last won Nov. 14 at Chicago. “That’s kind of what it has felt like.”

 

The Hurricanes scored two power-play goals on back-to-back days after going six straight games without a man-advantage goal.

 

“The power play has got to come through, and it did,” Brind’Amour said.

 

Perhaps now the conversion regarding Carolina’s power play can take a different tone.

 

“The power play was the reason we won,” Jarvis said.

 

The Flames, coming off a shutout loss a day earlier at Washington, have managed a total of three goals in their last three games.

“We’ve got to score more,” Flames center Mikael Backlund said. “We got some looks.”

 

Jarvis snapped a personal 11-game goal drought when he converted a pass from Brent Burns at 6:20 of the first period.

 

The Flames tied the score on Ruzicka’s power-play goal with 1:51 left in the first.

 

Necas’ 10th goal of the season put Carolina on top in the second. Toffoli countered with a tying goal for the Flames less than seven minutes later.

 

Toffoli’s goal came on a breakaway when he waited at the blue line and was alone when Jonathan Huberdeau delivered a pass.

 

Vladar is the No. 2 goalie for Calgary, but he said he expects to make bigger contributions. He referenced his 1-4-1 record this season.

 

“It got to be better,” Vladar said. “I’ve got to get some Ws for this team. It’s just frustrating for me.”

 

RAANTA’S RECOVERY

 

Raanta said a puck struck his knee awkwardly in Wednesday’s morning skate. He took time off before appearing in another game.

“You always want to play when it’s your turn,” Raanta said.

 

He’s tied with Frederik Andersen, who has been out since Nov. 6 with an injury, with a team-high eight appearances among Carolina’s goalies.

 

TRIP TROUBLES

 

The Flames missed one of the objectives on their season-long six-game trip. They secured five points.

 

“You want more points than games played,” coach Darryl Sutter said. “That’s the best way to look at it. When you go on trips that are three or more games, that's what you want.”

[thegx.ca]

Thought they would've have been better defensively with Stone back in...

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 22

 

Flames 6 Panthers 2

 

Flames spoil Tkachuk's return to Calgary, beat Panthers 6-2

 

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ByAP

Updated: 4 hours ago

CALGARY, Alberta -- — Dillon Dube scored short-handed and had two assists, and the Flames spoiled Matthew Tkachuk's return to Calgary by beating the Florida Panthers 6-2 on Tuesday night.

 

Rasmus Andersson, Jonathan Huberdeau, Tyler Toffoli and Andrew Mangiapane each had a goal and an assist, and Brett Ritchie also scored for the Flames, who improved to 5-4-1 in their last 10 games. Dan Vladar made 30 saves.

 

Nick Cousins and Sam Reinhart scored for the Panthers, who dropped to 3-4-3 in their last 10. Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 17 of 23 shots.

 

Tkachuk spent his first six NHL seasons with Calgary and was traded to Florida this summer. The 24-year-old was a restricted free agent and told the Flames he would not sign long-term with the team. Calgary got Huberdeau, defenseman MacKenzie Weegar, prospect Cole Schwindt and a conditional draft pick from Florida.

 

Tkachuk was booed Tuesday whenever he touched the puck, but also received a partial standing ovation during a video tribute to him early in the first period.

 

“Just passionate fans here,” Tkachuk said. “It’s obviously nice to see that video.

 

“A couple seconds of showing what my time was like here on and off the ice, it was nice to see.”

 

During the third period, Flames fans chanted “Hubie’s better!”

 

“I didn’t hear that. That’s kind of funny, obviously,” Huberdeau said.

 

He was chosen the first star of the game.

 

“He’s a hell of a player,” Andersson said. “At the end of the day, it’s a hockey trade and it’s a trade that works out for both teams. We get Weegsy and Hubie who are (terrific) players and Florida gets a really good player as well.”

 

Huberdeau scored in the shootout when the Flames edged his former team 5-4 on Nov. 19 in Florida.

 

“I’m glad it’s over the year and now we can just focus on the season,” he said.

 

After scoring three unanswered goals in the opening period, the Flames led 4-2 heading into the third.

 

Mangiapane and Dube combined on a second goal on an odd-man rush with Mangiapane finishing it at 18:54.

