20230223_general

Unlike the front desk of an overly garish, five-star resort, there are no 'comps' in this place.
It's 60 minutes… or bust.
The Flames - who were looking to follow up one of their most important wins of the season with their first ever in Sin City - built up leads of 2-0 and 3-1, and were full value for it. But the Golden Knights rallied with a pair in the third period before Alex Pietrangelo struck less than a minute into overtime, giving the hometown team a 4-3 victory on Thursday at T-Mobile Arena.

Video Player is loading.
Current Time 0:00
Duration 0:00
Loaded: 0%
Stream Type LIVE
Remaining Time 0:00
 
1x
    • Chapters
    • descriptions off, selected
    • captions off, selected

      Condensed Game: Flames @ Golden Knights

      Jakob Pelletier and Mikael Backlund led the way for the Flames with a goal and an assist each, while Dan Vladar - who got the start on back-to-back nights - made 25 saves.
      Jonathan Huberdeau polished off Calgary's other marker.
      The Flames got caught on a bad change in OT and Jack Eichel took full advantage, re-grouping in the neutral zone before setting up Jonathan Marchessault for a clean look off the rush. His attempt rang off the crossbar, but Pietrangelo bowled his way to the blue paint and casually deposited the loose change for the winner.
      A sharp-angle shot from Zach Whitecloud made it a one-goal game only 5:08 into the final frame, before William Carrier tied the game off a mad scramble in front with 7:24 to play.
      The Flames were out-shot 9-1 in the third, but despite that and surrendering the two Vegas markers, the Flames had a chance to win it on a late powerplay but Rasmus Andersson's point shot clanked off the crossbar to force 3-on-3.
      The powerplay - which looked dangerous all night - finished 1-for-4.
      With the OT loss, the Flames fall to 27-20-12 on the year.
      They close out this three-game road swing on Saturday against the defending Cup champion Colorado Avalanche.
      "We need these points," Huberdeau said. "We're up 3-1 in a game and in the third period, they come back. We know OT hasn't been our greatest strength this year, so we've got to find a way, somehow, and keep that lead. I feel we got the lead, 3-1, and stopped playing offence. We can't do that. We've got to keep playing and score the fourth goal so we get a bigger lead.
      "We had a lot of shots in the first, created some chances. But in the third, we had, what, one shot? That's not our team. We let these guys come at us. ... I think we've got to keep the pedal down. Obviously, you're going to be a bit tired in the third. But if you want to make the playoffs, we need these points."
      The Flames were all over the Knights early and after stringing together a series of bold, battering shifts deep in enemy territory, they earned the game's first powerplay when former Flame Byron Froese was flagged for hooking Blake Coleman.
      The visitors threw everything but the kitchen sink at Vegas netminder Laurent Brossoit, including a sizzling snapshot from Tyler Toffoli, a wrister from Elias Lindholm, and a pair of one-timers off the sticks of Andrew Mangiapane and Dillon Dube, but the former Flames draft pick stood tall in only his second NHL game in the last calendar year.
      But Brossoit, simply, could not stop them all.
      Less than 24 hours after shelling the Arizona Coyotes with a season-high 51 shots, the Flames continue to pile on the rubber - and on their 16th of a 19-shot opening stanza - they finally hit paydirt.
      With Shea Theodore off serving holding infraction, Pelletier banged home a loose puck to score his third of the season and second in as many games. Mikael Backlund picked up the primary assist, as he teed off from the right circle, allowing Pelletier to swoop in and cash in from close range.
      The goal came at 13:25, with Noah Hanifin bagging the other helper.

      Video Player is loading.
      Current Time 0:00
      Duration 0:00
      Loaded: 0%
      Stream Type LIVE
      Remaining Time 0:00
       
      1x
        • Chapters
        • descriptions off, selected
        • captions off, selected

          CGY@VGK: Pelletier gives Flames a 1-0 lead with a PPG

          The Golden Knights came into the night as the least-penalized team in the NHL but were clearly a step or two behind in the period. Marchessault took a third minor late in the frame and the Flames added a couple more shots to their total, but a successful kill seemed to breathe new life into the homeside.
          With under a minute to play, Eichel had a point-blank chance off a slick feed from Chandler Stephenson, but Vladar kicked out the left pad to keep it a 1-0 Flames lead.
          The Knights had nary a sniff in the period but were credited eight shots on goal, while the Flames turned in one their best periods of the season.
          "We had a really good start," said Head Coach Darryl Sutter. "I think fatigue caught up to us a little bit. Second goal, our goalie would like to have that back, for sure. At 3-1, you'd like to take that as far into the period as you could."
          The Flames opened up a two-goal advantage only 1:24 into the second, thanks to Calgary's very own 'French Connection' of Pelletier and Huberdeau. Pelletier - who secured his first-career multi-point game on Wednesday in Arizona - made a lovely backhand dish to spring his Quebec counterpart on a partial break from inside the hashmarks. Huberdeau made a nifty move to freeze the goaltender before tucking the biscuit short-side to record his 11th of the campaign.
          Nazem Kadri orchestrated the whole thing, catching the Knights on a poor change by gaining the zone and delivering a beautiful feed to Pelletier in full flight.

