Canucks hold off Flames, 4-3

Field Level Media|published: Sun 3rd December, 01:09 2023

Dec 2, 2023; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Calgary Flames goaltender Jacob Markstrom (25) guards his net against Vancouver Canucks center Elias Pettersson (40) during the first period at Scotiabank Saddledome. credits: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports

Ilya Mikheyev and Sam Lafferty each collected one goal and one assist to lead the visiting Vancouver Canucks to a 4-3 victory over the Calgary Flames on Saturday.

Quinn Hughes and Nikita Zadorov also scored and Filip Hronek collected two assists for the Canucks, while goaltender Thatcher Demko made 19 saves.

Elias Lindholm scored twice and Mikael Backlund added a single goal for the Flames, who yet again failed to earn their first three-game winning streak of the season. Goalie Jacob Markstrom stopped 18 shots.

Vancouver had a red-hot start snuffed in a 5-2 loss the last visit to Calgary, which set off a run in which it lost five of eight games, but the Canucks had no such problems this time after taking an early 2-0 lead.

Hughes opened the scoring on the game's first shot at the 2:03 mark of the clash when he pinched from his point position for a pass, worked down to the left faceoff dot and ripped a shot just inside the far post for his ninth goal of the campaign.

The Flames have surrendered the game's first goal in six consecutive games.

Lafferty doubled the lead at 8:38 of the opening frame when he pounced on a rebound to net his sixth goal of the season.

Backlund snapped Calgary's power-play drought when he tapped the puck in for his fifth marker of the season at 12:18. It ended an 0-for-17 slump on the man advantage for the Flames.

Mikheyev restored Vancouver's two-goal edge with 27.2 seconds remaining in the second period, chipping in a loose puck from the low slot for his eighth goal of the season.

To their credit, the Flames didn't go away.

Lindholm's shot from in close ricocheted off a stick and into the net to make it a one-goal game with 4:21 remaining in the third. Calgary continued to push for the late equalizer but couldn't find it before Zadorov, who was traded to the Canucks by the Flames on Thursday, netted an empty-net goal in his Vancouver debut.

Lindholm added a final-minute power-play goal, his seventh marker of the season, but it was too little, too late.

—Field Level Media