RALEIGH, NC – The Flames didn’t give up and rallied twice, but fell 3-2 to the Hurricanes on Saturday.
It was the final tilt of a season-long six-game road trip, with the team finishing up 2-3-1.
Video: Brendan Parker wraps up a 3-2 loss
Adam Ruzicka scored for the Flames, as did Tyler Toffoli who notched his 200th career tally.
Dan Vladar got the start between the pipes, his second of the trip and fifth of the season.
He made 30 saves in the game.
Antti Raanta got the start for the Hurricanes, returning after missing four games with injury. He made 19 stops.
Speaking of injuries, Michael Stone returned to the Flames lineup after being sidelined for 10 games.
The Flames finished their season series against the Canes at 1-1 after beating them 3-2 in overtime back on Oct. 22 at the Scotiabank Saddledome. They trailed 2-0 in the first period in that one but battled back with Toffoli winning it late in extra time.
Chris Tanev made a lovely pass to try and spring Mikael Backlund in the opening minutes of the game, but he lost the handle and couldn’t get a shot off.
Elias Lindholm showed off his speed and determination not long after, skating hard back nearly the length of the ice to break up a 2-on-1, getting his stick on the puck as it came across for a one-timer attempt by Brett Pesce.
At the other end, Toffoli undressed Jesper Fast, tucking the puck between his legs and walking around him, but fired one off the post.
Seth Jarvis would open the scoring at 6:20 with a cross-ice tip right by the post off a pass from Brent Burns that Vladar had no chance on.
The Calgary goalie made two incredible back-to-back saves on Paul Stastny from point-blank range in the slot just past the midway mark of the frame, part of a flurry of Canes chances where the Flames’ tender stood tall.
Calgary knotted things up on the powerplay when Stone stepped into one of his patented long-distance clappers, Raanta kicking out the rebound to his right where Ruzicka snapped it home for his fifth of the season. Noah Hanifin got the other assist.
Video: CGY@CAR: Ruzicka buries juicy rebound for PPG
Stone got another puck on net with time ticking down that Nazem Kadri tipped, Raanta first stopping that and then his backhand rebound attempt in tight.
The home side made it 2-1 on an early powerplay at 3:41 of the second with Stone hooking off, Martin Necas one-timing a cross-ice pass from Stefan Noesen.
Toffoli tied it up when he got behind the Canes defense and was sent in on a breakaway Jonathan Huberdeaumaking no mistake with a laser high over the glove of Raanta.
He became the sixth skater from the 2010 NHL Draft class to reach the mark, and the first among players drafted after the first round.
Video: CGY@CAR: Toffoli converts on breakaway for 200th goal
That was so nice, here’s a different look in slo-mo:
Necas would ring one off the post on a powerplay before Pesce snapped a wristshot five-hole on the same advantage that beat Vladar at 8:46.
Later in the period, Zadorov would wire a shot that also found the iron instead of the net.
THEY SAID IT:
Video: “We wanted to get more points than games played”
Video: “I’ve got to get some W’s for this team”
Video: “Our entire team, we need everybody going”
Video: “We’ve got to stay patient here”
BY THE NUMBERS:
Shots: CGY 21, CAR 33
Powerplay: CGY 1-3, CAR 2-3
Hits: CGY 31, CAR 21
Face-offs: CGY 57%, CAR 43%
*Scoring chances: CGY 15, CAR 30
*High-danger scoring chances: CGY 5, CAR 11
*According to Natural Stat Trick (5-on-5)
THE LINEUP:
The trios and D pairs to start the tilt:
Lines
Adam Ruzicka – Elias Lindholm – Tyler Toffoli
Dillon Dube – Nazem Kadri – Andrew Mangiapane
Jonathan Huberdeau – Mikael Backlund – Blake Coleman
Milan Lucic – Trevor Lewis – Brett Ritchie
Pairings
Noah Hanifin – Rasmus Andersson
MacKenzie Weegar – Chris Tanev
Nikita Zadorov – Michael Stone
Goaltenders
Dan Vladar: starter
Jacob Markstrom
UP NEXT:
The Flames return to the Scotiabank Saddledome for a five-game homestand that begins Tuesday when they host Matthew Tkachuk and the Panthers. Click for tickets
.