 

Bobrovsky stopped Huberdeau on a breakaway with just under five minutes to play, but Huberdeau collected the loose puck and fed Toffoli for a one-timer from the hash marks at 15:22.

 

Both goalies gave up soft goals in the second period. Reinhart’s low shot off the rush from the top of the faceoff circle beat Vladar’s outstretched glove at 16:55.

 

Ritchie’s sharp-angled shot on a rebound tied up an out-of-position Bobrovsky at 15:29.

 

Trailing 3-0, the Panthers struck early in the second when Cousins redirected Gustav Forsling’s pass at 9:54.

 

Andersson scored Calgary’s third goal at 13:03 of the opening period. When Bobrovsky gave up a long rebound, the Flames defenseman got inside position on Florida’s Aleksi Heponiemi to get a shot away.

 

Huberdeau got on his stick on a rebound during a goal-mouth scramble. The puck deflected off legs and sticks and found its way into the net for a power-play goal at 9:21.

 

Dube’s backhand redirect beat Bobrovsky on a 2-on-1 with Mangiapane for a short-handed goal at 3:05.

 

MISSING YOU

 

The Panthers were without captain Aleksander Barkov for a third straight game because of a non-COVID-19 illness. Barkov has five goals and 13 assists in 19 games this season.

“Feeling better today, which is the first kind of positive news,” coach Paul Maurice said before the game. “We hope he’s on the mend here. Don’t have a timeline for it, but we are more confident and feeling better about where he’s at than we were yesterday.”

[thegx.ca]

Keeping Florida to 2 goals is a good sign...

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 23

 

Flames 1 Habs 2

 

Cole Caufield breaks tie in 3rd, Canadiens beat Flames 2-1

 

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ByAP

Updated: 2 hours ago

CALGARY, Alberta -- — Cole Caufield broke a third-period tie on a power play, Sean Monahan had two assists against his old team and the Montreal Canadiens beat the Calgary Flames 2-1 on Thursday night.

 

“It was special,” said Monahan, who played nine seasons with Calgary before being traded last summer. “You get a lot of emotions coming up into the game.

 

“Once I stepped on the ice in warmup I was pretty nervous to be honest, I was the most nervous I’ve been for a long time. I’m just happy we came out with a win.”

 

Rookie Juraj Slafkovsky, also scored for Montreal and Jake Allen made 45 saves. The Canadiens have won seven of 11.

 

Elias Lindholm scored for Calgary and Jacob Markstrom stopped 19 shots. The Flames are 1-3-1 in their last five.

 

“I thought the guys did a great job and once again, I’ve got to be better,” Markstrom said, “Can’t start behind every game.”

 

Canadiens got a power play six minutes into the period when Andrew Mangiapane was sent off for roughing. He grabbed Josh Anderson from behind after the Montreal forward gave a fake cross-check to Markstrom while the two exchanged words after a whistle.

 

Montreal needed just 31 seconds to convert, with Caufield leaning into a one-timer after being set up on a cross-ice pass by Nick Suzuki.

 

Monahan was recognized with a video tribute during a first-period TV timeout and waved to the crowd as he was given a standing ovation.

 

“I just want to say thank you,” Monahan said. “I came in here as an 18-year-old kid and grew up here. They always had my back. We had ups and downs while I was here and they always supported me. That was a special tribute and one I’m definitely going to watch a few times.”

[thegx.ca]

We gotta score more goals...

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 24

 

Flames 5 Caps 2

 

Andrew Mangiapane scores twice, Flames beat Capitals 5-2

 

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ByAP

Updated: 2 hours ago

CALGARY, Alberta -- — Andrew Mangiapane scored twice, Adam Ruzicka had a goal and two assists and the Calgary Flames beat the Washington Capitals 5-2 on Saturday night.

 

“Sometimes, pucks just don’t go in for whatever reason. Maybe you run into a hot goalie or something like that,” Mangiapane said. “Like tonight, when you get your opportunities, you really got to bear down and finish them.”

 

Blake Coleman and Elias Lindholm — into an empty net — also scored for Calgary and Mikael Backlund had assists. Dan Vladar stopped 27 shots.

 

Conor Sheary and John Carlson scored for Washington. Charlie Lindgren allowed two goals on nine shots after taking over for injured starter Darcy Kuemper with 3:51 left in the second period. Kuemper stopped 24 of 26 shots.

