Recap: Canes Edged by Flames in OT

CALGARY - The Carolina Hurricanes earned a hard-fought point in the standings in a 3-2 overtime loss to the Calgary Flames.
Sebastian Aho scored the game-tying goal with just 43.4 seconds remaining in regulation, but Mikael Backlund tallied the game-winner for Calgary just 15 seconds into 3-on-3 overtime.
Here are five takeaways from tonight's game.

One
Much like the game in Tampa Bay on Jan. 10, the Hurricanes put forth a complete effort, were the better team more often than they were not and ultimately deserved a better fate.
At least in this instance, they take a point away from a valiant effort against the league's second-best team.
"It was a great battle by us. That was a grind. That's a great team. We've got to believe that so are we," Aho said. "I feel like we had more chances than they did, but they scored one goal more than us, and that's how you win hockey games."
"I feel like we did a pretty good job all night," Teuvo Teravainen said. "We worked hard, and it was a pretty tight game all around. It's a tough one to lose, I feel like."
Perhaps unsung is the job that the Canes, specifically the lines of Lucas Wallmark and Aho, did against the Flames' lethal top trio. The Canes were able to stifle Elias Lindholm, Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan offensively (though Lindholm won the draw in overtime and tallied the secondary assist on the game-winner), which is not an easy task.
"I don't know that we had a lull in that game at all. We were, from start to finish, I thought the better team," head coach Rod Brind'Amour said. "At the end of the day, it's about wins and losses, and we didn't get the win. We've taken some big steps this year, in my opinion, and now we've just got to get a little better to get over the hump."
Two
With the extra attacker on and the clock counting down the seconds left in the game, the Canes' best players came through in the clutch to force overtime.
Justin Williams handled the puck in the corner and gave to Aho, whose one-timer deflected off and stick and over to Teravainen. He settled the puck and centered back to Aho, who redirected the puck over David Rittich's blocker side to even the score.

"I had a little time. I looked up and saw Sebastian out there," Teravainen said. "I just made a pass to him, and it was a nice goal by him."
Three
Make no mistake: Petr Mrazek was stellar in net and was named the game's third star for his performance.
Mrazek made a number of saves destined for the highlight reels. The show-stopper came in the first period, when he exploded across the crease to deny what should have been an easy tap-in goal for Mark Giordano. Instead, Mrazek's left pad was there to snuff the scoring chance.

"It was a great save," Aho said. "When we had a tough time, he kept us in this game with some huge saves."
Later in the first period, Mrazek made a glove save on Garnet Hathaway but didn't ensnare the puck. In a quick reactionary move, he dove back with the stick to keep the rebound out of the net.
With the Flames up a goal on the power play in the third period, Mrazek again prevented the Flames from potting a backdoor tap-in, as his right pad was flush against the ice to turn away Rasmus Andersson, who snuck in from the point.
Then, with the Flames buzzing late in the third period, Mrazek bodied down an initial chance and then flashed the sprawled left pad to keep the two follow-up chances, the last off the stick from Johnny Gaudreau alongside the crease, out of the net.

"He made a lot of good saves when we needed those, a lot of key saves," Teravainen said. "He's giving us a chance to win."
Four
In his return to the Saddledome, Hamilton netted his seventh goal of the season to tie the game at one late in the first period.
As the Canes rushed up the ice, the Flames conceded the blue line to the four guys in white stacked on it. Brock McGinn laid the puck off for Hamilton, who had time and space to rip a wrist shot from the top of the right circle that deflected in off the defending stick of TJ Brodie.

Five
Micheal Ferland, who was a late scratch on Sunday due to an upper-body concern, left the game just past the midway point of the second period with an upper-body injury and did not return.
Brind'Amour said Ferland tweaked something in his upper-body a couple of days ago, and the issue flared up again tonight - which is to say, he is not concussed.
Up Next
Vancouver marks the final destination on this road trip, and the Canes will square off with the Canucks on Wednesday prior to All-Star Weekend and the bye week.
"The positive is you came in here against one of the best teams, and in my opinion, we could have had that game. I think anyone would say it was a pretty good effort," Brind'Amour said. "The hard part is going to be picking the guys up, and then you have to go play a team that's been sitting there in the same boat like us, scrapping to try to make the playoffs. It's not going to be easy, but we'll see. Our group has been pretty resilient all year."