Markstrom makes 46 saves, helps Flames cool off Maple Leafs

CALGARY -- Jacob Markstrom made 46 saves to help the Calgary Flames win their fifth straight game, 5-2 against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Saddledome on Thursday.

Maple Leafs forward Mitchell Marner had his eight-game goal streak end. He scored 10 goals and 19 points in the run.
Defensemen Noah Hanifin and Rasmus Andersson each had a goal and an assist, and Mikael Backlund had two assists for the Flames (25-13-6), who have won seven of their past eight games and have outscored opponents 24-4 in a five-game home winning streak, including a 6-0 win against the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday.
"I think it was a good game," Hanifin said. "They have a really good team. They have a lot of skill. They definitely got some chances. 'Marky' once again played great for us, made some big saves, but I thought we played a good game. I think we did some really good things."
Rasmus Sandin and Michael Bunting scored, and Jack Campbell made 21 saves for the Maple Leafs (30-11-3), who had a six-game winning streak end.
"It just shows you the growth we need to have if we want to be the team we want to be," Toronto captain John Tavares said. "Disappointing to be in control of a game like that. It's disappointing, especially the way we were playing, doing a lot of good things. That's what we have to overcome if we want to be the team we want to be."

Sandin put the Maple Leafs up 1-0 at 3:49 of the second period. Markstrom made the initial save on Tavares and Chris Tanev blocked William Nylander's rebound attempt before Sandin scored.
Andrew Mangiapane scored 24 seconds later to tie it 1-1 at 4:13 with a shot by Campbell's blocker on a setup by Backlund in the slot. Mangiapane has three goals in his past two games.
Hanifin put Calgary up 2-1 at 13:03 when he converted a cross-crease pass from Andersson after an offensive zone face-off win by Elias Lindholm. Oliver Kylington scored 32 seconds later to extend the lead to 3-1 at 13:35 on a one-timer set up by Hanifin three seconds into a power play.
Kylington's goal prompted a timeout from Toronto.
"We're rolling all three pairs," Hanifin said. "Everyone's contributing in different ways. And it's nice when we're helping out offensively a bit as well. I think all the defensemen contributed tonight."

Lindholm extended the lead to 4-1 at 15:54. The goal came after Johnny Gaudreau missed on a backhand over the net on a breakaway at 15:39.
"We got the goal and we let up for a bit there and made mistakes, big mistakes," Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said. "The mistake on a backcheck on the first goal. Mistake on a face-off play that we talked about before the game on the second goal. Bit of a lazy penalty on the third goal that ends up in our net, and then a breakdown in the neutral-zone coverage on the fourth. So we make mistakes at a time when we were playing a good game.
Andersson made it 5-1 at 1:16 of the third period when he shot top corner through a screen from the high slot.
"Once we get the first one it felt like we're rolling and we're rolling and we're rolling," Andersson said. "They take a timeout after the third one and we go out and score the fourth one and then the fifth one."
Bunting trimmed it to 5-2 with a shot far side off the post at 5:06. Auston Matthews had an assist to extend his point streak to six games (six goals, seven assists).
Maple Leafs forward Ondrej Kase left in the first period for precautionary reasons after a hit by Flames defenseman Nikita Zadorov. There was no update postgame.
"I didn't like it," Tavares said. "I thought his hands came up high. I didn't see any replay of it but I thought his hands finished up high and caught him there. You don't want to see anyone get hit in the head. That's what we're trying to eliminate."
NOTES:Markstrom tied a Flames record for most saves on home ice, set by Dwayne Roloson in a 2-1 win against the Ottawa Senators on March 1, 1998. ... Maple Leafs defenseman Jake Muzzin played 19:21 and had five shots after missing seven games with a concussion. … Toronto forward Wayne Simmonds missed the game to be with his wife, who recently gave birth. … Backlund has scored six points (one goal, five assists) in the past two games.