 

“I thought the first period was OK. The second period we didn’t generate anything. I thought at times we shot ourselves in the foot a little bit turning the puck over,” Washington coach Peter Laviolette said. “When we did get it down into the offensive zone, too many one-versus-two, one-versus-three. Not enough two-versus-one, three-versus-one in the battles.”

 

Washington left-winger Alex Ovechkin played in his 1,300th NHL game. He’s the 14th player to reach that number with one team. He’s a game away from tying Sergei Gonchar for the second-most games in the NHL by a Russian. Alex Kovalev is the leader with 1,316.

 

With the Flames nursing a 2-1 lead late in the third, Ruzicka and Mangiapane put the game out of reach with goals in a 55-second span.

 

Ruzicka got behind the defense, corralled Backlund’s high pass with his glove as he crossed over the blue line, then snapped a shot over Lindgren’s glove on a breakaway. Mangiapane’s second of the night came with a one-timer off a drop pass from Dillon Dube.

 

Already missing six players due to injury, Washington lost two more in the second period. Halfway through, defenseman Martin Fehervary was shaken up when he was hit along the corner boards by Milan Lucic. Shortly after, Kuemper pulled himself from the game after a skirmish with Tyler Toffoli.

 

[thegx.ca]

That's the way ya Sutter Boys

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 25

 

Flames 3 Ari 2

 

Kadri's winner halts Coyotes' comeback, Flames win 3-2

 

 

0:34

 

Nazem Kadri scores on the power play for Flames

Nazem Kadri scores on the power play for Flames

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ByAP

Updated: 3 hours ago

CALGARY, Alberta -- — Nazem Kadri scored the tiebreaking goal with 4:18 left in the third period and had two assists to lead the Calgary Flames to a 3-2 victory over the Arizona Coyotes on Monday night.

 

Dillon Dube and Elias Lindholm also scored for Calgary, which has won five of its last six games at home. Jonathan Huberdeau added two assists. Dan Vladar, starting for the fifth time in the last seven games, made 18 saves.

 

“It’s huge,” Lindholm said. “To take the next step and climb into a playoff spot, we’ve got to put a couple (wins) together, we can’t just be around .500 all the time and lose one, win one, lose one, and go that way.”

 

Calgary led 2-0 in the first period before Arizona tied it early in the third. Kadri regained the lead for the Flames on a power play as he got his team-leading ninth of the season off a pass from Tyler Toffoli to end an eight-game goal-scoring drought.

 

“I’ve had a lot of great opportunities over the last handful of games so it’s nice to finally see it hit the back of the net,” Kadri said.

 

The 32-year-old center had a strong start to the campaign, recording eight goals and 13 points through the first 16 games after signing with Calgary following a Stanley Cup championship run with the Colorado Avalanche.

 

“There was a little frustration starting to seep in,” Kadri said. “It’s funny how this game works, sometimes you feel like you’re playing great, but no results to show for it and sometimes it can be flipped.”

 

Shayne Gostisbehere and Jakob Chychrun each had a goal and an assist for Arizona, which has lost nine of its last 10 (1-6-3). Karel Vejmelka had 24 saves.

 

Down 2-1 to start the third period, Arizona tied it at 5:50 when Chychrun snapped a shot over Vladar’s shoulder. It was Chychrun’s third goal in seven games since the defenseman returned from a wrist injury that sidelined him the first six weeks of the season.

 

However, nine minutes later, Chychrun took a tripping penalty that put Calgary on the power play for the go-ahead goal.

 

“We battled back and got ourselves to tie the game up. That penalty’s just … I don’t know. I have no intention of tripping that guy obviously,” Chychrun said. “I’m playing a 1-on-1 and breaking the play up and try to go up the ice and beat him up the ice and he just falls. I think it’s just terrible but it’s unfortunate. It cost us a point at least.”

 

The Flames finished the night a perfect 2 for 3 on the power play, after having been in a 2-for-21 slump over the previous seven games. Arizona went 0 for 2 on the man advantage.

 

Dube opened the scoring as he deflected Chris Tanev's point shot with 5:47 left in the first for his fifth goal of the season and fourth in his last eight games.

