Flames 10-game winning streak ends, Canucks score seven

VANCOUVER-- The Calgary Flames had their 10-game winning streak end with a 7-1 loss to the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena on Thursday.

J.T. Miller scored two goals and had two assists, and Thatcher Demko made 29 saves for the Canucks (25-22-6), who have won four of five.
"We just set a standard for ourselves for the rest of the year," Miller said. "Not by winning by six goals, but playing the right way, being sharp on the special teams, being ready to start the game. We have a standard. We need to play to that from here on out. We shouldn't be satisfied with anything other than that, really."

Andrew Mangiapane scored with 2:07 left for the Flames (30-14-6), who lost for the first time since Jan. 27. Calgary outscored opponents 42-15 while matching its record with a third 10-game streak. It allowed two or fewer goals 12 times in winning 13 of 15.
"Good teams get beat and good teams have bad nights, but to be a good team you've got to respond and be able to learn from these games versus get stuck in a rut," Flames forward Blake Coleman said. "We had won 10 in a row for a reason. We're a really good hockey team, and this is part of the growth of our group, is being able to respond after what I view as an embarrassing loss."
Markstrom made 18 saves before leaving with 1:46 left in the second period to have a skate blade replaced. Dan Vladar replaced him and gave up two goals on three shots in the period, including a Miller penalty shot with five seconds left that made it 5-0. Vladar played the third period and finished with 13 saves.
"I certainly didn't expect it to go like that," Vancouver coach Bruce Boudreau said. "We'll take it. It certainly doesn't happen often when you're playing such a good hockey team, but everything seemed to be going right for us."
Demko made breakaway saves on Blake Coleman and Mangiapane in the first period, and Pettersson gave the Canucks a 1-0 lead on a power play at 3:42 of the second period with a far-side one-timer from the right face-off dot.
Miller made it 2-0 with a power-play goal at 10:18, using a Boeser screen to score on a wrist shot from the left face-off dot.
"Five-on-5 the first two periods were really good," Calgary coach Darryl Sutter said. "Took two dumb penalties that cost us, and missed like two or three breakaways or Grade A's in the first period. Give the other team credit, they had a lot of energy and lot of skill."

Horvat scored at 10:50 to make it 3-0 after Flames defenseman Noah Hanifin cleared a rebound puck to him trailing a 2-on-2 save by Markstrom.
Horvat made it 4-0 on a power play at 18:42 on a rebound of the first shot Vladar faced.
Vancouver was 3-for-7 on the power play. Calgary was 0-for-1.
"They were moving the puck well, spreading us out," Flames penalty-killing forward Mikael Backlund said. "I believe they knew the PK has been successful because we were pressuring a lot, and I think what they did today was spread us out and we were chasing the puck a lot and they made some good plays through us. They had some nice finishes too, nice shots, got to give them that."
Miller scored on a penalty-shot deke after Andersson covered a loose puck in the crease during a scramble.
Connor Garland made it 6-0 at 4:33 of the third period on a rush rebound, and Pettersson scored on a shorthanded breakaway at 7:23 for a 7-0 lead.
"Our defense as a group was borderline awful," Sutter said.
NOTES: Calgary forward Matthew Tkachuk appeared to score 1:05 into the third period but it was waved off because Elias Lindholm made incidental contact with Demko. ... Lindholm had his point streak end at 10 games (16 points; nine goals, seven assists). ... Miller has scored 11 points (four goals, seven assists) during a five-game point streak. ... Canucks forward Brock Boeser had two assists playing 17:22 in his 300th NHL game. ... Vancouver forward Jason Dickinson left at 6:04 of the second period after getting knocked into the boards. Boudreau said he was sore and would have medical imaging done Friday.