Backlund scores, Flames cruise past Flyers

Mikael Backlund scored to extend his point streak to six games, and the Calgary Flames defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 5-1 at Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary on Wednesday.

Connor Zary had a goal and an assist, Matt Coronato and MacKenzie Weegar each had two assists, and Dustin Wolf made 26 saves for the Flames (18-18-4), who have won five of six and improved to 10-1-1 in their past 12 games at home. After a slow start that had Calgary in last place in the Western Conference on Dec. 2, the Flames have climbed back to .500.

“We just been sticking to our team game,” Backlund said. “It was some dark days earlier in the year with a tough stretch, but the boys have been digging in and kept believing and just been working hard and staying focused on what's ahead and not losing sight of what we want to achieve here, so I get a lot of credit to all my teammates who worked really hard.”

Travis Konecny scored and Samuel Ersson made 20 saves for the Flyers (20-12-7), who were playing the second half of a back to back after a 6-3 win at the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday. It was just the third regulation loss in the past 12 games (5-3-4) for Philadelphia.

“Sometimes it doesn't go your way,” coach Rick Tocchet said. “I will give Calgary credit, they owned the front of the nets. We didn't box out that well, they get a couple goals in front of the net, so it's one of those games, you could say that, and we learn from it and move on.”


Backlund put Calgary ahead 1-0 off the rush at 13:30 of the first period, taking a drop pass from Coronato and firing a one-time slap shot from above the left face-off circle that appeared to change direction slightly off defenseman Nick Seeler and go past Ersson’s glove. Backlund has nine points (five goals, four assists) during his six-game point streak.


“Best I've seen him play,” Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson, who also scored, said of the Flames' 36-year-old captain. “He's dragging the team into the fight, and it's every night. He's been unbelievable lately, and really since game 10 this year, I think he's been one of our best players. … He's like fine wine, right? You know, older he gets, the better he gets.”

Jonathan Huberdeau made it 2-0 at 3:08 of the second period after Morgan Frost won an offensive-zone face-off, scoring on a screened wrist shot from the top of the left face-off circle that deflected in off Flyers defenseman Jamie Drysdale as he battled with Frost in front.


“Just playing as a team,” Huberdeau said. “Everybody's playing well and contributing to the success. We know that's the recipe of our team, when everybody is going, when we're playing four lines, and everybody is scoring some goals, and that's what we've been doing.”

Seeler appeared to score on a delayed penalty at 4:12 but the Flames challenged successfully for goalie interference because Carl Grundstrom was in the crease and prevented Wolf from moving into the save on his glove side.


Konecny was credited with the goal that did make it 2-1 at 8:49, his third in the past four games. He threw the puck towards Christian Dvorak driving the net off the rush but it went right to Wolf and trickled over his right pad, lying in the crease behind him before Flames forward Nazem Kadri accidentally knocked it off the far post and over the line while trying to clear it.


Andersson scored on a 5-on-3 power play at 12:03 to make it 3-1, one-timing a shot from the top of the left face-off circle past the glove of a screened Ersson.

“I thought we were making a push when it was 2-1 and obviously the penalties kind of hurt us, the 5-on-3 kind of took a little wind out of our sails,” Tocchet said. 


Yegor Sharangovich scored another power play goal at 17:52 to make it 4-2, snapping a shot from the left dot over Ersson’s glove after the Flyers goalie made a couple of tough saves.

The power play finished 2-for-3, just the fourth time the Calgary power play has scored more than once in a game this season. The Flames were 2-for-25 over their previous eight games.

“The power-play goals were big in the game, but probably even bigger for our group of let's call them 10 power-play guys,” coach Ryan Huska said.

Zary made it 5-1 at 9:37 of the third period with a quick shot from the bottom of the right circle over Ersson’s blocker shoulder after Ryan Lomberg forced a turnover behind the net.

“The significance (of .500) is they stayed with it,” Huska said. “We had a tough stretch to start the year, and it could have easily went the other way and I've said a lot in the past about our older players are the ones that drive our team, good or bad, but they don't waver, and I think their push -- we've talked about Mikael (Backlund) and Blake (Coleman) over the last little while -- but the push from those older guys has allowed us to get to this position. Now we have to find a way to keep going, because we're not where we want to be yet.”

NOTES: Philadelphia was 0-for-2 on the power play. … Flyers defenseman Noah Juulsen replaced Emil Andrae in the lineup after being a healthy scratch the previous seven games and finished minus-1 with two shots and three hits in 13:58 of ice time. … Backlund’s six-game point streak is his first since the 2019-20 season and ties Huberdeau for the longest by a Flames player this season. … Andersson’s goal was his eighth, putting him on pace for 16, which would be an NHL career high.