 

Lindholm converted on Calgary's first power play of the game, scoring his ninth of the season with 2:59 left in the first to make it 2-0.

 

Gostisbehere pulled the Coyotes within one with 6:07 left in the second for his fifth.

 

HOMECOMING WEEK

 

Coyotes defenseman Juuso Valimaki, selected 16th overall in the 2017 draft, is the fourth Flames first-round pick to play against Calgary during its homestand. He follows Matthew Tkachuk (2016) and Sam Bennett (2014) with Florida on Tuesday and Sean Monahan (2013) with the Canadiens on Thursday.

 

ROOKIE RISING

 

Matias Maccelli’s assist extends the 22-year-old’s point streak to four games (one goal, five assists). It’s also his 15th helper on the season, which leads all rookies. Maccelli is second in rookie scoring behind Seattle’s Matty Beniers.

 

[thegx.ca]

Time for Calgary to put a winning streak together

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 26

 

Flames 5 Wild 3

 

Andersson's 3rd-period goal helps Flames beat Wild 5-3

 

 

0:54

 

Rasmus Andersson nets goal vs. Wild

Rasmus Andersson nets goal vs. Wild

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ByAP

Updated: 3 hours ago

CALGARY, Alberta -- — Rasmus Andersson scored a tiebreaker at 15:57 of the third period and had two assists as the Calgary Flames rallied to beat the Minnesota Wild 5-3 on Wednesday night.

 

“Obviously not the start we wanted,” Andersson said. “First 10 minutes weren’t good enough, but we got a little bit of momentum toward the end of the first that we carried with us to start the second.”

 

Tyler Toffoli scored twice, including an empty-netter, and Nazem Kadri and Blake Coleman added goals for Calgary. Elias Lindholm had three assists for the Flames, who won their third straight. Calgary earned eight points during a five-game homestand and now heads out on a three-game trip.

 

“Getting frustrated is natural, but you’ve just got to go out there and do something about it,” Kadri said of the team's bad start. “I’m proud of the way we bounced back, especially the start of that second period. That was exactly what we want to see.”

 

Making his sixth start in the last eight games, Dan Vladar gave up two goals on his first three shots. He settled in and finished with 25 saves and earned his fourth straight victory, improving to 5-4-1 this season for Calgary.

 

Kirill Kaprizov extended his goal streak to an NHL-leading seven games for the Wild. Mason Shaw and Jon Merrill also scored for Minnesota, which had its four-game winning streak halted. Marc-Andre Fleury had 22 saves as his record fell to 9-6-1.

 

“I think we’ve got to find a way when we’re ahead to stay calm but still play with the pace (and) still be aggressive out there,” Fleury said. “Got to make a few saves, too, and help the guys out.”

The Wild were trailing 3-2 when they tied it at 15:45 as Merrill’s point shot deflected in off the stick of Flames defenseman Chris Tanev.

 

But 12 seconds later, a Wild turnover behind their net ended up on the stick of Andersson, who cut across the crease and used his backhand to put the puck just inside the post.

 

Kaprizov came into the game with 19 points in his last 12 games. He extended his point streak to 13 games when he tipped in a point shot by Matt Dumba 1:27 into the game. Both of Kaprizov’s streaks are franchise records.

 

“It’s a credit to my teammates that I play with. If it wasn’t for them, none of this would be possible, so thank you to them,” Kaprizov said. “Ultimately at the end of the day we want to win as a team. This is a team game and the win is more important than a personal record.”

 

Less than a minute later, the Wild broke out on a 3-on-1 with Shaw scoring off a pass from Connor Dewar.

 

But the Flames overcame the Wild’s fast start in the first period with a better start to the second.

 

“It’s likely the best start that we’ve had,” Wild coach Dean Evason said. “They weren’t in the hockey game. We were engaged, we were rolling our lines.”

 

On a power play that carried over from the first period, Kadri got Calgary on the scoreboard just 16 seconds in, redirecting Lindholm’s pass past Fleury.

 

 

Coleman tied it after a goalmouth scramble at 1:37.

 

The Flames moved in front at 3:11 with another power-play goal and another deflection. Toffoli got a piece of Andersson’s slap shot from the blue line.

