Giddy Up!

Dominating win over a top-tier opponent - it sure was a heckuva performance by the Flames.

Calgary improved to 4-1-1 in their last six outings as they downed the visiting Canucks 5-2 Thursday night at the Scotiabank Saddledome.

Vancouver, of course, came into the game sitting atop the Western Conference, riding a 8-1-1 heater in their last 10 outings as they've started the season on a tear.

MacKenzie Weegar, Dillon Dube, Noah Hanifin, Jonathan Huberdeau and Elias Lindholm tallied for Calgary, each notching their third goals of the season in a nifty coincidence.

Lindholm finished with three points, while Huberdeau had two. Blake Coleman also recorded two points with a pair of assists.

Dube's goal was a big one for a pair of Flames fans - more on that below.

Jacob Markstrom had 21 saves in the victory, while Casey DeSmith made 33.

It was an important victory against a hated and heated rival that was notably punctuated by Lindholm and Huberdeau's big nights, the latter's goal receiving a thunderous and animated applause from the C of Red for his sick highight-reel tally - and his perseverance.

Not to be lost on the night was Markstrom's stellar play - his ongoing calling card this season. He was again in top form.

The Flames controlled the game from tip to tail, outshooting the visitors 17-5 in the second period and scoring twice to break open a 1-1 tie.

The homeside got the first powerplay of the game at the 7:05 mark when early Norris Trophy favourite Quinn Hughes tripped Nazem Kadri behind the Canucks cage.

It was shortlived, though, as just 41 ticks later Adam Ruzicka was sent off for tripping Elias Pettersson, leading to 1:19 of 4-on-4 action before a brief Vancouver PP in which the visitors made good, with Pettersson stepping into a cross-ice one-timer from the right faceoff dot with nine seconds left on their man-up at 9:38.

Weegar tied it up at 17:55 off a great rush, Lindholm gaining the zone and passing to A.J. Greer, who made a drop pass to the streaking blueliner and he wired a wrister shortside.

The middle stanza was all Calgary, as mentioned above.

The Flames got a great crack around the nine-minute mark of the second period, when Greer pulled up just inside the blueline and tried a cross-ice pass to Yegor Sharangovich that ended up on the stick of Ruzicka, who wired it past DeSmith but off the post.

Not long after, they made good.

Dube was hit from behind into the boards by Noah Juulsen just inside the Canucks blueline on a rush, getting up and grabbing the puck to start the play and then driving to the net where he banged home a puck that had squeezed through the wickets of DeSmith off a Rasmus Andersson shot.

The marker was a ‘timely’ one, as it won a lucky couple in attendance a trip to Las Vegas coming during Cowboys Casino Minute-To-Win-It in-game promotion.

Hanifin made it 3-1 with 35.1 ticks left after a long Flames’ possession while skating 4-on-4, Blake Coleman coming off the bench on a change and finding the defenceman with a pass to the far side of the ice and he did the rest, driving wide to the net and flipping a puck on DeSmith from a tight angle that somehow bounced in far side.  

The Flames outshot the Canucks by a whooping 17-5 margin in the second period.

Huberdeau scored a gem to increase the gap in the third, taking a pass from Mikael Backlund and promptly roofing one shortside from the doorstep with a deft touch over the shoulder of DeSmith at 5:53.

Nils Hoglander scored at 10:06 with a point-shoot tip in traffic to round out the scoring, before Lindholm potted an empty-netter to seal the deal.

The Lineup:

Trios and d-pairs to start the game:

FORWARDS

Adam Ruzicka - Elias Lindholm - Andrew Mangiapane

Connor Zary - Nazem Kadri - Martin Pospisil

Jonathan Huberdeau - Mikael Backlund - Blake Coleman

A.J. Greer - Yegor Sharangovich - Dillon Dube

DEFENCE

MacKenzie Weegar - Rasmus Andersson

Noah Hanifin - Chris Tanev

Nikita Zadorov - Nick DeSimone

GOALIES

Jacob Markstrom - starter

Dan Vladar

They Said It:

The Numbers Game:

Shots: CGY 39, VAN 23

Powerplay: CGY 0-2, VAN 1-3

Faceoffs: CGY 51.6%, VAN 48.4%

Blocked Shots: CGY 15, VAN 22

Hits: CGY 16, VAN 14

5-on-5 Scoring Chances: CGY 30, VAN 20

5-on-5 High-Danger Scoring Chances: CGY 10, VAN 5

Up Next:

The Flames welcome the New York Islanders to town for a 5 p.m. Hockey Night in Canada tilt on Saturday (click here for tickets).