Kad-illac Ranch

Patience paid off.

The Flames led twice in regulation time before Nazem Kadri played overtime hero, helping the home side to a 4-3 victory over the Kraken Monday at the Scotiabank Saddledome.

Brayden Pachal, Blake Coleman and Sam Honzek also lit the lamp for Calgary, who improved to 5-0-1 in the preseason with the win.

The visitors struck first, going ahead 3:18 into proceedings on an Eeli Tolvanen shot from the right side.

Oliver Bjorkstrand had a golden opportunity to extend the visitors’ lead on a breakaway four minutes later after he was sprung in alone, but Flames starter Dan Vladar stayed with the shooter all the way, coolly catching Bjorkstrand’s effort.

Shortly after Vladar’s stop, Calgary answered back.

Ryan Lomberg found himself pinned to the left corner boards by a Seattle defender but somehow, someway, freed himself enough to zip a seeing-eye pass across the ice to a streaking Pachal in the right circle.

Pachal wasted no time after accepting the disc, firing it into the top corner for his second goal in as many games.

The Flames earned a powerplay and took the lead three-and-a-half minutes after Pachal’s equalizer.

Coleman crashed the net, and helped re-direct a Mikael Backlund centring pass into the yawning cage to give Calgary a 2-1 advantage, before Seattle’s Ville Ottavainen tied things up with 14 seconds left in the opening frame.

Shots were 11-10 in the Kraken’s favour.

Honzek put his stamp on the game in period two.

As Calgary killed off a penalty, he accepted a pass in neutral ice and strode confidently down the right wing.

The Flames forward angled his way past Kraken defenceman Vince Dunn, cut to the net, outwaiting Daccord to deposit his second goal of the preseason in spectacular fashion.

Calgary took a 3-2 lead into the break.

Seattle tied the game 39 seconds into the third period on a tally from Shane Wright.

The two sides ground their way through the remainder of regulation time, with the Kraken holding a 12-7 edge in shots on goal in period three.

The locals saved one more piece of magic for extra time.

After a chance in the Calgary end, the Flames turned the play the other way. After gaining the blue line, Andrei Kuzmenko slowed, surveyed the scene, and as he inched goalward, he fed a pass across to Kadri for a back-door tap-in.

Vladar went the distance in goal for Calgary, making 30 saves. His best stop came early in the second period, as he lunged across his crease from left to right to deny Wright with a blocker swat.

Tyson Barrie finished the game with two assists for the Flames, while Adam Klapka’s five shots on goal were the most among Calgary skaters.

The Flames finished 1-1 on the powerplay, while Seattle went 1-6.

The Lineup:

Forwards

Sam Honzek - Nazem Kadri - Andrei Kuzmenko

Jonathan Huberdeau - Yegor Sharangovich - Matt Coronato

Jakob Pelletier - Mikael Backlund - Blake Coleman

Ryan Lomberg - Sam Morton - Adam Klapka

Defence

MacKenzie Weegar - Daniil Miromanov

Ilya Solovyov - Rasmus Andersson

Tyson Barrie - Brayden Pachal

Goaltenders

Dan Vladar (starter)

Devin Cooley

They Said It:

Up Next:

The Flames conclude the pre-season with a home-and-home affair against the Jets. The two sides will meet Wednesday night in Winnipeg at 6 P.M. MT, before returning to the Scotiabank Saddledome for the rematch Friday at 7 P.M. Click for tickets