Another Comeback Win

Put pucks on net, and good things will happen.

The Flames put that theory to the test and found another comeback win in their back pocket, too, beating the Stars 4-3 in overtime at Scotiabank Saddledome to move back to .500 on the season.

Nazem Kadri scored the winner 60 seconds into extra time, while Calgary’s theme of getting offensive contributions from defencemen continued, with Chris Tanev, Noah Hanifin and MacKenzie Weegar all chipping in with goals in a game that saw the Flames outshoot their Texan opponents 36-16.

Jonathan Huberdeau had a pair of helpers in the victory.

Dallas opened the scoring 4:51 into the first period thanks to Thomas Harley. The defenceman snapped a puck over the right shoulder of Jacob Markstrom moments after Flames forward Blake Coleman was thwarted at the other end of the ice on a dangerous look from the slot.

Shortly after Andrew Mangiapane struck the goalpost on a deflection from the slot, the Flames evened the score at the 1-1 by activating the defence. Tanev darted down the right side, accepting a pass from Mangiapane along the wall before centring a puck that caromed past Wedgewood off defenceman Ryan Suter.

Just past the 12 minute mark, Zary went inside-out around a Dallas defenceman again, prompting a chorus of ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs’ from the C of Red before the puck was swatted away to safety from the Stars crease.

The Flames took the lead with 4:30 left in the opening frame; Hanifin crashed the crease, batting a loose puck past Wedgewood for his fifth goal of the season.

Dallas evened the score at 2-2 with a minute left in the period thanks to Mason Marchment, who snapped a shot home after the puck deflected to him in the slot.

Shots on goal were 10-9 in favour of the Flames through 20 minutes.

Calgary controlled things to start the second, though, outshooting Dallas heavily through the first 13 minutes of the frame and coming close to reclaiming the lead on two occasions.

First, Martin Pospisil forced a quick save from Wedgewood after driving the net on the right wing.

The Stars netminder then used his right pad to parry aside a rebound attempt from Huberdeau that made its way goalward from just outside the crease.

The 2-2 scoreline from the first period remained static through the second stanza, with Calgary holding a 21-11 edge in shots on goal.

Marchment put Dallas in front 3-2 on a penalty shot just shy of the two-minute mark of period three with a wrist shot that found its way in under Markstrom’s glove hand, collecting his second goal of the game.

Markstrom prevented the Stars from extending their lead with two high-danger saves with 9:00 to play, first denying forward Matt Duchene from the slot before sliding to his left to deny Duchene’s rebound from the bottom of the right circle.

Mikael Backlund thought he had tied proceedings at 3-3 with 5:01 to play in regulation time, tipping a point shot past Wedgewood.

However, the Stars challenged the play for a missed game stoppage, and after further review, the scoring play was overturned.

The locals found redemption just over two minutes later with another goal from a blueliner.

Weegar lunged to hold the puck in at the Dallas line, then spun and fired a shot that sailed into the Stars’ net to even the score.

Calgary outshot Dallas 13-5 in the third period, and 34-16 through regulation.

Kadri put his stamp on the game a minute into overtime. The Flames centreman weaved his way through the neutral zone, then dropped the puck to linemate Jonathan Huberdeau just inside the Stars blue line.

Huberdeau shot the puck to the net, and as it reached Wedgewood, Kadri got just enough of a touch on the disk to direct it home for his fifth goal of the season.

At the other end, Markstrom turned aside 13 shots to secure the victory in goal.

Huberdeau had two assists in the winning effort, while Hanifin led all Calgary skaters with 24:41 of ice time.

With the victory, the Flames finish their November with an 8-4-2 record, and head into December having collected points in 10 of their past 13 games.

The Lineup:

Forwards
Andrew Mangiapane - Elias Lindholm - Yegor Sharangovich
Connor Zary - 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
Dennis Gilbert - Jordan Oesterle

Goaltender
Jacob Markstrom

They Said It:

The Numbers Game:

Shots: CGY 36, DAL 16

Powerplay: CGY 0-2, DAL 0-0

Faceoffs: CGY 40%, DAL 60%

Blocked Shots: CGY 23, DAL 21

Hits: CGY 13, DAL 15

5-on-5 Scoring Chances: CGY 23, DAL 11

5-on-5 High-Danger Scoring Chances: CGY 9, DAL 10

Up Next:

The Flames continue their six-game homestead against the Vancouver Canucks Saturday night at 8 p.m. Click here for tickets