 

POWER SURGE

 

After a seven-game stretch in which the Flames’ power play was 2 for 21, they’ve scored two goals in each of the last two games, going a combined 4 for 9 during that span.

 

[thegx.ca]

Attaboy ya Sutter Boys keep rolling on strong

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 27

 

Flames 1 CBJ 3

 

Laine scores on first shot, Blue Jackets beat Flames 3-1

 

 

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- — Patrik Laine scored on Columbus’ first shot and the Blue Jackets broke a three-game losing streak, beating the Calgary Flames 3-1 on Friday night.

 

Eric Robinson and Sean Kuraly also scored to help Columbus end a six-game home losing streak. Joonas Korpisalo stopped 12 shots in the first period before suffering a lower-body injury. He was replaced in the second by Elvis Merzlikins, who stopped 21 shots.

 

“We had a good start and that helped,” Blue Jackets coach Brad Larsen said. “You get a goal early on, you get one there and take a breath. We had good energy. This was a heck of a game by a lot of guys — a really good effort all the way through.”

 

Michael Stone scored for Calgary and Jacob Markstrom stopped 23 shots in his first start after sitting out three games. The Flames had won three in a row.

 

Laine opened the scoring at 1:02 of the first period and Robinson made it 2-0 on a breakaway at 2:52 of the second.

 

“I could have had four or five tonight," Laine said. "We were pretty happy with the way the offense was going. All four lines played good offense and defense.”

 

Playing with an extra skater, Stone cut the lead in half with 2:34 left in the third with a shot from the blue line. Kuraly sealed it, scoring an empty-netter with 24 seconds left.

 

“I think our defense struggled mightily with the puck and in coverage for the whole game,” Calgary coach Darryl Sutter said. “Some guys came for a visit, not to try and win the hockey game. Very disappointed.”

 

ON A STREAK

 

Laine’s goal extended his point streak to three games. With his assist on Kuraly’s goal, Boone Jenner has collected points in five of his last six games. Jack Roslovic’s assist on Laine’s goal was his fourth in five games.

 

FAMILIAR FACES

 

Blue Jackets forward Johnny Gaudreau played his first game as an opponent of the Calgary Flames. Gaudreau spent nine years with Calgary, skating in 602 games with 609 points (210-399). Defenseman Erik Gudbranson also came over from the Flames in the off-season, having skated in 78 games with 17 points including six goals and eleven assists, all of which were career bests.

 

NO POWER

 

Columbus and Calgary combined for 13 penalties, six for Columbus and seven for Calgary, but were both fruitless on the power play.

 

RECALL

 

The Flames recalled forwards Matthew Phillips and Radim Zohorna from the AHL and assigned Kevin Rooney.

Edited December 10, 2022 by Brewin Flames

[thegx.ca]

The worst I've seen Calgary play all season so far

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 28

 

Flames 3 Leafs 4 OT

 

Mitch Marner scores in OT as Maple Leafs edge Flames 5-4

 

 

1:10

 

Mitchell Marner scores on the rebound to win it for Leafs in OT

The Maple Leafs defeat the Flames in overtime thanks to Mitchell Marner's goal.

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ByAP

Updated: 5 hours ago

 

TORONTO -- — Mitch Marner scored 43 seconds into overtime to lift the Toronto Maple Leafs to a 5-4 victory over the Calgary Flames on Saturday night.

 

The winner came on the power play after Calgary’s Jonathan Huberdeau took a high-sticking penalty on the opening faceoff of the extra period.

 

Marner also picked up an assist in the first period to extend his franchise-record point streak to 22 games. He has 11 goals and 19 assists within that stretch.

 

The Maple Leafs (18-5-6) improved to 11-0-3 in their last 14 contests, while the Flames (13-11-4) lost their second in a row.

 

William Nylander had two goals and three assists for Toronto, and Auston Matthews had a goal and two assists. Michael Bunting also scored in front of a crowd of 18,857 at Scotiabank Arena.

 

Only 29 games into the season, the 26-year-old Nylander has scored 17 times, halfway to his career-high 34 goals from just a season ago.

 

“Obviously, tonight he carries our team and is basically the reason we get two points,” said Maple Leafs goaltender Matt Murray, who made 22 saves.

