Stone, Flames rally past Ducks in 3rd to keep pace in Western wild card

CALGARY -- Michael Stone scored the go-ahead goal with 2:38 remaining, and the Calgary Flames kept pace in the Western Conference wild card race by rallying for a 5-4 win against the Anaheim Ducks at Scotiabank Saddledome on Sunday.

Stone, who was playing in his first game since Feb. 18 because of a lower-body injury, scored on a slap shot through traffic following a face-off win by Kadri. His goal came after Milan Lucic tied it 4-4 at 6:26 with a snap shot over Lukas Dostal's shoulder off a rush.
"You want to contribute, and you want to help out any way that you can," Lucic said. "You want to score big goals in big moments. I was able to do that to get it to 4-4, and big face-off win, and 'Stoney' back in the lineup lets his signature [shot] go and we get the win. All in all, good job today by everyone finishing off their chances."
Nick Ritchie had a goal and an assist, and Andrew Mangiapane and Nikita Zadorov also scored for the Flames (36-26-15), who have won four in a row for the first time this season. Jacob Markstrom allowed two goals on nine shots before being replaced at the start of the second period by Dan Vladar, who made 11 saves on 13 shots.
"We've played good hockey and we've played not-so-good hockey," Stone said. "That stretches from shift to shift and game to game. I think you can say the same about tonight. We had periods of the game where we were not very good, and we had periods where we controlled a lot of the play. Tonight, we managed to get one more than the other guys."

Calgary remained two points behind the Winnipeg Jets for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference. Winnipeg defeated the New Jersey Devils 6-1 on Sunday.
"I think just because of the situation we're in, every game is a do-or-die or feels like a Game 7," Lucic said. "Everyone knows right now there's no time for frustration or negative energy. It's just going out there and playing the way that we can. Winnipeg won, so we needed to do our part. Five games left. We're probably going to have to win all of them. You've just got to take it one game at a time, and tonight we get a big win to stay in it."
Frank Vatrano had two goals and an assist, and Max Comtois had a goal and an assist for the Ducks (23-44-10), who have lost eight straight, including 6-0 at the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday. Dostal made 36 saves.
"At the end of the day, it's about our group," said Anaheim forward Sam Carrick, who had two assists. "When you spend every day together with a group like that, you develop some bonds. We want to play for each other. Everyone loves each other. We'll be battling right to the end."
Vatrano made it 1-0 at 4:17 of the first period, scoring glove side from the slot on the Duck's first shot of the game.
Comtrois made it 2-0 at 17:50 when his rebound attempt off Vatrano's initial shot trickled through Markstrom's legs and over the goal line.
"Obviously, things didn't go as planned at the start of the game," said Calgary forward Tyler Toffoli, who had two assists. "We definitely didn't play very well in the first two periods, but sticking together as a group and finding a way to win is all that matters this time of the year."
Mangiapane cut it to 2-1 just 33 seconds into the second period, scoring with a wrist shot from inside the top of the left face-off circle on a power play.

Zadorov tied it 2-2 at 7:12 with a wrist shot inside the far post, and Ritchie put the Flames ahead 3-2 at 8:18 when he tipped Troy Stecher's point shot by Dostal's glove.
Vatrano tied it 3-3 at 9:16 with his second goal, chipping a rebound into the slot glove side on Vladar.
Scott Harrington then put the Ducks ahead 4-3 at 12:56 with a slap shot.
"I thought it was a really great effort by the group," Anaheim coach Dallas Eakins said. "Back-to-back games for us and just an absolutely desperate team over there fighting for a playoff spot. Heartbreaker."
NOTES: The Flames, who went 21 straight games before winning their first when trailing after two periods, rallied in the third for the second straight game. ... Calgary has six multigoal comeback wins this season. Only the New Jersey Devils (8), Chicago Blackhawks (8) and Vancouver Canucks (7) have more. ... Anaheim lost its first game in regulation this season when leading after 40 minutes (8-1-1). ... Ducks forward Trevor Zegras had an assist and has 60 points (22 goals, 38 assists) this season. He joined Paul Kariya as the only players in Anaheim history to get at least 60 points in multiple seasons before the age of 23.