Flames top Kings 4-2 to stay hot with fourth consecutive victory
CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — Yegor Sharangovich scored the go-ahead goal at 12:09 of the third period as the Calgary Flames earned their fourth straight win, 4-2, over the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday night.
Andrew Mangiapane, Blake Coleman and Mikael Backlund, into an empty net, also scored for Calgary, while Chris Tanev chipped in a pair of assists. The Flames remain five points back of Nashville for the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference.
Jacob Markstrom had 21 stops and an assist.
Sharangovich hadn’t scored a goal in 11 games before Tuesday.
“It’s been a long time that I can’t score, but our line always has enough chances to score and finally we find a way,” Sharangovich said.
Phillip Danault and Kevin Fiala provided the offense for Los Angeles, which has dropped the first two of its three-game Western Canada road trip. The Kings are tied in points with Nashville, but hold down the first wild-card spot.
Making his first start in four games, former Flame Cam Talbot had 33 saves for the Kings.
“They came out hard, hungry. They were better than us the first couple of minutes and it carried on to the game,” said Kings right-winger Quinton Byfield. “It’s tough when you start behind like that, but those are just games we’ve got to win.”
On the go-ahead score, Sharangovich took a pass from Dryden Hunt, strode over the Los Angeles blue line and ripped a shot inside the goalpost on Talbot’s glove side.
Sharangovich was shifted from right-wing to center after Elias Lindholm was dealt to the Vancouver Canucks during the NHL All-Star break.
“It’s a little bit different role because you’re really responsible for the D-zone,” said Sharangovich. “It’s taken a little bit of time, but in the offensive zone doesn’t change. We’ve had a lot of chances and finally the puck has gone in.”
Flames head coach Ryan Huska says Sharangovich has adjusted nicely.
“He’s done a really good job for us since we’ve asked him to play in the middle of the ice,” said Huska. “He’s been responsible defensively, and that line is developing a little bit of chemistry, … to see him score tonight the way he did was a big moment for our team, for sure, but I know it will allow him to sleep a little better tonight as well.”
Scoreless through the first half of the game, the Kings opened the scoring at 12:08 of the second period when Danault picked the top corner with a slap shot from 40 feet out.
The lead was short-lived, however, with Calgary responding 48 seconds later.
Noah Hanifin’s long pass found Mangiapane behind the Kings defense and on the breakaway, he fooled Talbot with a backhand-to-forehand deke that left him with an empty net.
Continuing the sudden rapid-fire scoring barrage, 56 seconds after that, the Flames took their first lead with Coleman knocking in a Jonathan Huberdeau rebound at 13:52.
Fiala evened the scored with 1:06 remaining in the middle frame, backhanding in a rebound after Markstrom could not control Anze Kopitar’s initial shot.
With Los Angeles playing its second game in as many nights, Calgary started strong. The Flames outshot the Kings 10-3 in the opening 20 minutes, but the game remained scoreless thanks to a Los Angeles penalty kill that bent, but didn’t break.
Mangiapane played in career game No. 400. Drafted by Calgary in the sixth round (166th overall) of the 2015 draft, he’s one of only 13 active players drafted in the sixth round who has reached 400 games. He’s also the first from the sixth round of his draft class to reach that mark.
With his assist on Mangiapane’s goal, Markstrom has five assists on the season. No other NHL goalie has more than two.
UP NEXT
Kings: Finish a three-game road trip at Vancouver on Thursday.
Flames: Host Pittsburgh on Saturday night.
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