Calgary Flames' Sam Honzek, left, celebrates his goal with teammate Yegor Sharangovich during second period NHL pre-season hockey action against the Seattle Kraken in Calgary on Monday, Sept. 30, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
CALGARY – Rookie Samuel Honzek continued his scoring tear on Monday with a brilliant short-handed effort as the Calgary Flames beat the Seattle Kraken 4-3 in overtime.
The 19-year-old Slovak, who was the Flames’ first-round pick, 16th overall in 2023, sits alone atop the NHL’s pre-season scoring leaders with seven points (including two goals) in five games.
Brayden Pachal, Blake Coleman, and Nazem Kadri – with the game-winner on a slick setup from Andrei Kuzmenko – also scored for Calgary (5-0-1), which has yet to lose in regulation.
Eeli Tolvanen, Ville Ottavainen and Shane Wright replied for Seattle (1-3-1).
In his first full game after playing two periods in each of his first two starts, Dan Vladar – coming off off-season hip surgery – made 30 saves for the win.
At the other end, Joey Daccord made 23 stops for the Kraken.
Tied 2-2 after the first period, Seattle had multiple chances to take the lead early in the second when Calgary took four penalties in the first six minutes.
But not only did the Flames kill off the extended power play time for the visitors that included a pair of two-man advantages, Honzek ignited the home crowd with his highlight-reel goal at 6:33.
Sprung on a 1-on-1 by Yegor Sharangovich’s breakout pass, Honzek skated down the right wing through the neutral zone and into the Seattle end where he used his 6-foot-4 frame to power his way around defenceman Vince Dunn, then as he cut across the front of the net, he neatly eluded Daccord’s poke check before tucking the puck in while falling to the ice.
Honzek, who turns 20 on Nov. 12, played last season with the WHL’s Vancouver Giants where injuries limited him to just 33 games in which he had 31 points (10 goals, 21 assists).
After taking the lead, the penalty barrage in the second continued for the home side with Blake Coleman’s penalty with seven seconds left – Calgary’s sixth minor of the period – finally costing them with Wright scoring 39 seconds into the third to tie it 3-3.
Seattle opened the scoring 3:18 into the game when Rasmus Andersson’s turnover was grabbed by Chandler Stephenson, who promptly sent a backhand pass into the slot that was buried by Tolvanen.
After Calgary surged in front on goals less than four minutes apart by Pachal and Coleman, the visitors tied it with 15 seconds remaining in the period when Ottavainen’s long slapshot eluded Vladar.
BARRIE BATTLING
Picking up a pair of assists for the Flames with secondary helpers on both first period goals was defenceman Tyson Barrie, who is in Flames’ camp on a professional tryout. The 33-year-old has three assists in three games. Barrie has played 809 career NHL games and should he sign with Calgary, would join his fifth NHL organization. He played last season for Nashville.
UP NEXT
Kraken: Host the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday.
Flames: Visit the Winnipeg Jets on Wednesday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 30, 2024.
