Flames lose to Coyotes, fail to keep pace for wild card

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- The Calgary Flames failed to keep pace in the race for a wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference on Monday, losing 5-2 to the Arizona Coyotes at Gila River Arena.

Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Max Domi each scored two goals, and Antti Raanta made 42 saves for Arizona (24-37-11), which was eliminated from playoff contention March 14 but is 11-5-1 in its past 17 games.
Ekman-Larsson gave the Coyotes a 3-2 lead with his 100th NHL goal at 16:19 of the third period. Ekman-Larsson (18:23) and Domi (19:39) each scored into an empty net to make it 5-2.
WATCH: [All Flames vs. Coyotes highlights]
"We didn't back off," said Coyotes assistant John MacLean, who filled in for coach Rick Tocchet while Tocchet attended his mother's funeral. "It wasn't a friendly game. We started to dislike them a little bit and understand that it's OK to dislike another team and push and push and push."
Dougie Hamilton and Sean Monahan scored for Calgary, which has lost three games in a row. Goalie Mike Smith made 25 saves against his former team.
"It's disappointing and frustrating," said Smith, who played 312 games for the Coyotes from 2011-17. "You have an opportunity to get some points here tonight and you let it slip away. It hurts."
The Flames (35-29-10) are six points behind the Colorado Avalanche and Anaheim Ducks for the two Western wild cards, and six points behind the Los Angeles Kings for third place in the Pacific Division.
"I don't think we've scored the big goals at the right times," said Flames coach Glen Gulutzan, whose team has scored two goals or fewer in five of six games. "As far as effort and all of those other key indicators, we're working, we're generating opportunities, chances, shots in every game we play. We're just not getting those key goals."

Richard Panik gave the Coyotes a 1-0 lead at 5:15 of the second period when he snapped a cross-ice pass from Clayton Keller off Smith's glove.
Keller has 53 points (20 goals, 33 assists), one shy of Peter Mueller's Coyotes rookie record from 2007-08.
Hamilton tied the game 1-1 when he beat Raanta to the short side from the right face-off circle at 9:05, and Monahan scored off the rebound of a Johnny Gaudreau shot to give Calgary a 2-1 lead at 15:28.
Monahan has 64 points, a new NHL career high, one more than he had in 2015-16. Gaudreau has nine points (three goals, six assists) in his past eight games.
Domi tied it 2-2 at 17:31 when he intercepted Micheal Ferland's pass in the high slot, skated in, and beat Smith to the stick side.
Ekman-Larsson scored the game-winner with a wrist shot that beat Smith high to the glove side. His 28 game-winning goals are the most among NHL defensemen since he entered the League in 2010-11.
He is the sixth Swedish defenseman to score 100 goals in the NHL, joining Nicklas Lidstrom (264), Borje Salming (150), Fredrik Olausson (147), Erik Karlsson (125) and Calle Johansson (119).
"It means that I'm doing something good out there and I've been fortunate to play with some good players that are setting me up," said Ekman-Larsson, who is seven goals behind Teppo Numminen for most by a defenseman in Coyotes/Winnipeg Jets franchise history (108). "It was nice to get it out of the way."

Goal of the game

Ekman-Larsson's goal at 16:19 of the third period.

Save of the game

Raanta stopping Sam Bennett at 1:23 of the third period.

Highlight of the game

Panik's goal at 5:15 of the second period.

They said it

"We just didn't manage the puck when we had to in key moments." -- Flames captain Mark Giordano
"You could see that they were playing for their playoff spot so they were putting everything on the line today." -- Coyotes goalie Antti Raanta on facing 44 shots

Need to know

Hamilton has four points (one goal, three assists) in three games against Arizona this season. … Keller needs two goals to tie Mueller's Coyotes rookie record (22) and one assist to tie Domi's rookie record of 34, set in 2015-16. … Keller has five points (two goals, three assists) in a five-game point streak.

What's next

Flames: Host the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday (9:30 p.m. ET; SN360, SNW, FS-W, NHL.TV)
Coyotes: At the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday (7 p.m. ET; MSG-B, FS-A, NHL.TV)