 

“He’s just a stud. He’s incredibly gifted. He works hard. I’ve said this a bunch of times, but he just seems to win a ton of 50/50 battles. That goes to his strength and his dedication to win those battles.”

 

Nylander pinned his solid play on his skating.

 

“That’s the most important thing for me and helping me create space and get chances out there,” he said.

 

Noah Hanifin scored twice for Calgary, and Andrew Mangiapane had two assists.

 

Murray made a shoulder save on a Blake Coleman short-handed breakaway for one of his stops. Toronto went the other way for the game’s opening goal from Matthews on an early power play for his sixth in seven games.

 

However, a Matthews turnover inside the Flames’ blue line led to a tying goal from Hanifin 9:13 into the first.

 

It was the first goal allowed by the Maple Leafs in 129:13 after Murray and backup Ilya Samsonov posted back-to-back shutouts this week.

 

Marner failed to close in time on a trailing Nazem Kadri, and the former Maple Leafs center put Calgary in front 2-1 at 12:52 of the first.

 

Toronto drew even with another power-play goal. This time, a Nylander wrist shot beat Dan Vladar, who finished with 29 saves. Marner made a short pass to Rasmus Sandin, who found his fellow Swede for his second assist in the first period.

 

″(Nylander) still has a long way to go in terms of fulfilling his potential,” Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said. “I think he can and will be in that top tier of players.”

 

The Flames grabbed the lead for the second time 11:11 into the second. Mikael Backlund hit the post, but fourth-liner Trevor Lewis knocked in the rebound.

 

Calgary was the better team in the second, but Matthews bailed out his team late in the middle frame. He forced a turnover behind the Flames goal, and the puck squirted out to a wide-open Nylander for his 17th goal of the season.

 

A harmless shot from Hanifin was bobbled by Murray and snuck through his pads for a power-play goal and a 4-3 Calgary lead at 3:31 of the third period.

 

But Bunting knocked in a rebound off the end boards to tie the game for a fourth time less than three minutes later.

 

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 29

 

Flames 1 Habs 2

 

Suzuki, Dach star as Canadiens rally past Flames 2-1

 

Kirby Dach and Jake Allen come through in a shootout to lift the Canadiens past the Flames.

---

ByAP

Updated: 5 hours ago

 

MONTREAL -- — It’s rare that goalies are the stars in an NHL shootout, but Calgary’s Jacob Markstrom and Montreal’s Jake Allen stole the show on Monday.

 

Flames forward Tyler Toffoli took a double-minor penalty at the start of overtime, but Markstrom denied the Canadiens for four minutes to force a shootout. Allen got the last laugh on the other side of the ice, however, denying Rasmus Andersson and Nazem Kadri in the shootout to seal the Canadiens’ 2-1 win.

 

“We had some good looks, Markstrom made some great saves. You gotta give credit to the PK sometimes,” said Allen. “I think our guys moved the puck really well and had good opportunities and sometimes it just doesn’t go in.

 

“That’s hockey and we got it done in shootouts so it’s not a big deal.”

 

Nick Suzuki and Kirby Dach scored in the shootout as the Canadiens snapped a three-game home losing skid.

 

“(Allen) was great, he came up huge on penalty kills,” Suzuki said. “Big saves in big moments there in the third and he gave us the chance to get the two points.”

 

Josh Anderson tied the game for Montreal (14-12-2) in the third period, forcing overtime. Allen made 34 saves over three periods and the extra frame.

 

“I think that it was a good team win,” said Habs coach Martin St. Louis. “We weren’t perfect but I think that it was one of our best games from start to finish in the details.”

 

Jonathan Huberdeau scored in the second period for Calgary (13-11-5). Toffoli picked up one assist in his first game back in Montreal since getting traded to Calgary last season.

 

Jacob Markstrom made 37 saves as the Flames stayed winless in their three-game road trip.

 

“A loss is a loss. Gotta be better than the other goalie and gotta let in fewer goals than the other goalie,” said Markstrom. “You know, that’s my job, and that’s what it’s about.”

 

After a scoreless opening period, Huberdeau jumped on a loose puck 5:04 into the second to break the ice for the Flames.

 

In a scary moment, Flames defenseman Chris Tanev took a Suzuki slap shot to the head while attempting to block a scoring chance during a Montreal power play. He skated off the ice, with help from his teammates, but did not return.

