Weegar gets first goal for Flames in win against Canucks

CALGARY -- MacKenzie Weegar scored his first goal with the Calgary Flames in a 3-2 win against the Vancouver Canucks at Scotiabank Saddledome on Saturday.

Elias Lindholm scored in his 700th NHL game, and Jacob Markstrom made 22 saves for the Flames (18-13-7), who have won three of four.
"I think we're on the right track," Lindholm said. "Points in 12 out of 16. That's pretty good. Still, I think there's games where we feel we could've gotten more points or got the win. Overall, I think we went 8-4-4. It's a step in the right direction."
Elias Pettersson and Sheldon Dries scored, and Spencer Martin made 27 saves for the Canucks (16-17-3), who have lost two straight after a three-game winning streak.
"We need these types of games," Martin said. "We've been really good in our division so far this year. Yeah, it does [sting]."

Lindholm, who is the first player from the 2013 NHL Draft class to reach 700 games, gave Calgary a 1-0 lead at 1:21 of the second period. He shot by Martin's blocker from just inside the right face-off circle for his first goal in six games.
"I mean, I haven't scored in a while now," Lindholm said. "It was good timing to put one in there and get us on the board. It's a fun milestone. I've played a lot of games, but it's just nice to get the win."
Blake Coleman made it 2-0 at 9:32 when he one-timed a pass from Rasmus Andersson on a short-handed odd-man rush.
"We knew that this was a big game," Coleman said. "You emphasize last game of the year and things like that. Whether it was on the kill or 5-on-5, just wanted to play really hard, and I thought I wasn't alone in that."
Weegar made it 3-0 at 14:17 with a snap shot stick side through traffic. He was acquired from the Florida Panthers with forward Jonathan Huberdeau for Matthew Tkachuk on July 22.
"It feels great. Even better with the two points, obviously," Weegar said. "It was a weird play. I honestly thought that it was going to be offside. [Chris Tanev] kept a good puck in and I didn't want to jinx it by overcelebrating. Now I'm happy that it wasn't offside and happy to get my first goal."
Dries cut the lead to 3-1 at 15:28 when he batted a puck out of midair from the goal line.
"Sometimes your best players have to be your best players, and I didn't think our best players in that second period were our best players," Vancouver coach Bruce Boudreau said. "Consequently when that happens, you get behind the eight ball."

Pettersson scored from a sharp angle 4:06 into the third period to cut the lead to 3-2. The goal came after Martin made a sprawling blocker save on Coleman at 1:14 to keep the Canucks within two.
Markstrom stopped Quinn Hughes from the edge of the crease at 17:15.
"I think Calgary the last 10 minutes really did a good job of shutting us down," Boudreau said. "I still think we can give more. Sometimes when you're playing a bigger team you've got to get in there and get two guys and three guys in there so you win the battles. Too many of us were looking to be in the spot where, 'you get the puck and get it to me and I'll score,' rather than going in and helping to get to it first of all create possession and then get the ability to score."
NOTES: Flames forward Brett Ritchie left the game 5:03 into the second period with an apparent wrist injury and did not return. … Calgary is 10-1-1 when leading after the first period and 15-1-2 when leading after the second period this season. ... Andersson has seven points (one goal, six assists) in his past seven games. ... Pettersson has 10 points (four goals, six assists) in a five-game point streak, and 17 points (six goals, 11 assists) in his past 10 games. ... Canucks forward Bo Horvat had an assist, giving him nine points (four goals, five assists) in his past four games.