Sharangovich scores in 5th straight, Flames hold off Lightning

CALGARY -- Yegor Sharangovich scored in his fifth straight game, and the Calgary Flames held on to win 4-2 against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Scotiabank Saddledome on Saturday.

MacKenzie Weegar, A.J. Greer and Connor Zary scored for the Flames (12-14-5), who ended a four-game losing streak. Dan Vladar made 31 saves.

"We played hard," Weegar said. "I've got to give credit to the whole team tonight. I thought it was a full 60 minutes from everybody."

Steven Stamkos and Brayden Point scored, and Nikita Kucherov had two assists for the Lightning (14-13-5), who have lost two of three. Andrei Vasilevskiy made 22 saves.

"We've just got to get back to playing, I know it's cliche, but the right way," Tampa Bay defenseman Victor Hedman said. “It's just a matter of us getting back to what works. We know we have it in us. We just have to make the right plays at the right times. Just small mistakes that cost us and end up in our net."

Greer gave Calgary a 1-0 lead 2:30 into the second period with a wrist shot from the left circle that beat Vasilevskiy short side.

Weegar extended the lead to 2-0 at 6:17 with a slap shot from the point through a screen that beat Vasilevskiy blocker side. The goal matches Weegar's NHL career-high of eight, set in 80 games in 2021-22 with the Florida Panthers.

"I thought that was probably our best period of the year," Weegar said. "We were moving the puck quick. They were grinding the [defense] down. The [defensemen] were jumping up. We were breaking the puck out well. I thought we checked hard. We were on the good side of the puck. That was great to see for us. Hopefully we can keep building on that. I'm sure we'll go over it and show some great clips, some things that we need to improve upon, but I thought that was a great, great period by our team."

Sharangovich's one-timer from the top of the right circle pushed it to 3-0 at 7:00. He has six goals during his five-game goal-scoring streak, and eight points (six goals, two assists) in a six-game point streak.

"When I get the chance to take a shot, I try to shoot and try to score, and if you shoot it three, four times in a game, maybe one shot will go for a goal," Sharangovich said.

Point made it 3-1 at 4:10 of the third period after he took a centering pass from below the goal line by Kucherov and lifted a shot over Vladar's glove from the slot.

Stamkos cut it to 3-2 at 5:40 with a slap shot short side on the power play.

"It's execution and breakouts," Point said. "When it's sloppy, they spend the whole period in our zone. We couldn't break the puck out and they have nothing but time in our zone. In the third period, I thought we did a better job of executing our breakouts and that's why we didn't spend as much time in the [defensive] zone. I think our push was better too, our effort was better in the third. I think it really starts with those breakouts."

Zary drove wide around Brandon Hagel and beat Vasilevskiy short side for the 4-2 final at 11:42.

"Bottom line is we've got to be better as a whole," Hedman said. "It starts with the leaders in this room. It took us two periods to wake up. It's not good enough in this league."

NOTES: Sharangovich, who was acquired along with a third-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft from the New Jersey Devils for forward Tyler Toffoli on June 27, matched Kent Nilsson in 1980-81 and Joe Mullen in 1985-86 for the longest goal streak by a player in their first season with Calgary. ... Zary and Weegar each have four points (two goals, two assists) in three-game point streaks. … Stamkos' goal was his 400th NHL power-play point, one of seven active players to reach the mark.