Put It All On Red

Dad Power.

It's a thing.

The Flames fathers and mentors were treated to two more points in the standings Saturday, as the locals used a quick start and strong goaltending to their advantage in a 3-1 win over the Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena.

Blake Coleman and Mikael Backlund each factored in with a goal and an assist while Nazem Kadri notched the game-winner, and Jacob Markstrom turned aside 31 shots to earn his fifth win over his last half-dozen starts.

With the win, the Flames improve to 20-18-5 on the year and close the gap in the Western wild-card race.

The two goaltenders helped the clubs settle into the game over the first ten minutes, Markstrom turning aside a quartet of shots over that time including a tricky cross-crease blocker stop off Jonathan Marchessault while the Flames were shorthanded.

But the offence came alive for Calgary just after the midway mark of the period, with the Flames’ leading goal-getter ready and willing to break the stalemate.

Coleman served as a screen, then converted on a rebound at 11:06, parking himself in front of the Golden Knights net to be able to push the remains of a Mikael Backlund effort past Logan Thompson for his 19th goal of the season, surpassing his goal total from a season ago in the process.

The visitors added to their lead just under two minutes after Coleman’s opener.

Connor Zary and Rasmus Andersson scampered down the ice on an odd-man rush, and while their initial effort was denied, Kadri jumped in amid a piled up in the crease to tap home the loose puck and extend the Flames’ lead to 2-0.

Markstrom stopped all eight shots he faced in period one, with Calgary holding a 12-8 advantage in shots on goal.

He was tested 10 times in period two, as well, but as he’s been so many times this season, Markstrom was equal to the task.

He turned away a flurry of offensive opportunities at the five-minute mark, then capped off his middle stanza with a pad save on a Marchessault spin-move with about six-and-a-half to play.

At the other end, Zary outwaited Thompson for a golden, wide-open opportunity in the opening minutes of the period, only to be denied by a desperation stick save from defenceman Nicolas Hague.

But the Flames found a third goal before the period was through, Backlund slipping through the defence on a partial break to deposit his 10th of the campaign by faking forehand, and shooting backhand to the top shelf over Thompson's left shoulder.

The goal was a full-line effort; Coleman forcing a turnover at the Calgary blueline, while Mangiapane earned his milestone point by springing Backlund loose at the Vegas blue stripe.

Vegas finally solved Markstrom on their 24th shot of the game thanks to Chandler Stephenson, who converted from the bottom of the right circle on a feed from Mark Stone.

The Flames’ best chance of the third period came through Mangiapane, who accepted an airmail feed while racing down the right wing for a partial break, but his progress was impeded just enough before he was able to force a shot on Thompson.

Vegas tried one last-ditch effort to minimize the deficit in the final minute, even forcing Calgary defenceman Chris Tanev to clear a loose puck off the goalline, but in the end, Markstrom and his mates stood firm to improve to 6-2-0 over their past eight games.

Noah Hanifin was the top Calgary skater in terms of ice time, logging 23:38; he also led the team with four shots on goal.

Coleman's 13 goals since Dec. 7 are the fourth-most of any NHL skater.

The Flames finished a stretch of seven games to start the 2024 calendar year with a 5-2-0 record, traveling 9,600 km and playing in seven different cities - and four time zones - over that span.

The Lineup:

Forwards:

Jonathan Huberdeau - Elias Lindholm - Yegor Sharangovich
Connor Zary - Nazem Kadri - Martin Pospisil
Andrew Mangiapane - Mikael Backlund - Blake Coleman
A.J. Greer - Adam Ruzicka - Dillon Dube

Defence:

Noah Hanifin - Chris Tanev
MacKenzie Weegar - Rasmus Andersson
Jordan Oesterle - Nick DeSimone

Goaltenders:

Jacob Markstrom (starter)
Dan Vladar

They Said It:

The Numbers Game:

Shots: CGY 26, VGK 32

Powerplay: CGY 1-2, VGK 0-2

Faceoffs: CGY 54.8%, VGK 45.2%

Blocked Shots: CGY 20, VGK 16

Hits: CGY 16, VGK 37

Takeaways: CGY 9, VGK 9

5-on-5 Scoring Chances: CGY 19, VGK 34

5-on-5 High-Danger Scoring Chances: CGY 5, VGK 6

Up Next:

The Flames return home to the Scotiabank Saddledome to open a six-game homestand, which gets underway Tuesday at 7 p.m. MT against the Coyotes. Get tickets