 

“It’s tough, I mean, he doesn’t stay down very often so when he stays down you’re worried,” Markstrom added. “I haven’t talked to him after, but hopefully he’s OK.”

 

The Flames announced following the game that Tanev was sent to the hospital and his tests were negative, allowing him to travel back to Calgary where he will be reevaluated.

 

Suzuki took down Kadri with a check to the head five minutes later, which also sent the Calgary center to the dressing room. Kadri returned in the third period.

 

Canadiens winger Cole Caufield was taken to the dressing room in the second following a check from Trevor Lewis. Caufield did not return to the game and was listed with an upper-body injury.

 

The Habs levelled the score at 1:40 of the third period when Juraj Slafkovsky found Anderson in front of the net who tapped in his eighth goal of the campaign.

 

[thegx.ca]

Man...wonder how long Sutter gonna keep Lucic out...been 2 games now...

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 30

 

Flames 3 Van 4 SO

 

Kuzmenko scores in SO to give Canucks 4-3 win over Flames

 

---

ByAP

Updated: 2 hours ago

 

CALGARY, Alberta -- — Andrei Kuzmenko scored the only goal of the shootout and the Vancouver Canucks beat the Calgary Flames 4-3 Wednesday night for their sixth straight road win.

 

Bo Horvat, Conor Garland and Sheldon Dries scored in regulation for the Canucks who gave up an early two-goal lead and had to come back to tie the score. Nils Hoglander had two assists and Spencer Martin stopped 35 shots to improve to 9-3-1.

 

“I was proud of the way we played tonight,” Horvat said. “It's a tough building to come into, they got a good team over there. Obviously, I'd like to not give up a two-goal lead but at the same time we didn't panic. In previous games or early in the year, we might have a little panic in our game, Dries scored a big goal and I thought we did a good job after that, kind of limiting their Grade-As. Overall, it was a great game and Marty was fantastic.”

 

Mikael Backlund, Andrew Mangiapane and Trevor Lewis scored for Calgary, which lost its fourth straight overall — third straight beyond regulation — and fell to 6-1-1 in its last eight at home. Dillon Dube had two assists and Jacob Markstrom finished with 24 saves.

 

“Big point for us,” Flames coach Darryl Sutter said. “A little bad luck early. I thought we had a really good start and they scored a deflection goal and a lost-coverage goal quick. I thought we were pretty resilient and battled back.”

 

Kuzmenko scored on the Canucks' first attempt of the tiebreaker, firing a shot over Markstrom's glove. Dube and Backlund both missed on Flames' final two attempts to give Vancouver the win.

 

“Just trying to time it depth-wise and meet them at their decision point and let them make a move and hold my edges,” Martin said of Calgary's three tries in the shootout.

 

In overtime, Markstrom denied Ilya Mikheyev on a breakaway with a minute remaining to keep it tied.

 

Horvat and Garland scored 34 seconds apart to give Vancouver a 2-0 lead less than 2 minutes into the game. Horvat deflected a Oliver Ekman-Larsson's shot from the left point past Markstrom at 1:14 for his 21st to get the Canucks on the board. Garland got the puck near the left corner and beat Markstrom from the left circle for his fifth at 1:48.

 

With the Flames on the power play, Backlund redirected a feed from Dube at 9:40 for his sixth to make it 2-1.

 

Mangiapane tied it with 3:51 remaining in the first as he quickly scored from the left circle off a pass from Nazem Kadri from behind the goal. It was Mangiapane's seventh.

 

“Obviously not ideal to be down 2-0 right away,” Markstrom said. “Leaving the first period tied hockey game was a great effort by us and unfortunately we can't get the win."

 

Lewis put the Flames ahead 3-2 at 3:51 of the second as he banked his own rebound from a sharp angle off Martin's glove and in for his sixth.

 

Dries tied it from the left circle on a Canucks rush off a pass from Hoglander to tie it at 5:31 of the middle period with his third.

 

PENALTY PARADE

 

After a road trip in which Calgary was short-handed 20 times in three games, the parade to the penalty box continued in the first period. The Canucks went on the power play twice. The Flames have been short-handed 115 times, tied for second-most behind Edmonton (116). St. Louis has been short-handed the fewest times at 65.