Calgary Flames' Noah Hanifin (55) scores a goal on Edmonton Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner (74) during first period NHL action in Edmonton on Saturday Feb. 24, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson
EDMONTON – Noah Hanifin had two goals and an assist as the Calgary Flames bulldozed their way to a 6-3 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday.
Nazeem Kadri, Martin Pospisil, Dryden Hunt and Blake Coleman also scored for the Flames (28-25-5) who have won three in a row.
Zach Hyman had a pair of goals and Mattias Janmark also scored for the Oilers (33-20-2) who have suddenly gone ice cold with three consecutive losses.
Calgary got off to a terrific start, scoring on the game’s first shot just 2:02 into the opening period. Walker Duehr was able to send a pass into the slot and it was poked past Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner by Kadri, who scored his 21st of the season and fourth goal in his last three games.
The Flames made it 2-0 before the midway mark of the first frame as Pospisil scored his sixth on a long snapshot high to the glove side that Skinner would likely want back.
Calgary extended its lead with four minutes to play in the first period not long after Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl missed a glorious opportunity against Dan Vladar in the Calgary net. The Oilers then turned it over in the neutral zone, leading to a nice pass from Mikael Backlund to set up Hanifin for his 10th of the campaign.
The Oilers finally woke up on the power play with 1:31 to play in the first as Connor McDavid’s long pass found Hyman at the side of the net and he was able to whack in a second attempt. It was Hyman’s fourth straight game with a goal. McDavid extended his home-game point streak to 22 games, eclipsing his personal best such streak which was established last year.
Edmonton pulled back to within a goal 4:34 into the second period as Draisaitl sent Hyman in on a breakaway with a long pass from one knee and Hyman was able to deke past Vladar and score on the backhand. It was Hyman’s 37th goal of the season, besting his previous career high, set last season.
Calgary had a chance to regain its two-goal edge shortly after, but Jonathan Huberdeau missed a wide-open net.
Huberdeau made up for it with 8:13 left in the second period, sending a perfect pass from behind the net out front to Hunt, who blasted his first goal of the season past Skinner.
The Flames went up 5-2 with a power-play goal a couple minutes later after Edmonton failed to clear the zone and the puck came across to Hanifin, who had a wide-open net to deposit his second goal of the game.
Edmonton pulled its goalie with more than seven minutes left in the third and the move was unsuccessful as Coleman scored his 23rd on a long shot into the empty net.
The Oilers were able to make the final score look a little bit better as Janmark notched his fourth of the season with just under four minutes remaining.
NOTES
It was the third meeting of the season between the two rival squads. Edmonton won the Heritage Classic 5-2 over the Flames at Commonwealth Stadium on Oct. 29 and then also captured the second meeting on the road, defeating Calgary 3-1 on Jan. 20. They will meet for a fourth and final time in Calgary on April 6. “¦ Calgary defenceman Brayden Pachal picked up an assist on his team’s second goal for his first point as a Flame since being claimed off waivers from the Vegas Golden Knights earlier this month. “¦ Vladar made his first start since Jan. 20 as Markstrom served as the backup because of an illness. Also out with an illness for Calgary was Andrei Kuzmenko, while Dillon Dube (undisclosed) was also absent.
UP NEXT
Oilers: Play the fourth game of a five-game homestand on Monday against the Los Angeles Kings.
Flames: Start a three-game homestand against the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 24, 2024.
