Flames Fall To Ducks In Shootout

ANAHEIM — Joel Farabee and Yegor Sharangovich scored in regulation time, but the Ducks got the game-winning shot in the shootout, skating to a 3-2 victory over the Flames Sunday at Honda Center.

Calgary earned a point - thanks in part to a 34-save performance from Devin Cooley - finishing their three-game California road swing with a 1-1-1 record.

The Flames opened the scoring just shy of the midway mark of the first period on a gorgeous Farabee deflection.
After gaining the line, the winger raced down the middle of the ice to the front of the net, stick on the ice, while at the left point, puck-carrier Ryan Lomberg threaded a hard pass right onto the tape, allowing Farabee to tip the puck over Anaheim starter Lukas Dostal’s left shoulder and into the top corner of the net.

Calgary had two more Grade ‘A’ opportunities on first-period powerplays, both at the back post, but chances for Matvei Gridin and Matt Coronato were foiled by the Ducks, keeping the game at a 1-0 scoreline in favour of the visitors through 20 minutes.

At the other end, Devin Cooley was busy, making 14 first-period stops - seven in the first 4:31 of the contest alone - his glove stop on a Ryan Poehling short-handed breakaway standing as his best.

The home side got an equalizer at 11:14 of period two - Cutter Gauthier got the credit after the puck took an unpredictable carom, then bounced off Cooley’s back and in. 

But less than five minutes later, the Flames reclaimed the lead on a powerplay. After a spell of extended pressure, the puck came to Sharangovich, who rifled a snapshot home from the right circle for his 12th goal of the campaign.

Gauthier added a second for Anaheim on a mid-period powerplay, but not until after Cooley robbed Beckett Sennecke, sliding to his right to deny the promising rookie's one-timer from the left circle.

That goal forced overtime, and it forced Cooley into a trio of difficult stops in the extra session. He got a shoulder to a hard Jackson LaCombe wrister, then denied Sennecke in tight before a glove stop on Gauthier at the buzzer.

The Flames' best chance in OT came off the stick of Nazem Kadri, who had the game on his stick, dancing through the Ducks defence before faking forehand, and going backhand from just outside the crease. Dostal made a desperation glove stop, though, getting just enough of the disc to keep it out.

Leo Carlsson and Mason McTavish scored for Anaheim in the shootout, Kadri replying with a snapshot on Calgary's second attempt. Rookie Matvei Gridin tried to keep the skill session alive on the Flames' third shot - freezing Dostal - but his shot clanked off the left post and stayed out.

The Lineup:

FORWARDS

Connor Zary - Nazem Kadri - Joel Farabee

Blake Coleman - Mikael Backlund - Matt Coronato

Yegor Sharangovich - Morgan Frost - Matvei Gridin

Ryan Lomberg - John Beecher - Adam Klapka

DEFENCE

Kevin Bahl - MacKenzie Weegar

Yan Kuznetsov - Zach Whitecloud

Joel Hanley - Brayden Pachal

GOALTENDERS

Devin Cooley - starter

Dustin Wolf

They Said It:

The Numbers Game:

Shots: CGY 34, ANA 36

Powerplay: CGY 1-3, ANA 1-5

Faceoffs: CGY 48.7%, ANA 51.3%

Hits: CGY 14, ANA 26

Blocked Shots: CGY 21, ANA 15

5-on-5 Scoring Chances: CGY 28, ANA 27

5-on-5 High-Danger Scoring Chances: CGY 13, ANA 11

Up Next:

The Flames - and Blasty - return home to the Scotiabank Saddledome for a three-game homestand, beginning Tuesday at 7 p.m. MT versus the Stars. GET TICKETS