IN A TOUGH SPOT

For the first time this post-season, the Flames are facing elimination.
Calgary lost its second game in a row, this one by a 2-1 final Tuesday, and now trail the Dallas Stars 3-2 in their best-of-seven Stanley Cup Playoffs opening-round series.
Mikael Backlund had the lone tally for the Flames, while Cam Talbot turned aside 30 shots.

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Matthew Tkachuk sat out his third straight tilt, listed as unable to play.
The Flames, of course, were coming off a tough 5-4 overtime defeat in Game 4 on Sunday afternoon.
The Flames powerplay got an early crack at the Stars, when big Jamie Oleksiak was tagged for a blatant hold on Johnny Gaudreau, wrapping the Flames star in a hug and spinning him down.
However, Calgary wasn't able to manage a shot on the advantage.
The speedy Denis Gurianov - who scored in Game 4 - later broke down the wing and managed to stay ahead of a diving Erik Gustafsson, cutting towards the net but losing the handle on the puck.
As he circled back out front, Rasmus Andersson was called for hooking. That advantage lasted just 41 seconds before Alexander Radulov was sent off for interference on Mikael Backlund as Dallas tried to gain the Calgary zone.
The Andersson penalty had just expired - to the second - when Stars captain Jamie Benn opened the scoring, converting a pass from Tyler Seguin on the rush - and then barrelling into the net with Dillon Dube backchecking hard on him.
It was the 10th shot of the game for the Stars, who scored first for the second straight outing. The Flames, at that point, had managed two shots on Anton Khudobin, who started again for big Ben Bishop, who was listed as unable to play.
Mark Giordano came close to tying it up with a laser on a PP after the Stars were busted for Too Many Men, but wired it off the post.
Backlund showed some poise and patience to even things up with less than a minute left in the frame, pausing with the puck as he skated into the high slot - letting Esa Lindell swing past him attempting to block his shot - before snapping it through traffic glove-side past a screened Khudobin, who had both Tobias Rieder and Andrew Mangiapane parked on his doorstep.

The second period featured some great chances but no one hit paydirt.
The Flames had a two solid opportunities late, Dube dropping a pass behind the net for team goals leader Sam Bennett, the bearded one walking out front and trying a wrap-around looking for his sixth goal of the post-season, but Khudobin got his right pad on it.
As time ticked down, Monahan and Rieder broke in on 2-on-1, the Flames centre's cross-ice pass just out of reach of the speedy winger.
John Klingberg - who was originally credited with the OT winner in Game 4 - scored 12 seconds into the third stanza, his wrister from the point beating Talbot high glove-side.
It was his first goal of the post-season, with that extra-time marker from Sunday changed to Radulov.
Andersson came close to knotting it up with the Flames second post of the game after flying into the zone, firing it across his body and up-and-over Khudobin's far shoulder around six minutes in.
Coach Geoff Ward called a timeout at 1:53 and pulled Talbot out. The Flames poured it on, Khudobin twice mananging to get the puck and freeze it to end threats.
Mangiapane was high sticked with 21.7 second left for a 6-on-4 advantage but they were unable to find that equalizer.

THEY SAID IT:

Ward on difference in game:
"The start. It's really the first time I saw our team nervous. It's understandable. It's the first time we've been in a 2-2 situation going into Game 5 and knowing the winner has the upper hand. I thought our guys were a little nervous in the first. It's really the first time I've seen our team with a case of the nerves. But I thought we did a good job re-grouping and got stronger as the game went along, and I thought our third period was our best one. So, we've got something to build on going into Game 6."

Mangiapane on going forward:
"I think we just have to focus on ourselves and get back to our type of game. We know our backs are up against the wall right now, so we've got to go out, play one good game, and go from there. I still know we've got more to show here. so, if we go out and play our game, we'll be ok."
Milan Lucic on key for Game 6:
"Just making sure that we're ready to play at puck drop come Thursday. We can't change anything up until this point, other than what we can control with what's ahead of us. All our focus, all our energy has to go into what we need to do to give ourselves a chance to win on Thursday night. We can't overthink the result, either. If we're sitting in our hotel rooms or change room before we go out there thinking, 'We've got to win, we've got to win, we've got to win,' that's when you don't leave it out there. It's about the process and thinking about doing the things you need to do to get the win, and that's when you come out on top."

Backlund on rallying now:
"It's a really close series, an even series. I believe in this group. The guys feel it's time now - especially the core guys that have been here a lot of years - to have some success in the playoffs. I feel it's a different mindset than in the past."

HONOURING HAWERCHUK:

There was a moment of silence prior to the game for former Winnipeg Jets star and Hall-of-Famer Dale Hawerchuk, whose family announced he passed away after a battle with cancer at age 57. Hawerchuk also served as the bench boss of the Barrie Colts, where he coached Andrew Mangiapaneand Rasmus Andersson.
"First of all, he was a fantastic human being.," said Andersson. "Such a great person. My first week in Barrie, he invited us over to his house and welcomed me to Canada. I can't say enough good things about him as a person. Obviously a good coach too. I feel for his family. ... It's awful news."
Said Mangiapane: "Dale's a great man. I don't know where I'd be without him. Very sad news today. I owe all my career to him and the entire Barrie organization."

THE LINEUP:

No surprise this trio of forwards got the nod ...

The starting lines and d-pairings in Game 5 tilt:
FORWARDS:
Johnny Gaudreau - Sean Monahan - Elias Lindholm
Andrew Mangiapane - Mikael Backlund - Tobias Rieder
Milan Lucic - Sam Bennett - Dillon Dube
Zac Rinaldo - Derek Ryan - Alan Quine
DEFENCE:
Mark Giordano - TJ Brodie
Noah Hanifin - Rasmus Andersson
Derek Forbort - Erik Gustafsson
GOALTENDER:
Cam Talbot

UP NEXT:

The two teams hit the ice again Thursday for Game 6, time TBD.