The Calgary Flames were edged 4-3 in overtime by the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday in a chippy, back-and-forth affair at 2016 Young Stars Classic.
Matthew Tkachuk, the sixth overall selection in the 2016 NHL Draft, opened the scoring at 9:01 of the first period but the Oilers responded just under 10 minutes later when Joey Benik capitalized in a misplay in front of the Flames net.
Benik and Collin Shirley scored the next two goals, giving the Oilers a two-goal cushion but Flames camp invitees Mikkel Aagaard and Brayden Burke pushed the game into overtime with third period markers.
Jaedon Descheneau ended the game at 2:47 of overtime after he was sprung on a breakaway by Chad Butcher.
Flames' goaltenders Tyler Parsons and Mason McDonald split time in the game, with Parsons making 17 saves on 18 shots and McDonald stopping seven of the 10 shots he faced.
Here are the Flames' three stars from the setback:
FIRST STAR - TYLER PARSONS
Aside from one tough bounce that resulted in an Oilers goal, Parsons was rock solid in the blue paint. He faced 18 shots through the first half of the game, many of a difficult nature and coming at a furious pace, and was able to calm his team down when the Oilers were pressing.
"He played really well," Stockton Heat head coach Ryan Huska said. "There was that flurry there when they had the their five-on-three. He made ... a handful of unreal saves.
"We talked this morning about a guy who doesn't quit on pucks and I think that was a great example, some of the saves he was able to make."
SECOND STAR - MATTHEW TKACHUK
For a second night in a row, Tkachuk's fieriness and physicality was on display and he was able to get under his opponents' skin every single shift he played. At one point in the game, he drew three consecutive penalties -- a cross-checking call on Ben Betker, a high-sticking minor on Matt Benning and an interference penalty on Kayle Doetzel.
Tkachuk scored his first goal of the tournament in the first period when he was able to get a handle on a rebound and slip it past Oilers netminder Dylan Wells. The winger ended up with four shots on net and two penalties in the game.
THIRD STAR - MIKKEL AAGAARD
The 20-year-old Dane and his linemates, Burke and Hunter Smith, were catalysts in regaining momentum in the third period. Aagaard scored his first goal of the tournament at the 7:54 mark of the third period, wristing a shot over Wells' shoulder from high in the slot. He put five shots on net and was a plus-one in the loss.
"I think Mikkel, the two games he has played, he has made a good impression on me," Huska noted in his post-game media address. "He's a quick young man and he's got some good skills. You can see some hockey sense there."
