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Call it gutsy, call it spicy.

It was some kinda night for the Flames, who started their two-game, Central Division weekend with a bang with a 5-4 victory over the Wild in St. Paul.

Andrei Kuzmenko scored twice, Martin Pospisil and Rasmus Andersson chipped in with second-period tallies, and Clark Bishop added insurance with his first NHL goal in over six years as Calgary won a chippy contest, their second in as many tries against Minnesota this season.

Dustin Wolf made 21 saves on the night, improving his record to 18-7-2 as the Flames withstood a furious late rally to record their second win over Minnesota in as many attempts this season.

A look back at all the action from Saturday's win over the Wild

The teams combined for only 10 shots on goal in the first period, but the opening 20 minutes were pacey.

Minnesota starter Marc-Andre Fleury flashed the leather three-and-a-half minutes into proceedings, denying Jakob Pelletier on a clear-cut chance after the Flames forward was sent in on goal thanks to a deft touch pass through the middle of the ice by Jonathan Huberdeau.

Undaunted, Calgary found the opener just shy of the seven-minute mark.

As their first powerplay opportunity of the evening was set to close, Nazem Kadri accepted a pass on the left wing, surveyed the scene, and fired the puck low to the slot.

Kuzmenko was ready and waiting, stick on the ice, and he coolly redirected the disc past Fleury for his second man-advantage marker in three games.

Kadri shoots for the tip and Kuzy guides it home on the PP

Minnesota's Joel Eriksson Ek tied the game just shy of the midpoint of the opening frame, and the two sides traded chances thereafter.

The Flames came close to reclaiming the lead when Blake Coleman was sprung in alone with just under 90 seconds left, but his low effort was padded away by Fleury.

Dustin Wolf, making his eighth start in the past nine games, pulled off some leather larceny of his own late in the period, snagging a hot one-timer off the stick of Kirill Kaprizov after the Wild sniper launched the puck goalward from the right circle.

Tempers flared several times in period two, to say the least.

The Flames were irate after a dangerous hit behind their net at the 4:40 mark, when Kevin Bahl was sent head-first into the end boards by Minnesota forward Jakub Lauko. The steady Bahl left the ice under his own power, but did not return.

Lauko, meanwhile, was assessed a minor penalty, then assessed a major a few minutes later when he dropped the gloves in a spirited bout with Ryan Lomberg.

That tilt turned the tide in Calgary's favour, as the visitors struck twice amid all the physicality to take a 3-1 lead into the break.

The second goal involved a bit of chaos.

Pospisil and Kuzmenko found themselves on a two-man breakaway. Pospisil's initial effort was steered aside by Fleury, but the Flames were gifted a second chance when the Wild coughed up the puck to Yegor Sharangovich along the right wing. He spun it to Kuzmenko, whose shot was saved by Fleury, but quick as a wink, Pospisil grabbed the loose biscuit, shifted from backhand to forehand, and pushed it past the prone Minnesota goalkeeper for his second goal against the Wild in as many games this season.

Pospisil denied, but sticks with it & shovels it home to cap a wild sequence

The Flames forecheck helped create a late powerplay after Matt Coronato was tripped in the offensive zone, and once again, the powerplay struck gold with a buzzer-beater.

Backlund grabbed a loose puck in the slot and touched it onto Andersson's stick, after the defender had raced in from the left point.

Andersson put his full weight behind a slapshot and blasted it past Fleury, then surprised a front-row fan with his patented 'stare-down' celebration in the left-wing corner.

Andersson unloads from the forward tees to double the lead

It's back and better than ever!

Calgary outshot Minnesota 14-8 in the second period, but they relied on Wolf as the scene shifted to period three.

And the young netminder - as has come to be routine - was reliable.

He denied Matt Boldy with a right pad save on a low shot from the right circle before the frame was two minutes old, then stopped Lauko on a point-blank chance seven minutes later when the Wild forward found himself in possession of the puck, alone in front of the Flames net.

For those two saves, Wolf was rewarded with some insurance - and an unbelievable story in the making - thanks to Wranglers captain Bishop, making just his second NHL appearance in the last three years.

After skating onto the puck in the neutral zone, Bishop skated left, and from the circle snapped the puck past Fleury's glove hand for his first goal as a Flame, and first in the NHL since December of 2018.

Bishop beats Fleury to record his first goal in six years!

Frederick Gaudreau responded with a powerplay marker for Minnesota at 15:14, but Calgary replied just 14 seconds later thanks to Kuzmenko, who accepted an entry feed from Sharangovich, skated behind the net, and wrapped it into the yawning cage just past Fleury's right skate.

Kuzmenko scores his second of the night as the Flames pull away

Marcus Foligno and Mats Zuccarello each scored for the Wild in the final two minutes, rounding out the evening's offence.

Sharangovich and MacKenzie Weegar both finished the game with two assists, while Pospisil enjoyed a multi-point game with a goal and a helper.

In the second period, Fleury surpassed Patrick Roy to move into second all-time among NHL goaltenders in minutes played.

The Lineup:

FORWARDS

Jonathan Huberdeau - Nazem Kadri - Jakob Pelletier
Blake Coleman - Mikael Backlund - Matt Coronato
Ryan Lomberg - Yegor Sharangovich - Martin Pospisil
Clark Bishop - Kevin Rooney - Andrei Kuzmenko

DEFENCE

MacKenzie Weegar - Daniil Miromanov
Kevin Bahl - Rasmus Andersson
Joel Hanley - Brayden Pachal

GOALTENDER

Dustin Wolf

They Said It:

"I say to Kadri, ‘Thanks, thanks, thanks!’"

"To come out on top, it’s even better"

"Overall, pretty happy with our game"

"We did a lot of good things on the road"

The Numbers Game:

Shots: CGY 29, MIN 25

Powerplay: CGY 2-3, MIN 1-2

Faceoffs: CGY 60.3%, MIN 39.7%

Blocked Shots: CGY 13, MIN 20

Hits: CGY 20, MIN 23

5-on-5 Scoring Chances: CGY 17, MIN 23

5-on-5 High-Danger Scoring Chances: CGY 6, MIN 7

Up Next:

The Flames go right back to work Sunday in Winnipeg (4 p.m. MT) before returning home to Calgary, where they'll then begin a three-game homestand Tuesday at 7 p.m. versus Alexander Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals. GET TICKETS