Hurricanes edge Flames to end five-game skid

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Brett Pesce broke a third-period tie to help the Carolina Hurricanes to their first win in six games, 3-2 against the Calgary Flames at PNC Arena on Saturday.

Pesce scored on the power play at 8:46 with a low wrist shot off a pass from Jesperi Kotkaniemi from below the goal line. It was his first goal of the season in his 22nd game.
"Great pass by 'KK,' just found a little seam, so I had a little space to sneak in there," Pesce said. "It's just huge for us and our confidence, just finding a way to win again."

Seth Jarvis and Martin Necas scored, and Antti Raanta made 18 saves for the Hurricanes (11-6-5), who were 0-1-4 in their previous five, including a 3-2 overtime loss at the Boston Bruins on Friday.
"I told the guys, 'We're playing well,'" Carolina coach Rod Brind'Amour said. "I was actually worried because at some point you think you're going to have a game that's not so good. We've played well all through this stretch and just haven't got any bounces."
Adam Ruzicka scored, Tyler Toffoli got his 200th NHL goal, and Dan Vladar made 30 saves for the Flames (9-9-3), who have lost three straight, including 3-0 at the Washington Capitals on Friday.
"I think we were ready for a really fast, aggressive team, and they came out like that," Calgary coach Darryl Sutter said. "The goalie did a good job holding down the fort early, but in the end, their power play gets a break and scores a goal. We had an opportunity before that on our power play [but] didn't come through."
Jarvis gave Carolina a 1-0 lead at 6:20 of the first period with his first goal in 12 games. Brent Burns took advantage of a Calgary turnover and fed him with a backhand across the slot.

Ruzicka tied it 1-1 on the power play at 18:09 from the left side of the net. Raanta stopped a right point shot by Michael Stone, but Ruzicka scored on the rebound.
Necas made it 2-1 on the power play at 3:41 of the second period. He pinched from the top of the right face-off circle and scored off a pass from Stefan Noesen.
Toffoli took a stretch pass from Jonathan Huberdeau and tied it 2-2 on a breakaway at 12:57.
"We battled back," Toffoli said. "They're a really good team, they work hard. We gave ourselves a chance, but I think we kind of let one slip there. I think we're getting some really good looks. It's just a matter of finishing our opportunities."

The win was the first in his past four starts for Raanta, who backed up Pyotr Kochetkov the previous two games after taking a shot off the side of his knee during the morning skate Wednesday.
"I feel like every team goes through some adversity during the season, but it's just a relief to get two points," Raanta said. "There's been a couple games for myself where there's been early goals and we've been chasing the game all the time. It was nice to get the lead today and go from there."
The Flames finished a six-game road trip 2-3-1.
"We wanted to get more points than games played," Sutter said. "When you go on trips that are three or more games, that's what you always want. We got five in six games, so we fell short."
NOTES: Stone returned after missing 11 games with a lower-body injury. He had an assist, two shots on goal, two hits and two blocked shots in 16:42. … Huberdeau (assist) has 33 points (10 goals, 23 assists) in 36 games against Carolina. … Toffoli has played 672 NHL games. … The Hurricanes are 4-for-9 on the power play in their past two games after going 0-for-20 in their previous six.