Flames remain hot, beat up on Canucks

Matt Coronato and Morgan Frost each scored once in three-point performances and the host Calgary Flames rode a four-goal second period to a 7-3 victory over the floundering Vancouver Canucks on Saturday.

Ryan Strome, Olli Maatta and Zayne Parekh all collected one goal and one assist, while Joel Farabee and Adam Klapka tallied once for the Flames (31-34-8, 70 points).

Calgary, which posted a 5-0-1 record during its now-completed homestand, has won 55 consecutive games when scoring four or more goals, the fifth-longest run in league history.

Goaltender Dustin Wolf made 31 saves and Hunter Brzustewicz had two assists.

Liam Ohgren, Jake DeBrusk and Nils Hoglander replied for the Canucks (21-43-8, 50 points), who sit at the bottom of the league standings and have lost five straight. Elias Pettersson collected two assists.

Starting goalie Nikita Tolopilo was victimized for four goals on 11 shots before being pulled. Kevin Lankinen stopped nine of 12 shots in relief.

Calgary is nearing official elimination from playoff contention but took an early lead when Coronato buried a rebound from the left circle at the 3:04 mark of the first period.

Farabee doubled the edge two minutes later when he deflected a point shot.

Ohgren provided the Canucks a boost when he buried a chance off the rush with 67 seconds remaining in the first period, but the Flames pulled away in the second period.

Strome made it a 4-2 game 92 seconds into the middle frame by deflecting Maatta's point shot. Then Maatta extended the lead at 4:36 and ended the game for Tolopilo. The Canucks netminder stopped a Strome shot, but the rebound bounced off Maatta and into the cage.

Frost buried the first shot Lankinen faced 11 seconds later, converting a backhand shot when he was sprung on a partial break.

DeBrusk netted a power-play goal past the game's midway point, but Parekh potted a man-advantage marker of his own with 37 seconds remaining in the second period to give the hosts a 6-2 edge.

Hoglander's third-period deflection tally with 12:40 provided a glimmer of hope for Vancouver, but Klapka rounded out the scoring with 8 seconds remaining and while on the power play.

--Field Level Media