Blake Coleman scored the decisive short-handed goal and added an assist as the host Calgary Flames netted a trio of third-period tallies en route to a 3-2 comeback victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday.
Rasmus Andersson and Connor Zary also scored for the Flames, who snapped a two-game losing streak. Goaltender Dustin Wolf, in just his second NHL start of the season and the third of his career, made 28 saves.
Calgary’s past six victories have been come-from-behind wins. The Flames have won five times when trailing through two periods.
Stefan Noesen and Michael Bunting scored for the Hurricanes, who have lost three consecutive games to open a six-game road trip. Goalie Pyotr Kochetkov stopped 24 shots.
Trailing 2-0 going into the final frame, the Flames cued up a comeback with a pair of goals 81 seconds apart.
Andersson provided a much-needed offensive jolt when he put the hosts on the board at 5:42 of the third period. He converted a rebound for his fourth goal of the season.
Zary tied the clash with his fifth of the campaign. Adam Ruzicka’s breakaway chance was stopped, but the puck trickled through Kochetkov, and Zary was on the spot to tap it over the line.
The Hurricanes are the league’s worst team for surrendering short-handed goals, and Coleman put the Flames ahead with the seventh shortie allowed by Carolina. After being sprung on a rush, Coleman whipped a top-corner shot from the high slot for his seventh of the season at 11:44 of the period.
Wolf and the Flames held the fort all the way to the final second as the Hurricanes pushed frantically for the equalizer.
Coming off a dismal start the night before in Edmonton, the Hurricanes stormed out of the gates and were rewarded when Noesen opened the scoring with a deflection tally at 2:10. It was his seventh of the season.
The Flames surrendered the game’s first goal for the eighth consecutive game.
Bunting doubled the Carolina edge at 8:49 of the opening frame in a similar manner, deflecting a point shot for his sixth goal of the campaign.
Hurricanes forward Andrei Svechnikov did not play due to an upper-body injury.
–Field Level Media
