Post-Game Wrap-Up: Flames rally back to roast Ducks

The Calgary Flames were pretty decent for the first two periods of their Monday matinee with the Anaheim Ducks but weren’t rewarded. But they scored five goals in the third period to take over the game and earn a sorely needed two points by way of a 6-4 victory over the Ducks.

Neither team scored in the first, though the Flames held sway early and dictated the pace for the first 10 or 15 minutes. Shots were 12-10 Flames and scoring chances were 9-4 Flames in the opening 20 minutes.

The Flames pressed for a good chunk of the early second period but couldn’t bury anything. Sam Bennett bobbled a puck at the offensive blueline, sending Adam Henrique in on a breakaway. He drove the net and his shot trickled through Cam Talbot to give Anaheim a 1-0 lead.

The locals tied things up soon after, though as Noah Hanifin’s point shot was stopped by Ryan Miller. But the rebound was jammed in by Andrew Mangiapane to make it a 1-1 hockey game.

But the Ducks grabbed the lead before the intermission. Hanifin mishandled the puck in his own zone, which allowed Jakob Silfverberg to grab it, stroll in and undress Talbot with a deke to make it 2-1 Anaheim.

Shots were 18-10 Flames and scoring chances 14-9 Flames in the middle frame.

The Flames couldn’t muster much with an early third period power play. The Ducks got an early advantage of their own. While they didn’t score on their PP, Nicolas Deslauriers hucked a puck towards the net from the sideboards. His shot ricocheted off Michael Stone’s foot and past Talbot to give the visitors a 3-1 lead.

But then the Flames roared back. An Anaheim clearing attempt up the wall was intercepted by Mangiapane, who drove towards the slot and put a back-hander over top of a sliding defender and past Miller to cut the Ducks’ lead to 3-2.

19 seconds later, the Flames scored again. Sam Bennett entered the offensive zone and went top shelf with a wrist shot from the top of the face-off circle to tie the game at 3-3.

The Flames got their first lead of the game at 12:59 of the third. Off a Ducks turnover, Matthew Tkachuk took a close-in shot, grabbed his own rebound, and beat Miller to make it 4-3 Flames.

64 seconds later, the Flames padded their edge. Hampus Lindholm blindly flung a puck into the slot… and Sean Monahan grabbed it and beat Miller top shelf to make it 5-3 Flames.

Mangiapane added an empty netter to complete his first career hat trick to make it 6-3 Flames.

Devin Shore tipped a point shot past Talbot with 3 seconds left to cut the lead to 6-4 Flames, but that was all she wrote.

Shots were 13-10 Flames and scoring chances 13-6 Flames.

The game was close for awhile because Calgary’s puck management wasn’t great, despite them really dictating play – a few bounces really sunk ’em. But the game swung back towards the Flames later on because Anaheim’s puck management somehow was worse and they were able to capitalize. Repeatedly.

Mangiapane. He had a hat trick.

Two goals by the Flames in 19 seconds tied the game in the third period. Two more goals by the Flames in 64 seconds got them the win.

Data via Natural Stat Trick. Percentage stats are 5v5.

The Flames are now 7-23-2 when trailing after two periods.

The Flames have 68 points. A 95 point playoff pace through 61 games pro-rates to 70.7 points, so they’re 2.7 points off a likely playoff pace with 21 games to go.

The Flames (31-24-6) are off tomorrow. They host the Boston Bruins on Friday in their final home date before the trade deadline.