Jacob Markstrom made 37 saves, while Connor Zary and Andrew Mangiapane each tallied a goal and an assist, leading the Calgary Flames to a 5-3 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Thursday night for their third consecutive win.
Mikael Backlund, Kevin Rooney, and Andrei Kuzmenko also scored for Calgary, which was coming off a 4-1 win in Boston on Tuesday. The team is beginning a four-game road trip against the New York/New Jersey-area teams.
Defenseman Noah Hanifin contributed two assists for the Flames, whose winning streak follows a four-game losing skid. Markstrom improved his record to 16-13-2.
“This is the best I’ve seen him play since I’ve been here,” said Flames first-year coach Ryan Huska about his veteran goaltender. “He’s been giving us a chance to win every night.”
Ondrej Palat scored twice, Nico Hischier added a goal, and Jesper Bratt provided three assists for New Jersey, which was coming off a 5-3 home win over Colorado on Tuesday.
“We had a good first period, but the second period was bad, and in the third, we were chasing. It’s frustrating,” Palat said. “We’re looking for consistency.”
Palat opened the scoring at 15:39 of the first period, completing a 2-on-1 break with Bratt. Hischier also assisted.
Backlund, the Flames’ captain, tied it with his 11th goal at 18:10 of the first period.
Rookie forward Zary put Calgary ahead at 3:53 of the second period, nudging a loose puck in the crease past Vitek Vanecek. It was the 12th goal in 41 games for the 22-year-old Zary, a first-round pick by the Flames in 2020.
“It was nice to get on the scoreboard and help out,” Zary said. “It’s been awesome so far to be able to come in here, play in the NHL, and try to establish myself as an everyday player.”
Rooney extended the lead to 3-1 at 2:55 of the third period with his first goal of the season.
Hischier cut the deficit to one with a short-handed breakaway score at 4:02 of the third, his 14th goal of the season.
“We had our chances but didn’t capitalize,” Hischier said. “These things happen. There’s still a lot of hockey left.”
Kuzmenko restored the Flames’ two-goal lead at 9:56 of the third with his 10th goal, his second in two games since being traded from Vancouver.
Palat scored his second of the game and eighth of the season at 13:48 of the third, but Mangiapane added an empty-net goal to secure the victory at 18:26.
“In the second period, we just came out like a pack of hyenas,” Flames forward Jonathan Huberdeau said. “That’s the kind of game we have to play, and I think that’s when we are tough to play against.”
The Devils fell to 25-21-3, five points out of a wild-card playoff spot.
“When tough goals go in, you get a little deflated,” Devils coach Lindy Ruff said. “You have to pick yourself back up. You will either get your bounces or be responsible for giving up bounces.”
JACK IS BACK Devils center Jack Hughes returned to the lineup after missing 11 games with an upper-body injury sustained on Jan. 5 in a home win over Chicago. He recorded four shots on goal.
Game Notes
- Huberdeau played his 800th career game. The 30-year-old was Florida’s third overall pick in 2011 and was acquired in a trade with the Panthers in July 2022.
- Former Devil Yegor Sharangovich played as a visitor in New Jersey for the first time. The 25-year-old forward skated three seasons with the Devils before being traded to Calgary last June in a deal that sent Tyler Toffoli to New Jersey. Sharangovich acknowledged the home crowd after a moment of tribute during the first period.
- New Jersey won the first meeting this season 4-2 in Calgary on Dec. 9.
UP NEXT
- Devils: Visit the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday night.
- Flames: Visit the New York Islanders on Saturday.
