One That Got Away

DENVER - Oh. So. Close.

It was a wild one in the Mile High City Monday night.

The Flames led 5-3 after the second period thanks to four goals in the middle stanza, but Nathan MacKinnon would score on a breakaway with 4:30 left to play, part of a three-goal third period run by the homeside to rally for the victory.

Nazem Kadri - who had a huge night - Andrew Mangiapane, Blake Coleman, Connor Zary and Yegor Sharangovich scored for Calgary, while Kadri, Coleman and Dennis Gilbert all had two-point nights.

Dan Vladar – who was supposed to start Saturday against the New Jersey Devils but backed-up Dustin Wolf instead as he got over a flu bug – made 31 saves.

It was the first of three games in four nights for the Flames.

The Flames found themselves shorthanded a scant 15 seconds into the game but killed off the adavantage. Ross Colton took Chris Tanev hard into the boards head first with a dangerous hit in the Flames zone and Noah Hanifin took exception, wrestling Colton down and getting a two-minute minor for roughing in the process.

Tanev left the ice and didn't return to the game.

Kadri had some pep in his step right from the get-go, driving out from behind the net and trying to fire one past Alexandar Georgiev from a tight angle for the team's first shot.

Later in the frame, he came in hard on the forecheck and that effort led to Martin Pospisil getting the puck down low and walking out front, but he, too, was denied by Georgiev.

MacKinnon got a fortuitous bounce when he blocked a shot by Ilya Solovyov up high near the Avs blueline before the midway mark of the frame and got a breakaway, bobbling the puck a bit as he crossed into the Flames zone but Vladar stood tall to stop him.

Kadri would open the scoring at 13:46, absolutely wiring a wrister shortside for his seventh of the season after taking a fantastic pass from the red-hot Coleman, who created a turnover before dishing it.

More on Coleman’s offensive outburst this season

Tomas Tatar tied things up when he snuck into the slot alone, taking a pass from behind the net and quickly putting it farside at 18:14 for his first of the campaign not long after Colorado’s second powerplay of the period expired.

Colorado went back to the PP just 33 seconds into the second, Vladar making a huge stop on a cross-ice one-timer from Mikko Rantanen, but Calgary product Cale Makar would later step into a slapshot that beat him at 1:43.

Mangiapane tied the game again at 5:14, taking a feed from Kadri after he slipped into the slot and fired it back across his body for his sixth of the year.

The Flames got their first powerplay of the game with 11:19 left in the middle stanza after Kadri was held up as he drove down the left-wing boards, but they couldn’t make good on it.

Coleman gave Calgary the lead at 13:21 with a wrister that snuck through Georgiev over his pad.

The lead was shortlived, as Ben Meyers made it 3-3 just 1:36 later.

Zary, though, would restore the lead at 16:18 when he batted a bouncing puck out of the air on the doorstep on a rebound of a MacKenzie Weegar shot.

A big shoving match after a Georgiev save led to the goalie and Kadri getting into it, among others, and both teams getting roughing minors leading to 4-on-4 action.

Hanifin skated down from the point witht he puck and behind the net before centring it out where Sharangovich tipped it home with 28 seconds left in the frame.

Georgiev didn't return for the third, replaced by Ivan Prosvetov.

Kadri had a 2-on-1 with Mangiapane on a delayed penalty in the third period but broke his stick blade trying to pass the puck across to No. 88. 

The Avs made it a one-goal game with 8:40 to play when Colton banged in a puck that ping-ponged from the point after Josh Manson broke his stick on the follow through of his shot. 

Rantanen would then tie it up at 13:31 before MacKinnon's go-ahead goal. 

This was the second of three meetings between these Western rivals.

Calgary fell 3-1 in the first outing on Nov. 25 at Ball Arena, Mikael Backlund the lone goalscorer for the visitors.

They will finish off the regular-season series March 12 at the Scotiabank Saddledome.

The Lineup:

Trios and D-partners to start the tilt:

Forwards

Connor Zary - Elias Lindholm - Yegor Sharangovich

Andrew Mangiapane - Nazem Kadri - Martin Pospisil

Jonathan Huberdeau - Mikael Backlund - Blake Coleman

A.J. Greer - Adam Ruzicka - Dillon Dube

Defence

MacKenzie Weegar - Rasmus Andersson

Noah Hanifin - Chris Tanev

Ilya Solovyov - Dennis Gilbert

Goaltenders

Dan Vladar - starter

Dustin Wolf

They Said It:

The Numbers Game:

Shots: CGY 33, COL 37

Powerplay: CGY 0-2, COL 1-4

Faceoffs: CGY 47.1%, COL 52.9%

Blocked Shots: CGY 30, COL 15

Hits: CGY 20, COL 12

5-on-5 Scoring Chances: CGY 31, COL 26

5-on-5 High-Danger Scoring Chances: CGY 14, COL 11

Up Next:

The Flames board the plane and fly to Sin City where they will face the Golden Knights Tuesday night at 8 p.m. MT. They finish off this roadie with a stop in Minny to face Wild Thursday night at 6 p.m. MT. They return to the Scotiabank Saddledome to host the Lightning Saturday in an 8 p.m. tilt. Click here for tickets