          Video Player is loading.
          Current Time 0:00
          Duration 0:00
          Loaded: 0%
          Stream Type LIVE
          Remaining Time 0:00
           
          1x
            • Chapters
            • descriptions off, selected
            • captions off, selected

              CGY@VGK: Huberdeau, Pelletier combine for goal in 2nd

              The Flames were playing a nearly 'perfect' road game, until a questionable goaltender interference penalty was levied on Walker Duehr. Eichel took advantage of the surprise powerplay and cut the deficit to one with a wicked snipe through traffic and over the right shoulder of Vladar at 14:47.
              Backlund got the goal right back less than two minutes later, setting up at the top of the crease and tipping a Coleman shot between his own legs and under the bar to restore the two-goal cushion.
              Unfortunately, it wasn't enough.

              Video Player is loading.
              Current Time 0:00
              Duration 0:00
              Loaded: 0%
              Stream Type LIVE
              Remaining Time 0:00
               
              1x
                • Chapters
                • descriptions off, selected
                • captions off, selected

                  CGY@VGK: Backlund scores in 2nd period

                  "We talked about having a good start and we did," said Backlund, who has goals in four straight and eight points in his last five games, overall. "I thought we played really well in the first ... but we sat back a little too much in the third and lost the game.
                  "We talked about it all year, you've got to play 60 minutes if you want to win a game. And we didn't do it again tonight.
                  "It's on us leaders in the group to stop that and get back to the checking part. We didn't do that tonight."

                  Video Player is loading.
                  Current Time 0:00
                  Duration 0:00
                  Loaded: 0%
                  Stream Type LIVE
                  Remaining Time 0:00
                   
                  1x
                    • Chapters
                    • descriptions off, selected
                    • captions off, selected

                      Natasha Staniszewski wraps up a 4-3 OT loss in Vegas

                      THEY SAID IT:

                      Video Player is loading.
                      Current Time 0:00
                      Duration 0:00
                      Loaded: 0%
                      Stream Type LIVE
                      Remaining Time 0:00
                       
                      1x
                        • Chapters
                        • descriptions off, selected
                        • captions off, selected

                          "I think fatigue caught up to us a little bit"

                          Video Player is loading.
                          Current Time 0:00
                          Duration 0:00
                          Loaded: 0%
                          Stream Type LIVE
                          Remaining Time 0:00
                           
                          1x
                            • Chapters
                            • descriptions off, selected
                            • captions off, selected

                              "You've got to play 60 minutes"

                              Video Player is loading.
                              Current Time 0:00
                              Duration 0:00
                              Loaded: 0%
                              Stream Type LIVE
                              Remaining Time 0:00
                               
                              1x
                                • Chapters
                                • descriptions off, selected
                                • captions off, selected

                                  "We need to catch these teams in front of us"

                                  BY THE NUMBERS:

                                  Shots: CGY 28 - VGK 29
                                  Powerplay: CGY 1-for-4 - VGK 1-for-2
                                  Hits: CGY 50 - VGK 40
                                  Faceoffs:CGY 47% - VGK 53%
                                  \Scoring chances:CGY 23 - VGK 16
                                  \
                                  High-danger scoring chances: CGY 6 - VGK 7
                                  *Courtesy of Natural Stat Trick (5-on-5)

                                  THE LINEUP:

                                  FORWARDS
                                  Dillon Dube - Elias Lindholm - Tyler Toffoli
                                  Jakob Pelletier - Nazem Kadri - Jonathan Huberdeau
                                  Andrew Mangiapane - Mikael Backlund - Blake Coleman
                                  Milan Lucic - Trevor Lewis - Walker Duehr

                                  DEFENCE
                                  Noah Hanifin - Rasmus Andersson
                                  MacKenzie Weegar - Chris Tanev
                                  Nikita Zadorov - Dennis Gilbert

                                  GOALTENDERS
                                  Dan Vladar - Starter
                                  Jacob Markstrom

                                  UP NEXT:

                                  The Flames close out this three-game road trip with a stop in Denver to face the Avalanche on Saturday at 8 p.m. MT.