Markstrom stops 37, Flames top Devils to spoil Jack Hughes’ return

NEWARK, N.J. -- Jacob Markstrom made 37 saves, and the Calgary Flames spoiled Jack Hughes’ return for the New Jersey Devils with a 5-3 win at Prudential Center on Thursday.

"This is the best since I've been around [Markstrom] that he's been with us that I've seen him play," Calgary coach Ryan Huska said. "He's been giving us a chance to win every night and that's why you have a goaltender of that caliber."

Hughes, who last played Jan. 5, missed 11 games with an upper-body injury. He had four shots on goal and was minus-3 in 20:24 of ice time.

"He really didn't practice with us and probably that hurt him," New Jersey coach Lindy Ruff said. "I thought his energy was good. Some of his responsibilities, he was a little off."

Connor Zary and Andrew Mangiapane each had a goal and an assist, and Andrei Kuzmenko scored in his second straight game for the Flames (24-22-5), who won their third in a row. Noah Hanifin had two assists.

"I think we kind of just took the mentality from last game (a 4-1 win at the Boston Bruins on Tuesday) and tried to move forward with that," Zary said. "I think we found our game and were able to stick to that. I think if we keep buying in and doing what we need to do, we'll be fine."

Ondrej Palat scored twice, Nico Hischier had a goal and an assist, and Jesper Bratt had three assists for the Devils (25-21-3), who have lost four of their past six. Vitek Vanecek made 25 saves in his third straight start.

Palat gave New Jersey a 1-0 lead at 15:39 of the first period, scoring on a one-timer from the left face-off circle off a 2-on-1 with Bratt.

"We had a good first, the second period was bad and, in the third, we were chasing so it's frustrating," Palat said. "We need to come out strong and we need to be patient."

Mikael Backlund tied it 1-1 at 18:10 on a snap shot from along the goal line below the right circle.

Zary gave Calgary a 2-1 lead at 3:53 of the second period, scoring on a backhand after getting to a loose puck that trickled between the pads of Vanecek.

"Honestly I was just gliding towards the net and the crowd kind of scored that one for me, going 'Ohhh,'" Zary said. "I thought, 'Oh I should take a couple of strides and check it out.' That was a nice [assist] from the crowd, though. It was nice to get on the scoreboard and help out. They all count the same."

Kevin Rooney pushed it to 3-1 at 2:55 of the third period on a shot from the slot. It was his first goal since Dec. 7, 2021.

Hischier cut it to 3-2 at 4:02 with a short-handed goal on a breakaway.

"We have to be stronger in front of our net," said Hischier, the Devils captain. "We had our chances, but we didn't bear down so it's frustrating for sure. But there's still a lot of hockey left."

Kuzmenko made it 4-2 at 9:56 on a turnaround shot from the high slot. It was Kuzmenko's second goal in his second game with the Flames since being acquired in a trade with the Vancouver Canucks on Jan. 31.

"The one thing that I've noticed over the last couple of games is he's heavy and strong on it, so he's able to protect it," Huska said. "He can spin off guys, and when he gets a chance to shoot, he's got an excellent shot."

Palat cut it to 4-3 at 13:46 with his second goal, scoring on a deflection at the left post.

Mangiapane scored into an empty net at 18:26 for the 5-3 final.

"In the second period, we just came out like a pack of hyenas," Calgary forward Jonathan Huberdeau said. "That's the kind of game we have to play. I think that's when we're tough and we have to keep it going because it's a huge road trip for us."

NOTES: The Flames have won the first two games of a four-game road trip. ... Yegor Sharangovich, who played the first three seasons of his NHL career with the Devils, received a video tribute and ovation from the crowd in his first game back at Prudential Center with the Flames. The forward had one shot on goal in 16:07 of ice time. ... Huberdeau played his 800th NHL game, becoming the fifth player from the 2011 NHL Draft to reach the milestone (Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, 847 games; Brandon Saad, 830; Mika Zibanejad, 817; Adam Larsson, 817). ... Bratt extended his point streak to six games (nine points; four goals, five assists).