RIGHT ON THE 'MARK'

The math isn't complicated.
Going 3-for-6 on the powerplay + 4-for-4 on the penalty-kill + incredible goaltending = victory.
The Flames special teams were just that - and more - as they skated to a 3-0 win in their home-opener at the Scotiabank Sadldedome over the Vancouver Canucks.
They now improve to 1-1 on the season.

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Former Canucks goalie Jacob Markstrom - signed as a free agent by the Flames in the off-season - was stellar with 32 stops, while Sean Monahan and Dillon Dube provided the offence on the night.
Markstrom, to no suprise, was named the game's first star.
The tilt was the first of 10 meetings this season between the now North Division foes, two teams with no love lost between them.
The Flames swarmed the Canucks and poured on the pressure near the midway point of the opening frame, with Derek Ryan ringing a shot off the post that new Vancouver netminder Braden Holtby didn't see, and not long after a Mark Giordano point shot was tipped by Josh Leivo in tight with the Canucks goalie just getting a piece of it.
The pressure led to Tanner Pearson being sent to the box for high-sticking Matthew Tkachuk.
The Flames didn't waste much time making them pay - a scant 15 seconds to be exact.
Elias Lindholm - who had a goal and an assist in the season-opening 4-3 overtime loss to the Jets in Winnipeg on Thursday - started a beautiful tic-tac-toe play to Tkachuk who tapped it into the slot to Monahan, who made no mistake on a one-timer for his first of the campaign at 8:31.

The PK was called on to weather a storm when the Canucks had a 1:22 two-man advantage with Sam Bennett off for a hold and Mikael Backlund sitting with him, whistled for a high stick.
They did an excellent job of cutting off passing lanes and blocking shots to kill it off.
Early in the second period, Nikita Nesterov snapped a point shot through a maze of bodies that eluded Holtby but found the post for another close call.
Then it was the Flames chance for a two-man advantage, albeit for only 16 seconds. In those first few ticks, both Johnny Gaudreau and Lindholm had quality chances but couldn't beat Holtby.
He then held the fort for the rest of the single-man advantage.
The march to the box continued, this time Noah Hanifin heading off for the Flames, called on a hold.
Early in the Vancouver powerplay, Lindholm just missed a wide-open Ryan streaking ahead alone on a two-on-one, the pass just ahead of his reach.
The Flames added to their lead with, what else, a powerplay goal - after they'd killed off part of a Vancouver advantage before Tyler Motte was sent off for a trip.
With just eight seconds left of man-up time, Backlund passed to the slot, where Andrew Mangiapane sent a spinning backhand pass to Dube near the right faceoff circle and he put it shortside before Holtby was able to come across to the post.

Mangiapane - keeping with his theme of the night - chased a loose puck and skated into the Vancouver zone, before pulling up with a spin-o-rama on Quinn Hughes and cutting across the crease, his backhand attempt gloved by Holtby.
Later, Mangiapane was wrestled to the ice on a partial breakaway with no call. Moments later, he broke back into the Vancouver zone on a 2-on-1 with Giordano, but the captain had his stick slashed out of his hands by Brock Boeser as the pass came to him. That earned the Flames another two minutes on the PP.
And they made them pay again.
This time, Tkachuk picked up the rebound of a Gaudreau shot right on the doorstep and tucked it in shortside at 15:16. Rasmus Andersson got the other helper.

KING REMEMBERED:

The Flames remembered former President, CEO and Vice Chair Ken King prior to the game. King joined the Flames as President and CEO in the spring of 2001. Over the course of 20 years, King built a strong and vibrant sports and entertainment organization. His relentless focus on customer service and the fan experience enabled the Flames to survive the challenging times they faced early in his tenure and built the foundation for a growing and successful sports entity which includes the WHL Calgary Hitmen, the AHL Stockton Heat, the NLL Calgary Roughnecks and a controlling interest in the CFL Calgary Stampeders.

HARNETT HONOURED:

Also prior to tonight's opener, the Flames paid tribute to Calgary Police Service Sgt. Andrew Harnett, who tragically lost his life on New Year's Eve. A longtime CPS member, he dedicated his life to serving our community. Our thoughts and hearts are with his family, friends, and colleagues.

THEY SAID IT:

Markstrom on the win:
"It was huge. Great team win. It was weirder than I thought it would be. It's just weird seeing the team you played for for a long time on the other side. I just tried to stay focused on doing my part and just stop the puck, and I thought the guys in front of me played great today."
On killing the 5-on-3
"It's obviously good. It gave us a little bit of momentum. It was a key point, we were up by one. Once again, I can't stay enough about the guys and the special teams were the difference-makers today to keep them out of our night. I thought our killers did a great job of blocking shots and when the shots did come, I could see most of the shots and kept teh lane clear. I can't say enough about the guys and I give them all the credit for today's win."

Dube on Markstrom:
"He competed hard. Marky was good for us back there. He did it in Winnipeg, too, he really he stood on his head. We knew it was a meaningful game for those guys and they really showed up tonight, which was good to see."
Monahan on the PP:
"Yeah, you want to get it going early. Right now, special teams are huge this early in the season; they can win you games and lose you games. Tonight, our PK was great and the powerplay got three, and we won the game."

Head coach Geoff Ward on Markstrom and Chris Tanev:
"I thought both guys played exceptionally well tonight. The game was a little bit special for them, but the bigger thing that they'll be talking about is that we had a more complete effort tonight than we did against Winnipeg, so it's a stepping stone for them. We're happy for them, but we're happier with the win and that it was a more complete effort on our part."

ONE-TIMERS:

Three former Vancouver Canucks faced their old team for the first time tonight. Josh Leivo, Markstrom* and Tanev all signed with Calgary in the off season ... Former Flames defenceman Travis Hamonic, of course, is now a member of the Canucks and the team recognized his tenure with a video during a first-intermission stoppage ... Juuso Valimakiplayed on Flames ice for the first time since April 19, 2019 in a playoff game against the Colorado Avalanche. The Flames 2017 first-round pick has gone 606 days between games at the Saddledome (due to injury) ... Gaudreau made his NHL debut on April 13, 2014 against the Canucks where he scored his first career goal ... Mangiapane* scored his first career NHL goal on February 9, 2019 in Vancouver.
Tweet from @NHLFlames: Welcome back 🔨Thank you for everything you did for our organization and our community! pic.twitter.com/yngjMWeMhk

THE LINEUP:

\To start the game*
LINES:
Johnny Gaudreau - Sean Monahan - Josh Leivo
Matthew Tkachuk - Elias Lindholm - Dillon Dube
Sam Bennett - Mikael Backlund - Andrew Mangiapane
Milan Lucic - Derek Ryan - Dominik Simon
D-PAIRINGS:
Mark Giordano - Rasmus Andersson
Noah Hanifin - Chris Tanev
Juuso Valimaki - Nikita Nesterov
GOALIES:
Jacob Markstrom - starter
David Rittich

UP NEXT:

The Flames and Canucks get back at it Monday at the Scotiabank Saddledome (7 p.m., Sportsnet One, Sportsnet 960 THE FAN) before five days off and then a pair of home games against the Maple Leafs on Jan. 24 & 26.